Raised a Roman Catholic and attending parochial schools, I was constantly reminded as a child that my body was a temple of the Holy Spirit. If, indeed, our bodies are temples, then perhaps we might do well to see Lent as a time for inviting Jesus in to clean house. Augustine’s famous prayer “make me chaste, but not yet” is a reminder of the disruption such a house cleaning might cause in our lives.
Are we prepared to have the tables of our consumerism and trust in wealth overturned? What about the animals of our lust, gluttony, and lack of concern for their consequences on the earth? And then there are the coins of the realm; good looks, prestige, class, intelligence and health. Can we face a life without pockets full of these coins?
Jesus can change us – literally tear down the walls, towers, altars, and idols we have constructed and rebuild us in his own image. It’s no wonder, really, that I’ve never liked Lent.
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