March 2023: Editorial

This Lent

One of the great strengths of Christian faith is its ability to give us hope even in the darkest hours. There are people now who are suffering in some of the poorest parts of the world who are putting all of their trust in God to save them in their time of need. Some of them will find their prayers answered by the generosity shown during Lent by those who are better off. For their sake God touches our hearts to help them. It’s by the things that you and I do that some people will continue to hold on to their faith in the compassion and mercy of God – we are in that sense God’s instruments of love in the world.

     And what about us? These forty days are an opportunity to really reflect on our lives on where my life is taking me at the moment. Am I becoming a happier, better, more generous or compassionate and understanding person or am I growing more bitter, angry, selfish or cynical as time passes? Lent encourages us to do a number of things in order to find our way forward in the spiritual life. To be self-disciplined with things like food and drink and luxury goods. To be generous towards those who are worse off than us; to be less judgmental and more tolerant and forgiving of the faults of those we live with and share our lives with; to be more trusting of God. We can begin to achieve these things through prayer. So this Lent may the traditional pillars of prayer, fasting and almsgiving help us make the changes we need to in our lives and our lifestyles so that we may be happier and more Christ-like people.

Paul Clayton-Lea