“Lent is the time for trimming the soul and scraping the sludge off a life turned slipshod. Lent is about taking stock of time, even religious time. Lent is about exercising the control that enables us to say “No” to ourselves so that when life turns hard of its own accord we have the stamina to say “Yes” to its twists and turns with faith and hope… Lent is the time to make new efforts to be what we say we want to be.” – Joan Chittister
A legend is told of Frederick the Great, the King of Prussia, in what later became Germany. He was touring a prison in Berlin and every prisoner with whom he spoke claimed to have been framed, falsely accused, and innocent. Only one man confessed his guilt. Frederick asked him why he was in prison.
He replied, “I robbed someone.”
“And you’re guilty?” asked the king.
“Yes, your Majesty,’ confessed the prisoner.
The king called a guard over and pointing to the guilty prisoner, said, “Release this man immediately! I will not have this thief left in here where he might corrupt all these innocent men!”
Lent is a time for honesty. We need to be honest with others, honest with God, and honest with ourselves. It’s the only way to experience the life of wholeness to which God has called us.