Our Path through the Desert

by Fr. Sergio  |  03/05/2023  |  From the Clergy

Dear friends,

I invite you to take the text of Romans 12:2 which says: "And do not accommodate yourselves to the present world, rather transform yourselves by renewing your mind, so that you can distinguish what is the will of God: good, the pleasant, the perfect”. The apostle's words serve us to start this time of preparation for Easter. Lent is a whole “path through the desert”, like what the Hebrews did for forty years. It is time to make a "stop" on the road to ask ourselves about the purpose of our life.

We are in this world by the “will of God” and for a specific purpose. Hence the importance of not "accommodating" in what this world offers us, rather set our eyes on what God has prepared for each one. Lent presents us with three tools that Jesus himself used throughout his life: Prayer, fasting and almsgiving. Let's take a look at each of them. Prayer as openness to God. It is important to restore my communication with the Lord. It is very healthy for our spirituality to practice “Lectio Divina”. When we talk about fasting, rather than stop eating something, it is opportune to start abstaining from everything that goes against God's will. Fasting reminds me of the need for balance, for renunciation, for discarding the banal and superficial. Finally, we have the alms. Ask myself what do I have to offer others? It is the overcoming of selfishness and pettiness. Almsgiving implies freedom and generosity.