Lenten practices - Time to reset?

As we start the first full week of Lent, and just the sixth day into it, let's talk, already, about how to push "reset". Why not? I already have to.

At my parish, the pastor's homily on Sunday prompted me to think more deeply about the point of our Lenten practices. His homily was inspired by Dr. Seth Tobin's recent book called "Big God, little devil." When we look at Jesus going into the desert, the Bible tells us he was "led by the Spirit." We might think that Jesus went there unwillingly to be tested. But Dr. Tobin encourages us to think of it this way: Jesus went into the desert willingly to take on the devil. And he won. Of course.

As we look at our own Lenten practices, and if we have faith that we are going into them led by the Spirit, perhaps we can take on a similar attitude. Jesus already fought this battle for us and won. Our task is not to take on the battle ourselves and fight it anew, but to trust in Jesus, joining him in the desert, trusting he has fought the battle and won.

But what is this battle? The Lenten practices were not the end in themselves but the way in which our interior struggles are revealed to us. As Edith Stein (St. Teresa Benedicta of the Cross) reminds us, our interior struggle is all about letting go of everything that is not God. When we see more clearly what our own interior struggles are, where we lack faith by trusting in something that is not God, we can call out to Jesus, like the blind man, asking him for help.

What has been getting in the way for you already this Lent? Other disciples encouraged the blind man to "Take courage" and go to Jesus. So, take courage. Go to him. Jesus asked the blind man what he wanted. Jesus asks you too. Ask him to let you see, to be with you in your journey in the desert, to trust him that he has already won your battle of letting go of everything that is not God.

And push reset as many times as you need to. There's no limit.