Second Sunday of Lent

   Lent is a period to reflect upon our Lord and the sacrifice He made for us.  But is it also a time for self-reflection.  We need to look to our inner selves and take stock of what we find there.  Do we find what we want to be there or those things that we’d rather weren’t there?  For most of us I believe we see a mix of both.  We see those things that are driving us forward in our faith while at the same time we can’t help but see those that hold us back.

   We should focus on the good since that is what will bring us closer to the Lord.  But we must also face those that hold us back on our faith journey.  They keep us from reaching our goal and put up roadblocks on our path to heaven.  If we think of ourselves as a bowl we should understand that only so many things will fit in that bowl.  Once we fill it, we must remove something if we wish to add something more.  Satan like nothing better than filling our bowl with useless worldly concerns.  God will not share us with Satan; we must serve one or the other.  We must throw out the bad to make more room for God.

   St. Paul said, “I do not understand my own actions.  For I don’t do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate. (Romans 7: 15).  I take great comfort in this scripture.  If St. Paul had difficulty doing the good that he wanted and instead did the evil that he hated then perhaps this is something that all experience.  That is not to imply that we shouldn’t be concerned when we do those things we know are wrong, only that we aren’t the only one who has those struggles.

 

   As we continue to grow our faith and especially as we focus on our Lord and all He has done for us during this Lent, let’s also do some housecleaning for ourselves.  Let’s clean out our inner self and refill it with those things that will bring us closer to God.