
The season of Lent is observed by many denominations around the world; the season begins on Ash Wednesday and ends on Maundy Thursday. In the liturgy for the Ash Wednesday service, an invitation is traditionally offered: “I invite you, therefore in the name of Christ, to observe a holy Lent by self-examination and penitence, by prayer and fasting, by works of love, and by reading and meditating on the Word of God.”
While it is a season of self-examination and penitence or expressing sorrow and regret for our sins, it all takes place in the context of God’s great, sacrificial love for us. Some of the great Lenten hymns express this: “O love, how deep, how broad, how high, how passing thought and fantasy, that God, the Son of God, should take our mortal form for mortals’ sake.” (Thomas a Kempis)
This Lenten season may you grow into a deeper understanding of your need for the saving grace of Jesus Christ and the deep, deep love of God for you.