Lent seems to be teaching me that I think too much and act to little.
Adrian Savage made the following comment on his blog recently. He said, "What keeps all the self-help gurus, transformational therapists, self-improvement courses and bookstores packed with guides to personal change?" I would add spiritual directors and books of spiritual reading. "People who read, listen, attend courses and undergo therapy as a substitute for action."
Savage continues saying, "All you read or think is useless if you don't turn it into consistent, daily action."
The gift of Lent is its call to conversion through action. The three key Lenten practices, fasting, prayer, and almsgiving support Lent's call to conversion and renewal. As Pope Benedict XVI reminds us in his Ash Wednesday homily, ". . .the typical atmosphere of Lent, which is a personal and community pilgrimage of conversion and spiritual renewal."
The Gospel (Mt 5:43-48) for Saturday of the First Week of Lent declares in part "But I say to you, love your enemies, and pray for those who persecute you." I am tempted to use religious ritual, spiritual reading and Lenten traditions as a substitute for action. I prefer to think my way into Easter.
"Blessed are they who follow the law of the Lord!" (Ps 119:1b)