By MANDY DILLON

 Have you noticed yet that bit by bit the days are getting longer?  Long winter nights are slowly giving way to more hours (okay, minutes) of daylight.  It’s very fitting that this slow change of seasons in our hemisphere coincides with the season of Lent.

As we move through the Gospels in this season, those around Jesus come slowly to understand who he really is.  We too are invited to come to a better understanding of Jesus as we move through the Lenten season.

Tempted: In the desert, Jesus is tempted and is faced with the reality of who he is and how he will carry out his saving mission.  Like Jesus, we are called to look more closely at who we are and at what God is asking of us.

Transfigured: On the mountain, Jesus is transfigured in the sight of Peter, James, and John.  These three disciples were given a glimpse of the glory of God in the transfigured person of Jesus.  While they could not completely comprehend what they had seen, this event shed some light on their understanding of Jesus and gave them the hope they needed to continue to follow Jesus.  We walk the same Christian journey as the disciples because we have the same hope for salvation.

At the well, Jesus asks a Samaritan woman for a drink of water, and then proceeds to tell her of the living water that only he can give.  This long conversation leads the woman to a deeper understanding of who Jesus is.  Our lives also have the potential to lead us to a deeper understanding of Jesus, if we are willing to enter into the conversation.  If we drink deeply from the “living water” given to us by Jesus, we too will share in the salvation and everlasting life that Jesus brings.

Light giving: Jesus gives sight to a man who was born blind.  Like the Samaritan woman, this man slowly comes to a deeper understanding of and faith in Jesus.  Jesus declares that he is the “light of the world.”  He not only gives physical sight, but also draws the once blind man, his disciples, and us to an ever-increasing understanding of and faith in him.

Faith proclaimed: Even before Jesus raises Lazarus from the dead, Martha proclaims that she believes that Jesus is the Christ.  This profession of faith is the end result of the slowly dawning light of understanding.

Grow, pray, deepen: Lent is the perfect time to grow in our understanding of the person of Jesus.  By taking time to pray and reflect on our faith, we can better understand ourselves and deepen our relationship with Jesus.  He calls us to journey with him throughout this Lenten season so that we can say with Martha, “I have come to believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, the one who is coming into the world.”

Schedule: Please see page 8.

Easter joy follows the deepening, reflection, and prayer of Lent.