By Wendy Kachermeyer
Director of Religious Education

Buzz Light-Year – The Toy Story Movie

Wendy Kachermeyer

Never give up never surrender, what an insightful way to think of the holy time of Lent. During this time of sacrifice we Catholics endure more temptation than any other time of year. We are trying to become more like Christ when we practice heightened prayer, fasting and giving to the poor. We truly want to change our lives.

Never give up:
Evil seems to be even more threatening when we battle to know God better. It is a struggle! It isn’t easy for most of us to stay in this special time. We may start out well keeping up with what we prepared ourselves to do for Christ. We kind of brag to ourselves thinking this is easier than I thought it would be, then all of a sudden we start slipping.

We skip some of the prayers we were practicing with a repentant heart because we are tired, we skip a week of going to help out at a food pantry because we want to go to a sporting event. The next thing we know we have GUILT. We want to just forget about Lent and try again next year. We give up!

We have to learn to put Christ before all things and to have courage to start our Lenten journey again right in the moment we realize our guilt. We have to learn to move past guilt and move into holiness. That is when we learn how merciful our God always will be to those who truthfully want to have a relationship with Him.

Never surrender:
Christ knows we are human and we have faults and during Lent we try to work on those impediments that hold us in a stagnate place. We notice those obstructions more fully during this repentant season. It is as if those burdens are highlighted for all to see and we forget about the goodness that is in us.

Evil isn’t always right out in plain sight where we can say that we definitely know this is evil. It is tiny and unnoticeable in the beginning. It is a fleeting thought in our mind that caught us for just a split second then we just go about our business for the day. Then it happens again, only this time we stop and think about the thought, we peruse it for a time then dismiss it. Now it has taken over a good part of the time we would spend in prayer or doing virtuous deeds.

When this kind of thing happens we need to realize what it is and who it is that is putting these transient thoughts in our minds. We cannot allow ourselves to surrender to this kind of evil. We can stop it in its tracks!! We need to remember our goodness. We have to and need to call on Christ to help us fight the battle. We need to surrender to our King of King’s and Lord of Lord’s.

In closing we can never give up on God and all that is accomplished through Him and never surrender to the smallest evil because it will grow into something. Lent is also a time to reflect on our goodness and to enhance those qualities given to us by God’s grace.

Wendy Kachermeyer is Director of Religious Education and R.C.I.A (Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults) at St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Church, Dunkirk, NY