Annually, about now in the Lenten Season, I seriously begin to consider that it would be a good idea to reboot. I am not literally suggesting that I need to restart my computer; I’m meaning ‘reboot’ figuratively, as Merriam-Webster defines it. Reboot means “to start (something) anew : to refresh (something) by making a new start or creating a new version of (something)”.
As I get set to reboot and intensify my preparation for Easter, I find myself returning to the words penned by the Concord Pastor, Fr. Austin Fleming. In his nightly prayer on the eve of Ash Wednesday, he shared the words below with his Facebook followers:
… What am I going to do for Lent this year?
A better question for me to ponder, Lord:
What are you going to do for me this Lent?
How will you move in my life this Lent?
What changes in me might you want to make?
What gifts have you to offer me
that I might better love and serve you?
What do you want to do for me in my prayer?
What will you say to me? share with me?
What are you going to do in my life this Lent, Lord?...
I was struck by how the Concord Pastor flipped around the whole idea of this religious season for me and others. Instead of having us concentrate on our own Lenten plans such as, “What am I going to do for Lent this year?”, Father Fleming offers us a whole different way of approaching Lent. He encourages us to forgo our feeble attempts at change and put our focus on the Soul Healer. He suggests that we ask what the Healing One might want to bring about in us this season and then try to work with The Soul Healer’s plans.
On the verge of rebooting my Lenten efforts, I am pondering, “What if I fervently prayed with the pastor’s series of questions?” What if I focussed on asking, “What are YOU going to do in my life this Lent, Lord?” and then listened carefully to what YOU whispered in my heart.
Is it reboot time for you too? Are you willing to join me in a Lenten Reboot?
-Sister Nancy Wales, csj