Today’s Collect says:
“O God, who have taught us to chasten our bodies for the healing of our souls,
enable us, we pray, to abstain from all sins,
and strengthen our hearts to carry out your loving commands.
Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever.”
Reflection: Lent is especially the time to “chasten” our bodies, which means to subdue, restrain, or even punish them. But, we don’t do it because we hate our bodies or ourselves. Our prayer even tells us that we do it to heal our souls. It’s like doing painful physical therapy to heal a damaged joint. Because of sin, our bodies can kind of weigh us down and make it harder for our souls to live and move in the way it should. Through fasting and other methods of “chastening” our bodies, its a lot like decreasing the gravity – or the weight – of our bodies while simultaneously strengthening our souls to move more freely toward God.
All of this of course depends on God’s grace, which is why our prayer goes on to ask him to enable us to avoid sin because sin is what makes our bodies heavier. We also ask for hearts strong enough carry out God’s commands, which ultimately show us the way to true spiritual freedom.
So, as your Lenten penances begin to feel burdensome, remember that you are undergoing spiritual therapy, that this is ultimately meant to make you stronger and freer. For your daily contribution to the collection of prayer, take a moment to think of the ways that your body and earthly desires weigh you down and pray for the strength to keep chastening that body. Then unite that prayer to all the masses throughout the world, so that when the priest says “Let us pray,” you can be a part of that “us” even if you don’t get to go to Mass today.