MARCH 2023

RELIGION
Fasting from food and things,
however, is only half the battle. The
Bible also tells us that, together with
fasting, a person must also fast from
violence and oppressing others. In
other words, as we fast from food and
other things, we must also keep up a
loving attitude towards others. Think:
as we try to fast in a way that is genuine,
can we truly make an effort to forgive
those who have hurt us and not
hold onto anger? Do not let your past
wounds control you. Talk to Jesus in
prayer about your hurt, your anger,
and your wounds.
Celebrating Lent
Entering into the desert with Jesus
BY FR. MARCUS SHAMMAMI
“Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit
into the desert to be tempted by the
devil. And He fasted forty days and
forty nights…” -Matthew 4:1-2
As the season of Sawma Raba
(Great Lent) begins in the
Church, we must not forget the
point of Lent – to prepare our hearts
and minds for the glory that is the Resurrection
of Our Lord and Savior Jesus
Christ. The Resurrection of Christ
is the central aspect of our faith; it is
the reason why we offer our hearts to
Christ as we celebrate Mass each week.
As you prepare to celebrate the
Resurrection of Christ on Easter Sunday
– the greatest event in all of human
history, and dare I say, the entire
universe – you must ready your heart
to understand this key event of our
faith by traveling and fasting with Jesus
in the desert.
The desert is a place of simplicity.
Simply put, there is not much going on
in a desert – we can imagine a barren
landscape where there are very few
plants, not many animals, the landscape
littered with rocks and dried out
weeds. Going further in our imagining
of the desert, there are not many
hiding places or shelters in the desert
to hide in. There is nowhere that one
would be able to hide in the desert –
everything comes to the surface.
Lent is an invitation for you to take
that courageous step of going into the
desert with Jesus and allowing for
whatever it is that you are hiding in
the darkness of your heart – whether
that be your sins or your wounds – to
come to the surface and into the healing
light of Christ.
How do we travel with Jesus through
the desert? Again, the desert is a place
of simplicity. There are no distractions.
In our busy 21st century lives, distraction
is something at which we have exceled.
Our lives at times can be a series
of distractions and diversions that do
not allow us to think about the bigger
questions of life.
This is precisely why we need to
enter into the desert with Jesus – to
cut out the distractions from our life
and come face to face with the dark
parts of ourselves that we sometimes
want to ignore; to learn more about
Our Savior Jesus Christ, and to detach
ourselves from the things of this dying
world in order to learn to better appreciate
what Jesus Christ has won for us
as sons and daughters of the eternal
Kingdom of God.
The Church calls us to do three
things during Lent: pray, fast, and give
alms.
Prayer
Lent is a time for more prayer. A life
without prayer is a life without the
joy of the presence of God. It is one
thing to fast and to give alms, but if
we are not praying, we are not living
and thriving as Christians but merely
surviving. This Lent, incorporate more
prayer in your life to experience the joy
of knowing God more and more and
enter a greater relationship with Him.
We are especially blessed in this day
and age with so many prayer books (a
favorite is My Daily Bread) and digital
apps (such as the Hallow app) that
help us to pray daily.
Fasting
Fasting is a penance that the Church
encourages us to follow during Lent,
and, from a spiritual point of view, it
symbolizes our dependence on God.
In fasting, we are able to put God at
the center of our lives and put all else,
all created things, to the side. It serves
as a reminder to God and to ourselves
that the things of this world do not rule
over us, only God does.
Almsgiving
Giving alms is, simply put, helping
the poor. There is no shortage of ways
in which we can give to those in most
need. One thing you and your family
and friends might consider this season
is to give to those who were affected
by the earthquakes in the Middle East.
Many were impacted by this tragedy,
and the Diocese, through Chaldean
Catholic Charities, has been working
with volunteers directly on the ground
in Syria and Turkey. To donate, visit
Chaldeanchurch.org.
In addition to these three central
aspects of Lent, there is another spiritual
practice to help you enter the desert
with Jesus – what is dubbed as the
3-1-1 challenge.
3: Give up three distractions or diversions
in your life that are keeping
you away from God. This could be social
media, your phone, laziness, going
out, etc.
1: Add in one additional spiritual
practice into your life. This could be
a Rosary, Chaplet of Divine Mercy, or
reading the Bible.
1: Find that one sin that you continue
to struggle with and work on casting
that sin out of your life for good.
Receiving the graces and help that
come from God from a good confession
will help you a great deal. Learn from
your sin, dust yourself off, and focus
above all else on the way that Jesus
has set before you.
Lent comes from an Old English
word that roughly translates into
“spring.” Let us enter into the desert
with Jesus this Lent, so that we may
undergo new life, a new “springtime”
in our own hearts, ready to receive the
light and the glory of the joy of the Resurrection.
14 CHALDEAN NEWS MARCH 2023