Shaped by what we consume!

Lent is upon us and we commence our journey to Easter this Wednesday. This is a time of penance, fasting, and almsgiving. Where we are called to discover that there is a connection between our internal life and our external actions. The calling is to an integrated and incarnate way of living which allows us to be prayerfully attentive to God, to ourselves and to others. We are called to love the Lord our God with all our heart, with all our soul, with all our strength and with all our mind; and love our neighbour as ourselves.

The essential element of this journey is that it is not a 40-day boot camp which has to be endured but rather a way of drawing us into a deeper union with God as disciples of Jesus Christ. It calls us to become what we consume. This is part of the reason for its penitential nature. We know how easy it is to become a consumer of life rather than a participant. There is a tendency in which our mind, heart and body are disconnected. We know lots of things, we desire many things and we eat many things. There is a sense in which our mind, our hearts and our bodies are recipients of life. We start to consume others thinking, feelings and prepackage food. Our lives have become so busy that we are open to anyone who will make life more easy and comfortable. The danger with this is that we surrender part of ourselves to another assuming that they have the best intentions in mind for us rather than for themselves. Yet we know that often we battle the same essential dis-eases of being untrusting, overburdened and weighed down by life.

This season of Lent is to journey with God to see what we need to fast from. It is all too easy to take someone else's opinion or way of life as our own. To uncritically to assume that their confidence, good looks and success can be our own. The drive to be powerful, successful, and relevant can drive us into a life which is not our own. Fasting allows time to slow down and examine what we consume and what effect it is having on us. This is not just about giving things up but rather noticing the impact they have on us and on others. This may be in choosing food or drink, but in our media-driven world, it could be looking at what opinions that we take as our own without considering where they are leading us. It can also examine what shapes our daily life and whether it rings true to our relationship with God. Is how we are living prayerfully attentive to what is the need for this day and this moment.

Lastly, Lent is not just a self-improvement exercise. It calls us to consider how I can be attentive to how God calls me to intentional discipleship with gifts for the good of others. This can be through a contribution to a charity. But in the age of fantastic plastic, this can be done all too quickly before we move on to the next activity. The critical gift to examine is how do I become present to others with my time. This is not about quantity of activities but rather my attentiveness to the person or activity I am engaged with at the moment. It also notes what disturbs us and distracts us and confuses us. By allowing ourselves to become attentive to these moments we start to grow in our relationship with God, with ourselves and with others.

My hope and prayer for you this Lent is that you discover a God who loves you more than you love yourself. Who draws you closer so that you can discover what brings you life. To be formed by your prayer and by God's Word so that you can journey with others in faith, hope and love.