The Christian life, similar to life itself, is enriched by God with a variety of rhythms that enable us to concentrate on specific themes at designated times during the year.

The rhythms of Christian life are obvious in the liturgical calendar and liturgical norms of the Church. The various seasons offer a change of pace, a change in music, a change of emphasis in spirituality and even a change in the colour of vestments.

All these changes are carefully designed by the Church to help us open ourselves to the message of the season.

As we all know, Lent has many faces. It prepares for Easter. It recalls Baptism or prepares for the celebration of Baptism. It stresses a penitential spirit.

It calls for openness to conversion and growth. It asks the members of the believing community to discern the presence in our lives of a commitment to the principle of self-sacrifice/self-emptying that is modelled on the obedience of the Lord. Lent encourages us to move forward on the road to authentic freedom.

Self-sacrifice/self-emptying are essential to celebrating the season of Lent well. As we begin the season of Lent, let us reflect together on this fundamental theme.

Self

Every book on the theology of the spiritual life has a lengthy section on self, self-denial, self-discipline and self-mastery. The foundational footnote for the consideration of this issue is always the same - Matthew's Gospel, Chapter 16, 24-25.

The text reads, “ If a man wishes to come after me, he must deny his very self, take up his cross and begin to follow in my footsteps. Whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it .”

The text, of course, is about discipleship and the renunciation demanded by discipleship. Those who try to avoid discipleship e.g. by trying to gain the whole world may lose their lives in the process.

On the other hand, those who surrender self entirely to the Lord will find meaning in this life and find eternal life. From the viewpoint of biblical wisdom, the text communicates the truth that happiness eludes those who seek it directly rather than seeking first the kingdom of God from which true happiness flows.

Self denial

Self-denial is a general disposition by which a person acts against the natural inclination to self-love and egoism and subordinates all her/his spiritual and material possessions to God's glory.

Self-denial is linked to humility which enables a person to act on authentic self- knowledge and to strive to overcome pride. Self-denial and humility are essential conditions for the spiritual life.

The presence of charity (God is loved above all things) in our lives is the goal of and the sign that we are making progress in the spiritual life. Self-love and pride are the enemies of charity.

Therefore, self-denial is needed to challenge self-love and humility is needed to challenge egoism in our lives. Without self-denial and humility, charity is undermined and holiness is never achieved.

Self-discipline

It is axiomatic in the spiritual life that people who are “soft” (without discipline) have great difficulty living the Christian life. The philosophy of the “What's in it for me generation?” complicates the ability to respond to Gospel values.

What is interesting is that many people can and do exercise self-discipline in a New Age self- improvement – self-respect context, but the same people are not motivated at all to exercise self-discipline to live the Christian life.

The Catechism of the Catholic Church uses the terms “self mastery” when speaking of the need for discipline. It specifies that the Christian life includes an apprenticeship in self-mastery as one matures in the life of the Spirit.

The term apprenticeship implies a gradualism in the process of learning how to be faithful to the Covenant, how to share our talents in ministry and how to confront temptation. The Catechism stresses that self-mastery is a long and exacting work. One can never consider that self-mastery is acquired once and for all. It requires renewed effort at all stages of life.

Freedom

Understanding self, accepting the need for self-denial and choosing to travel the lifelong path of self-discipline or self-mastery helps us to live as we were created by God. We were created free and we are able to initiate and control our own actions.

We are free to shape our own lives. We are free to grow in the understanding of the truth. Authentic freedom helps us to move beyond the self. We must accept responsibility for our decisions. Unfortunately, we are also free to change our minds and move from grace to sin.

Freedom is generally exercised in relationships. Those relationships put us into contact with God, other people and even with self. Virtue is tested in relationships. The more often a person chooses goodness, the more the person advances in freedom.

As good habits take over our lives, it becomes more difficult for us to choose sin. Yet we must always remember that poor choices are always possible and poor choices also impact on our freedom.

Conclusion

As mentioned above, Lent has many faces. My recommendation for Lent 2006 is that everyone should try to find the time to reflect on the self-sacrifice/self-emptying of the Lord and how we internalise that pattern of living in our own lives.

To internalise the spiritual principle of self-sacrifice/self-emptying requires a careful and prayerful consideration of the issues listed in this column. Each issue is related to the others. None of the issues can be allowed to exist in isolation.

May the Holy Spirit help everyone to celebrate Lent in a mature manner! May Easter be a celebration of a freely chosen and deeper commitment to the risen Lord!