Five Reasons to Find Joy This Lent

Lent. How did time sneak up on us already? Didn’t we just celebrate Christmas? Well, friends…it’s that time when we have to make dreaded tuna fish sandwiches on Fridays, groan and complain about not knowing what to “give up” or “take on” for Lent, and sit around all mopey counting down the forty days until Easter.

Just kidding. Maybe each of us at some point in our lives has felt this way with Lent approaching, but perhaps this Lent will be entirely different. Here are five insights on making the most of this liturgical season and finding beauty – and dare I even say – joy within it.

1. Lent Reveals to Us Who We Truly Are

“Nothing great is ever achieved without much enduring” (St. Catherine of Siena).

Have you ever noticed what happens when this season approaches, and it is time to decide what we will do for Lent? You begin to notice more parts of yourself that you wouldn’t have addressed otherwise.

In recent years, I have noticed my attachment to food. Whenever Lent rolls around, I am immediately reminded of this opportunity for growth. What is it about snacking around midnight that I just can’t shake? Rather than typically looking at my desire to eat unnecessarily as just a mere “habit,” Lent can reveal to us what these crutches are really saying to us. 

Perhaps, for me, the Lord wants to show me that I hold on to fleeting moments of repeated pleasure. I’d even venture to say that He desires me to grow in the virtues of self-control and endurance – qualities that Jesus did not shy away from.

Do not fear how God wants to reveal who you truly are this Lent and what you are capable of.

2. We Become More Detached from the World

“It is better to be a child of God than king of the whole world” (St. Aloysius Gonzaga).

While serving as a missionary in the foreign field, I became increasingly aware of how I let the world influence my character. The music I listened to was the most prominent to me then. I spent a whole day purging. I distinctly remember how shocked I was to see the piles of songs I had saved over the years that would have been uncomfortable even for my parents to listen to (sorry, Mom and Dad)! 

Though I was initially ashamed to have addressed that side of me from the past, the relief I felt after was indescribable. The weight of the world had – quite literally – been lifted from me. God had given me the eyes to see my blind spots. 

I have been abundantly blessed to have applied this practice to Lent. How am I doing with gossip? Do I scroll forever while shopping online? Do I find myself also watching shows or movies that are unhealthy? Has my faith been lukewarm, and do I care? 

When we cut off these distractions and barriers from God’s great goodness in our lives, it truly is like being purified and refined. I promise the detachments from the world that we make are worth it – because in doing so – we resemble the face of God to this world more visibly.

3. We Grow in Greater Empathy for Others 

“If we have no peace, it is because we have forgotten that we belong to each other” (St. Teresa of Calcutta).

Soon enough, we will hear Lenten homilies highlighting the importance of tithing, loving our neighbor, and serving the poor. But why is this so vital to Lent? Why should I focus more on it this year?

Among the many Lents that have become most memorable, serving as a Catholic missionary in Ecuador has been one of them. Rather than giving up various food items, refraining from more technology (since I was already on a first-year phone fast), or other “go-to” Lenten promises, I felt called to be more instead. The transition to missionary life in the middle of nowhere jungle was already hard. 

In prayer, God made it clear to me that He was satisfied beyond what I could imagine from all that I was already doing. He desired for me that Lent to focus more on my love for others instead. I committed to making more intentional eye contact in every conversation I had. I challenged myself to be a better listener to others, and no matter what ministry or community we would be visiting next, I devoted my heart to giving my attention to those in front of me without reserve. I wanted to be a friend to others as Jesus has been to me.

Has it been hard to give your full attention to the people within your home? Is it easy to coast in the relationships around you? Have you ever encountered Jesus by serving at your church’s food bank? Does your heart burn to love others more deeply? Is this Lent a time for greater love and healing? 

Whether that takes the form of blessing those in need through your financial generosity or making weekly visits to see your grandparents, this Lent is the perfect time to grow in empathy and friendship with our brothers and sisters around us.

4. This Season Magnifies God’s Great Mercy

“God never tires of forgiving us; we are the ones who tire of seeking His mercy” (Pope Francis).

I never really understood God’s mercy until later in my adulthood, in fact, more tangibly since being married. My understanding of God’s limitless love for me prior was surface-level. Though I deeply enjoyed being able to reciprocate the love I had for Jesus on Good Friday – by venerating the Cross in the church or reciting the Stations of the Cross in the courtyard outside with my family – I never let my heart be overwhelmed more fully by God’s mercy. 

However, since the awareness of my shortcomings, faults, and failures has increased through married life, so has God’s forgiveness for me. Time and again, I will fall short in loving, talking to, or treating my husband well, yet the forgiveness he displays to me in return has made Jesus’ love for me more real. 

Regardless of how often I fall into sin, push God away, ignore prayer time, or continue to fight my identity as His beloved, Lent reminds me that God’s mercy is beyond all things. “As far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our sins from us” (Psalm 103:12).  

When I run to Jesus in the Sacrament of Reconciliation and hear once again that my sins are forgiven, it is clearer how much God loves me. God’s mercy is real, powerful, and constantly made available. Take courage this Lent, and run to Jesus in Confession and prayer!

5. Lent is A Unique Invitation to Unite with Christ’s Sufferings

“If you suffer with Him, you will reign with Him. If you cry with Him, you will have joy with Him” (St. Clare of Assisi).

In my freshman year of college, I felt called to give up any beverage besides water. No matter what. I quickly realized how hard this was for someone who – unfortunately – loves soda. But I was so determined to stretch myself that I wouldn’t even let myself add lemon to my water. That spring break, I got hit with the infamous mono plague and strep throat at the same time! Do you know what would have been the perfect anecdote? A warm cup of soothing tea for my throat. 

Because I remained steadfast in my Lenten promise and did not cave into the short-lived relief of warm tea, it truly impacted my outlook on Lent that year. I leaned on Jesus to give me strength, more than steeped leaves in hot water. Though it was a very “simple” Lenten promise, I faced a difficult cross that tempted me and invited me to go deeper. To this day, I often reflect on how that was the best Lent in my book. 

God can take any commitment to fasting you make this year, and turn it into a beautiful transformation of the heart. If He can speak to me through fasting from tea during a time of being sick and uncomfortable, God can surely do the same for you.

Allow the small things you do this Lent – and the big – to be an opportunity to unite yourself to Jesus’ suffering on the Cross. Be not afraid to make this Lent a more beautiful and memorable one!