My dear brothers and sisters in Christ,
We have begun a holy time. We call it Lent. It is forty days. It is a gift from God. It is a time to stop, to think, and to come back to God with all our hearts.
Maybe you have already started your Lenten journey. Maybe you have not. Maybe you started well and then you fell. Do not worry. Today is a new day. God always welcomes us back. He never closes the door.
I want to share with you some simple thoughts about Lent. I want us to think together about how we can live these forty days in a way that pleases God and brings peace to our hearts.
We Are Dust
On Ash Wednesday, we put ash on our foreheads. The priest said, “Remember, you are dust, and to dust you will return.”
These words are not meant to scare us. They are meant to wake us up. They remind us that life on earth is short. We are here for a little while, and then we go home to God.
So we must ask ourselves, “How am I living my life? Am I living for God? Am I loving my family? Am I kind to my neighbours? Or am I wasting my days on things that do not matter?”
Lent is the time to answer these questions. It is the time to change what needs to be changed.
Go to a Quiet Place
In the Gospel, we see Jesus going into the desert. He went to a quiet place to pray and to be with his Father.
We also need a quiet place. We live busy lives. We work in the fields. We go to the market. We care for our children. There is always noise around us. But our hearts need silence.
Find a place where you can be alone. It might be under a big tree. It might be on a hill. It might be in your own home early in the morning before others wake up. Sit there quietly and talk to God.
You do not need big words. Just talk to him like a friend. Tell him about your worries. Tell him about your hopes. Thank him for the food you have. Ask him to bless your family. He is listening.
Fasting That Pleases God
Many of us fast during Lent. We skip meals. We give up certain foods. This is good. But we must remember what fasting is really for.
Fasting is not just about feeling hungry. It is about opening our hearts. When we feel hungry, we remember other people who are always hungry. We remember the poor. We remember the sick. We remember those who have no one to care for them.
Let your hunger remind you to be generous. If you skip a meal, take that food or that money and give it to someone who needs it. This is fasting that pleases God.
There is also another kind of fasting. It is fasting from bad behaviour. Fast from anger. Fast from gossip. Fast from saying bad things about others. This kind of fasting changes our hearts and makes our families peaceful.
Give from What You Have
Lent is also a time to give. We call this almsgiving. It means sharing what we have with people who have less.
You do not need to be rich to give. You can give a little food to a neighbour. You can give your time to someone who is lonely. You can give a kind word to someone who is sad. You can give forgiveness to someone who hurt you.
When we give, we become like God. God is always giving to us. He gives us rain and sun. He gives us life and health. He gives us his love. When we give to others, we show that we are his children.
Watch Your Mouth
One of the most important things we can do during Lent is to watch what we say. Our words have great power.
Think about it. With our words, we can build up or tear down. We can heal or hurt. We can bring peace or start a fight.
How many families have been broken by harsh words? How many friendships have been destroyed by gossip? How many hearts have been wounded by lies?
This Lent, let us try to use our words only for good. Before you speak, ask yourself, “Are these words true? Are they kind? Are they helpful?” If the answer is no, then do not say them.
Instead, speak words of love. Tell your wife you love her. Tell your children you are proud of them. Thank your neighbour for their help. Speak well of people who are not there. This is how we build a community of peace.
Love One Another
At the end of the day, this is what Lent is all about. It is about love. It is about loving God with all our hearts and loving our neighbours as ourselves.
Jesus showed us this love. He died on the cross for us. He gave everything so that we could be saved. His love is big. His love is strong. His love never ends.
During Lent, we walk with Jesus on his way to the cross. We think about his suffering. We think about his love. And we ask him to teach us how to love like he loves.
This means loving even when it is hard. It means forgiving even when we have been hurt. It means helping even when we are tired. It means being kind even when others are not kind to us.
This is not easy. But with God’s help, we can do it. Little by little, day by day, we can learn to love more.
A Simple Prayer for Lent
Let us pray together.
Lord Jesus, you went into the desert to pray. You fasted for forty days. You showed us how to love. Help us during this holy time.
Give us strength to pray every day. Give us hearts that want to fast from sin. Give us hands that are open to give. Give us mouths that speak only good things.
Help us to love our families more. Help us to be kind to our neighbours. Help us to forgive those who hurt us.
Walk with us on this Lenten journey. When we are weak, be our strength. When we fall, pick us up. When we lose hope, remind us of your love.
We ask this through Mary, our Mother, who always leads us to you. Amen.
Keep Going
My dear brothers and sisters, Lent is a journey. Some days are easy. Some days are hard. But do not give up. Keep going.
If you have made mistakes, ask for forgiveness and start again. God is always ready to welcome you back. His mercy is new every morning.
Think about the goal. At the end of Lent, we celebrate Easter. We celebrate Jesus rising from the dead. We celebrate new life. We celebrate hope.
The road to Easter may be long, but it is worth it. Every prayer you say, every fast you keep, every gift you give, every kind word you speak brings you closer to that joy.
So let us walk together. Let us encourage each other. Let us pray for each other. Let us help each other to become the people God wants us to be.
May God bless you all. May he fill your hearts with peace. May he guide your steps through these forty days and lead you safely to Easter joy.
In the peace of Christ,
Fr. Emmanuel Rutangusa
