Led by the Spirit
- Gary Fritsch
- Mar 9
- 2 min read
Raise your hand if you have ever had a Lent like this: You give up something you like (maybe too much) like sweets or coffee or a favorite show, and then as soon as Easter comes, you dive back in and indulge to the full. By the Monday after Easter, you have put your Lenten observances in the rear view mirror. I am raising my hand right now.
Jesus' journey into the desert was more than just denying himself food and comfort, and it was also more than a showdown with the devil (although that was a tremendous sign of what He was doing). Jesus was led by the Spirit into the desert. In those forty days, He was separating himself from worldly desires and focusing on the Will of God for Him. He was fully and intentionally uniting His human will with His divine will. Although they were never in conflict, in an act of extreme obedience, he completely subjects His human will, even the very basic desire for food, to His divine will. He would then walk, undeterred in His Father’s Will for the rest of His human life.
This is what our Lenten sacrifices are meant to do for us. They are meant to subject our will to the Father’s Will. Not that God doesn’t want us to eat chocolate, but He does want us to curb our earthly passions in a way that places God’s Will for us first. This part of our Lenten practices should carry on long after Easter Sunday. Each year we return to this practice so that we might grow more in virtue. Think and pray about THIS aspect of your Lenten journey and consider being Led by the Spirit.
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