Preparing for Lent: Cultivating a Deeper Heart
As we approach the season of Lent, the readings for this 8th Sunday of Ordinary Time invite us to examine our hearts and prepare for a season of renewal. In the Gospel of Luke, Jesus offers us an important lesson on the nature of our inner life and how it shapes the way we live and interact with others. The message is simple but profound: what is in our hearts will inevitably be reflected in our words and actions.
In the Gospel (Luke 6:39-45), Jesus speaks about the blind leading the blind and the importance of removing the “plank” from our own eyes before we can help others remove the “speck” from theirs. This metaphor calls us to reflect on the inner obstacles that prevent us from seeing the truth — our own pride, selfishness, or spiritual blindness. Lent is an opportunity to confront these obstacles with humility, seeking God’s grace to see more clearly and live more faithfully.
The passage reminds us that true wisdom comes from within. Jesus teaches that "a good person out of the good treasure of the heart produces good," while "an evil person out of the evil treasure produces evil." This is a profound invitation to look inward — to examine what we are allowing to shape and direct our hearts. The words we speak, the choices we make, and the ways we treat others all flow from the state of our hearts. If our hearts are full of love, kindness, and generosity, our actions will reflect those virtues. But if our hearts are filled with anger, judgment, or self-interest, that too will be evident in how we live.
As we prepare for Lent, it is a time to take stock of our inner life and ask ourselves: What is in my heart? What am I nurturing within myself? Am I allowing space for the love and mercy of God to transform me, or am I holding on to old wounds, bitterness, or selfish desires? Lent invites us to take this honest look at our hearts and bring all that we are — our weaknesses, our struggles, and our hopes — before God in prayer.
The first reading from Sirach (27:4-7) speaks to the power of words, reminding us that “the fruit of a tree shows the care it has had.” Just as a tree is known by its fruit, our lives are known by the fruits of our words and actions. This is a timely reminder for us as we prepare to enter into the season of Lent. In the days ahead, let us be mindful of the ways we speak and act — not just externally, but from the deep well of our hearts. Let us seek to cultivate hearts that overflow with goodness, kindness, and compassion, knowing that these are the true fruits of a life lived in Christ.
As we begin our Lenten journey, let us commit to taking time each day to reflect on the state of our hearts. Through prayer, fasting, and almsgiving, we are called to purify ourselves, removing the obstacles that hinder us from living as true disciples of Christ. Just as a gardener carefully tends to the soil to produce a healthy crop, let us tend to our hearts, allowing God’s grace to root out what is harmful and to nurture what is good.
Lent is a time for renewal, for turning away from what weighs us down and turning toward the life-giving love of Christ. As we prepare for this holy season, let us pray for the strength to look honestly at our hearts, to remove what is not of God, and to invite His transforming love to fill us anew. May this Lent be a time of spiritual renewal, where we grow closer to the heart of Christ and bear the fruits of His love in all that we do.
May you have a blessed and transformative Lent, filled with the grace of conversion and renewal.
in Christ,
Fr. James Northrop, Pastor
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