We recently had the first Sunday of Lent. These forty days before Easter are used often as a period of self-reflection and repentance. This time is perhaps the most important in the Christian calendar, for it ends with the death and resurrection of Jesus, the Christ. Why is this important to us? It can function as a period of self-renewal or time spent in prayer. It can also be a time we use for the study of a particular book or scripture. However, we could also choose a more active response to this time of rebirth, such as taking on a daily discipline of giving that enriches someone else’s life instead of our own. In doing this, we transform ourselves. I say that we should use this time in the Christian year as both a time of renewal and growth. This year, I will be reading Galatians and participating in the discussions of John and Bishop Charleston’s book The Four Vision Quests of Jesus. I hope that I will discover again the mysterious forms of God’s giving that Paul and John discuss.
