As Lent approaches, here is some effective ways to embrace pennance

I want to thank all who assisted at the Theology Café presentation of an inter-faith dialogue last week. It was an outstanding evening. For those who could not attend it will be shown on CTSA, Catholic Television of San Antonio. Please watch the bulletin for announcements of the show times.

Believe it or not Lent is approaching! Ash Wednesday is on March 9 this year. Our theme is Re-membering the Household of God. I ask you to begin thinking about Lent now because too often we wait, and then we don’t take full spiritual advantage of this great season of conversion and renewal. The Church asks us to utilize this season in two very important ways. First, as a time of deeper conversion in the faith. And, secondly, as a time of personal repentance. Perhaps these two things are really connected for most of us.

I think when I was growing up I didn’t really understand Lent very well. Like many Catholics I took the idea of penance to mean that somehow I was a bad person, that I needed to do something to make myself more acceptable to God. Only as I studied, reflected, and grew did I come to see penance as related to deeper conversion. The word, penance, has as its Latin root the word “pen.” It literally means to “hang this way or that way.” Like a pendulum. To depend on someone means to “lean on them,” or hang on to them for support. To be independent means not to need to lean or hang on anyone. Thus, to “repent” means to lean again, or “hangon” again to God. Penance, then, is that process of “leaning on God,” recognizing that I do not live in some splendid isolation, but rather I connected, root and branch, to the Lord.

The upshot of all this is that if I choose some penance to do during Lent – it may be something I take-on like feeding the hungry, or give-up like chocolate – the point is that it should lead me closer in my relationship with God. Its not about how terrible I am, but rather about how glorious God is! Penance is meant to help me “lean on God,” as a friend leans on someone they love in a moment of affection. If its not doing that its not penance, its punishment. Stop that! That will only lead to resenting God instead of leaning on Him and loving Him. “Come to me all who labor and are heavy burdened. I will give you rest,” says the loving Lord. – Fr. Larry