Third Sunday in Lent
“Heavenly Father, you have made us for yourself, and our hearts are restless until they rest in you;1 Look with compassion upon the heartfelt desires of your servants, and purify our disordered affections, that we may behold your eternal glory in the face of Jesus Christ; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, forever and ever. Amen."2
Weariness
We’ve at the third Sunday of Lent and so we take another day of rest in our walk towards Easter. Sometimes Lent can start to feel long and wearisome and we begin questioning this season of penitence (am I the only one who starts to feel like this?)
We may even question why we practice self-denial—shouldn’t we simply bask in the light of God’s saving grace and forget about the penitential season altogether? If God has forgiven us, why continue to repent?
Full Devotion to God
Lent does not take away from the reality that we are a saved and redeemed people, but instead, it gives us a chance to free our hearts and learn to master our instinct3, or “disordered affections” as the prayer above speaks about.
We do our Lenten practices in response to God’s gracious gift. We joyfully devote our time and resources to God as an outpouring of gratitude for the grace that he has given to us. It is only through Christ that we can find true rest for our restless hearts.
Preparing Our Hearts
May this Sunday offer our hearts the rest and renewal we need for the remainder of the journey. May we experience the inner tenderness of the heart of God as we reflect on his merciful gift and our response to that gift.