Lent...Making the Choice to Defeat the Evil One

Quietly but surely, the season of Lent is dawning upon us again.  It only seems like just yesterday that we have celebrated Christmas...looking for the star...searching for Christ.

Once again in this early part of the New Year 2013, we experience a fast forward from the hidden silent growing up years of Jesus in Nazareth and dive straight from the scene in Bethlehem to Jerusalem…transforming what is just a mere 10 km or 6 miles distance between these two venue to a key moment that has changed humanity forever.  From the birth of our Jesus to the Passion of the Christ…from the wooden crib to the wood of the cross…from the manger in Joseph’s hometown to the unused tomb of Joseph of Arimathea.

The Latin term for this most Holy and penitential season of Lent is “quadragesima” or more commonly known as “forty days”…forty days prior to Easter…a time of scrutiny, self-examination, quiet reflection, penance, fasting, sacrifices, repentance, turning-over, change…bringing about discipline, towards a new spring into our lives…renewing our journey through life…renewing hope.

I would like to see it simply as an annual time of preparation for the celebration…re-steering our lives, our journey back towards God…living the Gospel values daily…becoming a bit more like Jesus…to others.

 

For the majority around the world, the beginning of Lent merely passes by without a whisper of reflection, sandwiched between the more “popular” Valentine’s Day and Chinese Lunar New Year of the Snake.

For Catholics and certain denominated Christians, the sacred period of Lent is an opportune time of grace showered upon us to save ourselves from the eternal fires of hell.  For many others, in certain parts of the politically corrupt world, on-going oppression and persecution persist against the backdrop of unhealthy, corrupted and stained so-called “democracy”, whereby general elections are rigged and mainstream news media twisted to report lies and brain-wash; the people’s cry for change constantly dampened and evil continue to blatantly rule the day.  For the latter, only a clean and fair general election can provide the only opportunity to evict the ruling government for the first time after 50+ years.

 

Lent in this Year of Faith 2013 will be so much more significant and meaningful for many across the world who constantly harbour hopes of change for a more equitable, clean, free and just future, free of the evil sins of corruption and provoking racial persecution; many a land across the world must be healed and turned God-ward.  Indeed, Lent 2013 will be a period of intense spiritual warfare where the good will prevail to see the ultimate defeat of the evil one.

 

With this, let us pray this Lent that we will always keep our eyes constantly fixed on Jesus and to simply and meaningfully reflect on the reason and purpose of Jesus’ sacrifice and death on the cross for each and every one of us.

Indeed, if we simply listen to our hearts and dare exercise our choices bravely and wisely, Lent will be a time for the cleansing of our souls…the beginning of a new and better tomorrow, the rise of a new dawn…the healing of this noisy and corrupted materialistic world, the forging of solidarity amongst humanity…acknowledging Jesus Christ as Lord and Saviour, the Alpha and the Omega…and Allah as the One True God for the Christians, Jews and Muslims.