When Jesus’ disciples were worn out from their ministry and burdened by the cares of their discipleship, Jesus invited them to come to him, to go apart from the crowds and the hustle-bustle of their daily lives and to rest and refresh themselves.
Lent is our time to do the same. We can take the opportunity during this holy season to draw near once again to Jesus through our prayers, our engagement with the Scriptures, our Lenten fasting and abstinence and other practices that draw us closer to Jesus and deepen our commitment to him and his desire to build God’s kingdom of justice and peace for all in our world today. As we turn once again to God this Lent, we will be invigorated and empowered through the power of God’s Holy Spirit working in and through us. Now is the time to “draw near to God and God will draw near to us” (James 4:8).
Almsgiving, Fasting, Prayer
The purpose of the three ancient practices of Lent – almsgiving, fasting and prayer – is to open oneself more fully to the presence of God.
Lenten practice encourages acts of mercy, reading of Scripture, meditation, special devotion and special acts of self-denial. These central Lenten practices function primarily not to limit or to shrink the self, but to concentrate effort on important things, and to remember that humans have a short time to live and that they must, therefore, live it well. According to the faith, this means living in the continual remembrance of God, in the pursuit of the divine mandate for justice and peace and in doing the good things that God has set before God’s people.
~ The Little Black Book and Draw Near to God