Four Days to Lent
“For the Souls in Purgatory – Eternal rest grant unto them O Lord”
How Do I Prepare Myself To Enter Into A Fruitful Lenten Season
A Heart Made New for Lent
Psalm 51:10-12:
A clean heart create for me, God; renew within me a steadfast spirit. Do not drive me from before your face, nor take from me your Holy Spirit. Restore to me the joy of your salvation; sustain in me a willing spirit.
Grace Prayed For
The grace of an open and contrite heart, willing to be renewed by God’s mercy.
Reflection
Lent is not merely a season of external practices—it is an invitation to deep interior renewal. Psalm 51 is a plea from a heart that recognizes its own need for God’s mercy. The psalmist does not ask for mere improvement but for a total transformation: “A clean heart create for me, God; renew within me a steadfast spirit.” This is the essence of Lent—to let go of what is unworthy and allow God to shape us anew.
But how does this renewal happen? The Church gives us three great practices—prayer, fasting, and almsgiving—not as obligations but as pathways to purification and deeper intimacy with God. Psalm 51 can guide us in approaching each of these disciplines in a spirit of humility and surrender.
Prayer: Entering into God’s Presence with an Open Heart
The psalmist’s words, “Do not drive me from before your face, nor take from me your Holy Spirit,” express a longing for God’s presence. Prayer is not about simply saying words but about opening our hearts to encounter Him.
During Lent, we are called to examine our relationship with God. Have we been distant? Have we allowed distractions to dull our awareness of His presence? Returning to prayer with sincerity—whether through silent meditation, Scripture reading, or Eucharistic adoration—allows God to “restore the joy of salvation” within us. Just as Jesus withdrew into the wilderness for forty days, we, too, are invited to step away from the noise of life and seek Him in solitude.
Fasting: Creating Space for Renewal
Fasting is more than just giving something up; it is about making space for God. When we fast, we experience emptiness, hunger, and longing—echoing the psalmist’s cry for renewal. This hunger reminds us that only God can truly satisfy us.
What in our lives needs to be stripped away so that God can create a clean heart within us? Is it an attachment to comfort? An unhealthy habit? A tendency toward self-indulgence? Fasting teaches us that when we let go of lesser things, we make room for God to fill us with something greater—His presence and grace.
Almsgiving: Letting God’s Mercy Flow Through Us
Psalm 51 is a deeply personal prayer, yet its renewal is not meant to stay confined to the individual heart. The mercy we receive must overflow into the way we love and serve others. The psalmist asks for a “willing spirit”—a heart that not only receives God’s love but responds to it.
Almsgiving is a tangible way to embody this response. When we give generously—whether of our resources, our time, or our compassion—we participate in God’s work of restoration. True renewal is not just about personal holiness; it is about becoming instruments of God’s love in the world.
Surrendering to the Work of Lent
Lent is not about proving ourselves to God. It is not about achieving spiritual perfection through discipline. It is about surrender—allowing God to do the work of renewal in us.
Psalm 51 teaches us that renewal begins with an honest recognition of our need for God. The beauty of this season is that God does not expect us to transform ourselves—He simply asks us to come before Him with a humble, willing heart. As we pray, fast, and give, we are not earning His love; we are making space to receive it more deeply.
Lent is a journey toward Easter, toward resurrection. And resurrection begins with surrender, with allowing God to create something new within us. When we open ourselves to Him, He will not only restore us—He will fill us with the joy of His salvation.
Growing in Intimacy/Union with Jesus
Psalm 51 brings us into the heart of Jesus’ mission—to seek and save the lost. By recognizing our own need for God’s mercy, we come to understand the depth of Christ’s love. When we pray, fast, and give alms in the spirit of this psalm, we align ourselves with Jesus’ own self-emptying love. Rather than striving for holiness on our own, we begin to rely entirely on Him, deepening our trust and drawing closer to His Sacred Heart.
When Time Allows Reflect on the Posts in Library and Musings
Sharing
Jesus last words on Earth were to his disciples, can be found in Matthew Chap 28 when Jesus told his disciples, “Then Jesus approached and said to them, “All power in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, until the end of the age.”
Jesus calls all of us to share in his redemptive mission here on Earth. I would ask you to share this Scripture reflection with your family, your friends and your acquaintances, and then share it with a couple of individuals that you may may not be comfortable sharing with, keeping in mind always the words of Jesus, And behold, I am with you always, until the end of the age
Author was assisted by AI in the drafting of this Post