As we begin Lent’s first weekend, we are reminded of our responsibilities and our call to follow. Isaiah gives us a list of dos and don’ts – do care for the poor, needy, and less fortunate. Do not pursue our own interests on the Sabbath. Keep the Lord’s Day for the Lord. These are pretty basic ideas that we have difficulties accomplishing.

Jesus shows us another aspect of this self-control and sacrifice. From his tax collector’s table and comfortable life, he called Levi, who we also know as Mathew. Levi follows Jesus from then on and does not look back.

During Lent, we try to make changes in ourselves, not to the extent that Levi did, but nonetheless. We may resolve to give up something we enjoy – whatever we think will represent a sacrifice. We may resolve to help at a shelter, to make an extra holy hour each week, or visit the homebound. Unfortunately, these resolutions are often casualties of our lack of self-discipline, and we fail to keep them. Let’s try a different approach. Let’s follow Jesus as if walking alongside him on the dusty roads leading to Jerusalem.

Can we walk so closely as to hear him ask, “Can you drink the cup I must drink?” and answer “Yes”? Can we feel the joy and excitement of the crowds as He enters Jerusalem and joins in the shouted “Hosannahs”? Can we be so close as to feel and hear His love when He says, “Take and eat – my body” and “Take and drink – my blood”? Can we kneel with Him in the garden, feel His pain when He asks the Father to take the cup away, and experience the resolve in his words, “Not my will, but Thy will be done”? Lent is a journey of self. It is a journey not “about” but “with” Jesus. Let’s make it personal this year.

Let Us Pray:

Father, help us to experience this season with a sincere desire to become one with Your Son in this journey. Help us to become His face to others and share the greatest love the world has ever known. We ask this in Christ’s name. Amen.