There’s the goodness, kindness, and mercy of God. There is it. That’s all there is. I ought to shut up and just sit down. What more needs to be said as the holy season of Lent again presents itself as a heavenly gift to each of us? Always at our feet lies the goodness, kindness, and mercy of God.

But, I gotta earn my pay so let’s reflect a moment or two upon the upcoming moments of these six weeks.

We all know about the sin part of our faith. Did you know that it’s easier to live in sin than to live in the goodness, kindness, and mercy of God? It’s true. Sin is all head-stuff. We skillfully admit to ourselves those parts of our lives and behaviors that need healing or forgiveness. But we decided to live with it. That’s the head talking with the feet, unfortunately, stationary and stuck. (This explains my loneliness Saturdays from 3:30-4:00 before Mass.) 

We can cleverly admit our failings and avoidances and still get up in the mornings. “Hello, head, just keep talking to me!” We repeat those stupid phrases, “it is what it is” or “it’s just the way it is” about ourselves. In other words, we concede to those parts of us that keep us from joyfully living in the goodness, kindness, and mercy of God. GKM, for short. 

These six weeks can be a freeing experience for us. They are freeing us from any of our sinful bits and pieces and liberating us to discover or rediscover the GKM gifts of God once again.

Oh, I forgot to tell you. That sin stuff comes with a pretty high price—a hefty fee, a consequence. GKM is entirely free. (That’s why it’s called a “gift.”) If you need an assignment for these six weeks, please try this. Try focusing on each of those three words for two weeks. Pick a time of day to focus on that divine word prayerfully. When Eastertime arrives, please thank our Creator for providing us weak, sinful people with what His son did and showed us - the goodness, kindness, and mercy of His Father.

Don’t lose your head. We need to see where our feet are taking us. Keep your feet on the path walking with the Lord. Lent? Meaningful and enriching this time around? Stay tuned; it all begins again this weekend.