On this first Sunday in the Season of Lent, which began this past Wednesday, I think it is important to begin by remembering what the essence of Lent is: Lent is a 40-day long Christian observance in our liturgical calendar, which invites us to remember what our Lord Jesus Christ did after His baptism just before He began His public ministry.

Our Lord went out into the desert for 40 days and nights, when He fasted and prayed and faced the spirits of Hell, which were overwhelming humanity with their evils and false ways of thinking. The Lord knew He would be tempted, but He understood His need to glorify His human and Redeem the world, stopping our destruction. Rather than abdicating His responsibility, the Lord went forward…faithfully.

The Hallmark of Lent is humble spiritual discipline—a time for us to retune ourselves as Jesus did by centering ourselves in core biblical practices and wisdom: choosing to examine ourselves and turn away from selfishness and sin, which opens up new pathways of goodness and happiness: Halleluiah!