Lent is the 40 days preparation period preceding the celebration of the solemnity of Easter.

Through prayer, fasting, almsgiving and conversion we Christians prepare ourselves to die and rise with Christ on Easter Sunday.

In Lent we cry out to the Lord, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!” (Lk 18, 38). When we receive the Sacrament of Penance and Reconciliation we intimately experience God’s infinite mercy towards us.

A beneficial reception of this sacrament of mercy demands from us that we leave the hustle and bustle of our lives and sit with God in solitude. By going with Jesus into the desert of our hearts we discover who we really are and repent from our sinful ways of seeing and doing things. In the silence and aridness of the desert can we affirm: “the Lord is compassionate and merciful” (Jas 5, 11).

Mercy is surely a leading trait in a fruitful preparation for Easter. True conversion occurs not only when we immerse ourselves in God’s mercy for us but even more so when we show this gratuitous mercy to others.

“Be mindful of thy mercy, O Lord, and of thy steadfast love” (Ps 25, 6) also implies from us “loos[ing] the bonds of wickedness, … undoing the thongs of the yoke, … let[ting] the oppressed go free, … break[ing] every yoke[,]… shar[ing] [our] bread with the hungry, bring[ing] the homeless poor into [our] house; when [we] see the naked, to cover him, and not to hide [ourselves] from [our] own flesh…” (Isa 58, 6-7). In others words God’s mercy is solely received when we treat each other mercifully. Otherwise, “judgment is without mercy to one who has shown no mercy” (Jas 2, 13).

In the opening sentence of his message for this year’s Lent, Pope Benedict XVI spells out the fruitful manner by which we can greatly profit from this graced season.

“Lent offers us a providential opportunity to deepen the meaning and value of our Christian lives, and it stimulates us to rediscover the mercy of God so that we, in turn, become more merciful toward our brothers and sisters”.

A contrite heart in God’s eyes is necessarily one which is merciful towards others as the greatest commandment goes: “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength, and with all your mind; and your neighbour as yourself” (Lk 10, 27).

Let us repent, turn to God and perform deeds worthy of our repentance (see Acts 26, 20) by showing mercy to one another during this Lenten season.

Fr Mario Attard OFM Cap

San Gwann