1 March 2026
The purpose of Lent is to be a “spiritually transformed” person by Easter, right? I don’t know about you, but that generally isn’t the case in my own Lenten journey. Sure, I might come out ten pounds lighter and develop a new friendship with one particular priest [that Fr. Columba!] but “spiritually transformed? Hmmmm. Not so much. I have to ask myself, “Why is that?”
I found my first clue in the Genesis reading today. The Lord calls Abram and says that, if Abram accepts the mission and leaves his comfortable life, he’ll be blessed. Well… wait a minute here. Leave his comfortable life behind? His routine? His friends? His power and prestige in the Bedouin community? Journey with his family and flock out into the unknown? And he actually did all that? Yep, he did. And he was [eventually] changed. Fr. Dave has been known to say that ‘comfort is the enemy of holiness’ and I wondered… Could my unwillingness to lead a life of utter dis-comfort be one of the reasons I’m not exactly saintly material by Easter? Pondering that one.
Our psalmist offers us another choice to the question of transformation when he writes, “Lord. Let your mercy be upon us, as we place our trust in you.” Do I really trust that the Lord knows what’s best for me? If I’m sitting in adoration congratulating myself for making it through a no-ice-cream-week [which, if you speak to my husband about this, you will know it’s a very big deal] and it falls into my thoughts that I should ‘give up sugar’ in its entirety… do I trust that it’s from the Lord and it will indeed make me better able to control any other temptations during my post-Lent spiritual journey? Pondering this one too.
And then Paul chimes in with the whole ‘bear your hardships’ using the ‘strength that comes from God,’ since Jesus ‘saved us and called us to a holy life’ thought process. In light of throwing off comfort and trusting that the Lord has something super-cool planned for me and that this ‘super-cool’ thing requires some difficult and specialized training, well… how often do I actually tap into the strength that grace gives? I mean, maybe the reason I am not transformed by Easter is that I don’t avail myself of the sacramental graces enough. Each time we receive Eucharist at Mass and absolution in Confession, we receive sanctifying grace (strength). Do I really believe that the sacramental graces have the power to make me a holier person? If yes – as I should – why don’t I participate in the sacramental life more often? More pondering.
Last but not least, the Gospel today. There’s a lot to say about the theological implications for the Transfiguration, but for our purposes let’s focus on this line: “Jesus took Peter, James, and John, and led them up a high mountain by themselves.” While I’m in Wyoming each Fall, my son-in-law hunts elk (for food) in the top elevations of the Tetons, so I know the difficulties of high-mountain climbing. The preparation is as intense and disciplined as the hunting. I wonder… maybe my inability to be transformed is that I do not want to put in the work. I want the mountaintop experience but not the difficulty of the climb. Pondering again.
This Lent, let’s ponder who-we-want-to-be instead of thinking about what-we-will-do. That attitude might be transformative. #ponderingquestions