The Purpose of Lent

Dear friends,

The season of Lent is here again. It is that season when we make a 40 days journey into the wilderness with Christ, searching the soul and reconnecting our spirit to its divine origin.
For more than 20 times the number 40 appears in the Bible, from the story of Noah’s Ark in Genesis 7:12 to Moses and the people of Israel in the book of Exodus, from Elijah fasting for 40 days and 40 nights to Jesus’ fasting for 40 days and 40 nights in the wilderness.

These 40 days of Lent with the exception of Sundays (because Sundays are like Easter in the mind of the Church), signifies moments of spiritual reawakening, preparation, penitence, fortification and renewal in anticipation of a profound spiritual change. (Click on the link to watch the video)

It can be a challenging time with all its temptations but one that has the potential to lead us into a better spiritual growth and a deeper encounter with God.

To make the 40 days of Lent fruitful, the church provides us with the three arms for spiritual solitude: Prayer, Fasting and Almsgiving.

Prayer is a vital way to communicate with God and open ourselves up to His presence. The Church recognises prayer as the lifting up of our minds and hearts to God. During this season, it is important that we set aside time each day to pray – to lift our hearts and minds to God, to meditate and listen to the promptings of the Holy Spirit, and seek his guidance. Also, Choose a book of the Bible and read a chapter daily (like the book of Exodus with 40 chapters) or a combination of books like 1st and Second Samuel and others.
Finally, try not to miss Sunday masses and if possible daily masses this season. If daily masses are not possible due to work and other commitments, you can target two masses weekly including Sunday masses.

Fasting is a great weapon for our spiritual warfare. It is giving up of the pleasures of the flesh and taking up the nourishment of the soul.
In fasting we discipline the flesh of pleasure and feed the soul with heavenly delight. The Scriptures recognises fasting as a means of regaining Gods confidence and drawing down Gods mercy. Joel 2:12-18 speaks of fasting as a way of returning back to the love of God – our father. Fasting must not be done as the punishment of the flesh but as the disciplining of our heavenly desire.
During lent, we fast from eating too much food , reducing or entirely stopping intake of alcohol. For video game lovers this might be difficult but you can disconnect from video games during this time. Other things to consider would be gossiping, unkind words, grudges, unnecessary social media scrolls and things that glorify the flesh while replacing them with prayer, scriptural or spiritual readings, practical works of charity and kind relationship with our neighbours.

There’s also the tradition of abstaining from fleshy meats and replacing them with fish which symbolises the non-glorification of the flesh as we reflect on the wounds of Christs body. It is an obligation, however, to abstain from meat on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday and all Fridays of Lent.

Finally, Almsgiving is an act of love, a love that appreciates God’s gifts to us. During this season of Lent, it is important that we take up the obligation of gratitude through almsgiving. Almsgiving must not be about money or material expenses but the Church encourages us to look out for the needs of others, whether they be spiritual, psychological, or material, and help them in any way we can.
To foster this cause, The faith-Chat Platform will be feeding 7000 people across 5 countries in Africa at Easter, this will be partly sponsored from the proceeds from our Lenten fasting and abstinence.

To further help yourself with being intentional this season, You can choose an accountability partner or partners with whom you can share your challenges and victories. Faith-Chat Platform has formed daily groups of accountability partners where individuals from different parts of the world can share their experiences once a week and receive feedbacks and feedforwards for a better Lenten encounter. You can join us.

It is my prayer that at the end of this season of lent, you, your household and your friends would’ve found a better connection with God through Christ’s passion and resurrection.

May the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ and the Love of God and the communion of the Holy Spirit, be with us now and forever. Amen .

Have a fruit filled season of Lent!
God bless you

Fr. James Anyaegbu