What is Lent about?

As human beings, what is it that we most need?

There are the basic needs of food, water, shelter, warmth. When and as these needs are being met, the greatest human need is the need to be loved.

We often meet a snag when as we seek to have our need for love met. That snag is our sin. None of us are perfect, and the less perfect we are, the more we sin. That is to say, the more we cause problems in our relationships with others.

For the Christian, the holy season of Lent is about making progress in overcoming this problem of sin and broken relationships.

Saint Leo the Great (4th century) reminds us that "the special note of the paschal feast is this: the whole Church rejoices in the forgiveness of sins."

Through the power of the Cross of Christ, all of humanity can know and experience the joy of forgiveness of sin, and the freedom to experience the Love of God, and the joy of loving others with that same Love.

It is this Divine Love that makes us equal with each other. St.Leo says again "those who are unequal in their capacity to give can be equal in the love within their hearts."

What we most need is to know that we are loved by God and by others. Out of that love and affirmation, what we most need is to love God and others.

It is this love and concern for others, that will motivate the church, and all people of good will, to respond to the basic needs of food, shelter, health care, education, justice, freedom and equality in our Global Village.

That's something of what Lent is about!