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Lent Is A Holy Desire

Lent can sometimes feel like a spiritual marathon where we’re just trying to make it to the finish line, but looking at it through the eyes of St. Augustine and St. Gertrude helps shift the focus from "doing" to "being." Augustine, who famously wrote about his own "restless heart," saw Lent as a period of holy desire. He taught that by fasting and giving to others, we are essentially "stretching" our souls. It’s like clearing out a cluttered room to make space for a guest; the less we fill ourselves with distractions, the more room we have for the joy of the Resurrection to move in. For him, the discipline isn't about the hardship—it’s about the freedom to finally rest in God.

Adding to that, St. Gertrude the Great reminds us that this journey is deeply personal and fueled by love. She was one of the first visionaries of the Sacred Heart, and her approach to Lent is all about "loving reparation." Instead of seeing our Lenten sacrifices as a cold list of rules, Gertrude invites us to offer them as small, heartfelt gifts to Jesus. She believed that even our smallest efforts, when done with a bit of extra love, become a way of leaning into the Heart of Christ. As we move toward Easter, let’s follow her lead: treating our penance not as a burden, but as a way to stay close to the One who is walking right beside us toward the light of Sunday morning.
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