Lent: A time to listen

The Annunciation brings us back to the source of Lent: the announcement of the Incarnation and Mary saying ‘yes’ to her part in it. It is the announcement of heaven that God’s son will soon be born on earth. The mystery that comes to a close in Lent now begins.

The Incarnation is full of people: Mary, Joseph and Elizabeth and the two unborn babies, in the wombs of their mothers, as we all began. God’s son would not come on earth without human origins. He had a mother like all of us. We are remembering our beginnings.

Maybe Lent can be about people rather than rituals. We can give time to enjoying family life, putting the emphasis on giving to family and community rather than on wondering what we can get. Lent can be a time to share with those who are needy, a time to meet some of the needs of the wider world. During Lent we can volunteer our time and personal gifts to others. Lent can be a time to listen, to God’s word and to one another.

Donal Neary SJ, The Sacred Heart Messenger, April 2023