Slowing Down and Looking for Sweet Mercies this Lent

Many of us treat Lent like a religious New Year’s resolution. We might give up sugar or social media in hopes of experiencing a more satisfying existence. I know I would benefit from less sugar and social media in my life, but that’s not quite what Lent is meant to be.

In our Eucharistic prayers, we pray a “proper preface” between the sursum corda (lift up your hearts) and the sanctus (holy), and the Lenten proper preface directs us:

“You bid your faithful people cleanse their hearts, and prepare with joy for the Paschal feast; that, fervent in prayer and in works of mercy, and renewed by your Word and Sacraments, they may come to the fullness of grace which you have prepared for those who love you.”

The liturgical season of Lent is a joyful preparation for Easter when we cleanse our hearts through repentance, committing ourselves to fervent prayer and exceptional acts of mercy. These 40 days (Ash Wednesday to Easter, excluding Sundays) point us to Jesus’ temptation in the wilderness and Israel’s 40 years of wandering.

Traditional Lenten practices included fasting, confession, and almsgiving. These practices are intended to realign our posture to God through Jesus: fasting to experience reliance on God alone, confession to experience God’s grace in specific ways, and almsgiving to experience the deep peace we have through Christ with our neighbors.

With all joy and preparation, I invite us all to slow down, to be honest about ourselves and our needs, and to look for Jesus’ sweet mercies that are given to us daily anew. I can’t promise that it will make you happy, but I can promise that it will be good and beautiful.