"The Spirit drove Jesus out into the desert, and he remained in the desert for forty days, tempted by Satan. He was among wild beasts, and the angels ministered to him. After John had been arrested, Jesus came to Galilee proclaiming the gospel of God: "This is the time of fulfillment. The kingdom of God is at hand. Repent, and believe in the gospel."
- Gospel (Mark 1:12-15)
I believe that this passage epitomizes the meaning of Lent and also what it means to be Catholic. Lent is a journey for us all. During Lent we are asked to abstain from eating meat on Fridays and to give something up or add something good to our daily lives. These two things are simple, but I think that there is a deeper meaning to our Lenten journey. Jesus went into the desert for 40 days, but most of us don't live near a desert nor are we actually called to go to a desert. Our desert is everyday life.
Just as all of us are tempted, Jesus himself was tempted by Satan. We are all temped to do things that are not right. The point is to see if we will choose right over wrong or good over evil. Everyday life is filled with obstacles. And at those obstacles we have to make a decision. Many of these obstacles pose the question of good or bad. Many people don't realize that what decision you make can have consequences. If we chose the wrong way or the bad path we compromise our path to eternal life in the Kingdom of God. If we chose the right or good path we maintain an open path to the Kingdom of God. Isn't that what we all really want to take the right path so that we can end up eternally happy?
I see Lent as a small representation of our entire lives. We need to take the lessons that we learn throughout Lent and continue to use them after our Lenten journey. Must see that there is something more important than just our immediate needs, and instead see that there is an ultimate goal for us as Catholics. We are here by the graces of God and he can call us back any moment he feels fit, so we must make the most of the time we have on earth. We must be the light that we wish to see in the world. Choose the good over the evil.
Just as all of us are tempted, Jesus himself was tempted by Satan. We are all temped to do things that are not right. The point is to see if we will choose right over wrong or good over evil. Everyday life is filled with obstacles. And at those obstacles we have to make a decision. Many of these obstacles pose the question of good or bad. Many people don't realize that what decision you make can have consequences. If we chose the wrong way or the bad path we compromise our path to eternal life in the Kingdom of God. If we chose the right or good path we maintain an open path to the Kingdom of God. Isn't that what we all really want to take the right path so that we can end up eternally happy?
I see Lent as a small representation of our entire lives. We need to take the lessons that we learn throughout Lent and continue to use them after our Lenten journey. Must see that there is something more important than just our immediate needs, and instead see that there is an ultimate goal for us as Catholics. We are here by the graces of God and he can call us back any moment he feels fit, so we must make the most of the time we have on earth. We must be the light that we wish to see in the world. Choose the good over the evil.
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