THE HOLY LENT: A TIME TO WAKE UP

THE CHURCH’S CALL TO CONVERSION AND TRUE FREEDOM

We live in an age that prides itself on being constantly informed but cannot bear to be reminded of the simplest truth of all: that man has a soul and that, sooner or later, he will have to account for it.

Modern society is like a man walking down a dark road, refusing to admit that he cannot see. Instead of stopping, lighting a lamp, and finding his bearings, he decides to keep walking blindly, trusting that, somehow, he will not fall into the abyss. And if someone tries to warn him, he gets angry and replies that there is no abyss, that the only thing that exists is the ground beneath his feet, and that worrying about what cannot be seen is the business of old-fashioned people.

But the truth does not disappear just because one refuses to see it. The Church, with the wisdom of one who has witnessed centuries of human folly, never tires of reminding us. And it does so with a persistence that is nothing less than a mother’s love: calling us to conversion, reflection, and repentance.

Because Lent is not merely a tradition, a liturgical season, or a custom we maintain out of habit. It is a call to wake up.

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LENT AND SPIRITUAL AWAKENING

One of the great problems of modern man is not that he is a sinner (for he always has been) but that he has stopped believing in sin. It is not that he does wrong; it is that he no longer calls it wrong. He has changed the meaning of words, found excuses, and sought justifications.

But words do not change reality. One can call injustice an “error,” a vice a “distraction,” or slavery “freedom.” One can avoid pronouncing the word “sin,” but sin remains, with all its consequences.

That is why the Church insists on Lent: so that man remembers that his soul is not an ornament, but the most important part of himself.

The world gives us countless reasons to forget the essential. It distracts us with noise, entertains us with trivialities, and invites us to worry about everything except what truly matters. And in the midst of all this clamor, the Church speaks with the clear and firm voice of one who knows the truth:

“Remember that you are dust, and to dust you shall return.”

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CONFESSION: RETURNING TO THE TRUTH

Waking up is only the first step. Because if a man opens his eyes and realizes he is covered in filth, he must cleanse himself. That is what confession is.

But here lies the great difficulty: modern man hates admitting that he is wrong. He prefers any explanation over accepting his guilt. He would rather say that “everyone does the same,” that “nobody is perfect,” or that “we shouldn’t judge.”

However, confession is not a humiliation but a liberation. It is the moment when we stop deceiving ourselves and face the truth with courage. It is the most honest act possible because, in it, a man stops justifying himself and acknowledges who he truly is.

There is no greater relief than that of a soul that has been forgiven. The man who carries his sins without confessing them is like one who bears an invisible weight on his shoulders—he cannot see it, but he feels it. And when he finally lays it down, he realizes how free he could have been all along.

The Church offers this gift generously, not as a punishment, but as an invitation to true peace.

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FASTING AND MORTIFICATION: DISCIPLINE FOR THE SOUL

The world tells us that the only thing that matters is pleasure, that life should be comfortable and easy, that depriving oneself of something is foolish. But the world does not understand the difference between comfort and freedom.

A man who cannot say “no” to himself is not free. He is a slave to his own impulses. He is a ship without a rudder, carried away by the winds of his desires.

Fasting and mortification are not the Church’s whims or senseless traditions. They are exercises for the soul, ways of learning to master oneself. Just as an athlete trains his body to make it stronger, the Christian trains his spirit to make it more resilient.

Fasting is not just about giving up meat or skipping a meal. It is about learning to renounce what is immediate in order to attain what is eternal. It is about remembering that the body does not rule over the soul but must serve it.

Modern society believes that true freedom is doing whatever one wants. The Church teaches us that true freedom is being the master of oneself.

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WHAT DO WE GAIN FROM LENT?

The world sees Lent as a time of deprivation, but in reality, it is a time of gain.

1. We gain clarity.

• We shake off spiritual laziness.

• We stop being distracted by meaningless things.

• We confront the reality of our soul.

2. We gain grace.

• We reconcile with God.

• We free ourselves from the burden of sin.

• We recover the inner peace that the world can never provide.

3. We gain true freedom.

• We learn to master our desires.

• We strengthen ourselves spiritually.

• We prepare for the joy of Easter.

Because that is the key to everything: Lent does not end in mortification but in resurrection. It is not a path that closes in penance, but one that opens to eternal life.

The world seeks happiness in a thousand directions, but the Church shows us the only sure path: to die with Christ so that we may rise with Him.

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CONCLUSION: THE CHURCH AND THE TRUTH THAT NEVER CHANGES

In a world that constantly changes its opinions, the Church remains. Not because it is stubborn, but because the truth does not change.

Every Lent, the Church reminds us of the same things it has told generations before us:

• That life is not just material, but spiritual.

• That death is not the end, but the beginning of eternity.

• That sin is real, but so is God’s mercy.

The world will try to convince us that all of this is exaggerated, that there is no need to think about it, that living with one’s eyes set on Heaven makes no sense. But the world is also full of men who, in the last moments of their lives, would have wished they had listened more attentively.

Let us take advantage of Lent. Not just as a liturgical season but as what it truly is: a golden opportunity to wake up, cleanse our souls, and prepare for the only thing that truly matters.