With Lent officially underway, we may be tempted to look inward only, to focus on prayer and repentance, on resetting our interior compass in more God-ward directions. But the three traditional practices of Lent—prayer, fasting, almsgiving—point us outward as well. We pray for both ourselves and others. We fast to clear our lives of what prevents us from seeing God in others. And we learn to show more generosity to those around us which, in turn, makes us more generous. Remember, when it comes to our faith, it’s never just “God and I.” It’s always “God and I and the Body of Christ—the Christian community”—caring for all God’s creation.
Joel 2:12-18; 2 Corinthians 5:20-6:2; Matthew 6:1-6, 16-18 (219).
“We are ambassadors for Christ, as if God were appealing through us.”