"Are you ready for Lent?" she asked me. "YES! I can't wait! I love LENT!" I answered overenthusiastically. Poor Sister almost had a heart attack when I said that. She stopped mid-step and thought about what I had just said for a few seconds. "Well, I guess that's a good thing. Good practice."
I realized that the more I said I loved Lent, the more crazy looks I received and the more explaining I had to do. Is it such a bad thing to be so in love with Lent? Hmm... So, to clear it up. I am not one of those crazy people who still believe in self-mutilation as the best form of penance or a lover of sacrificing just for fun. In fact, my Lenten fast this year is coffee....it's KILLING ME! But rather I love Lent because it is the epitome of God's love for us. We journey through Lent aware that the end result is the Last Supper, the Crucifixion and the Resurrection...however depressing, ending in the happiest of happy endings!
So, here's my story: Maybe I've mentioned my Grandfather before. He was my best friend for the first four years of my life until he passed away. I never got to know him spiritually until many years later. One of the ways I was able to do this was by stealing (ahem...borrowing) my daddy's copy of The Diary of St. Faustina. I found it on his bookshelf with all his spiritual books and since he wasn't reading it, I took it. I have yet to finish it, but I am in the process. Anyway, when I opened the book, between two pages fell a prayer leaflet (extremely old and beat) with the Novena to the Sacred Heart on the back and the below image on the front. Under the image it said, "With all my heart, with all my heart, I love you." I later added "I desire you" under the words. The image so struck me that immediately I started crying. I had never seen the Sacred Heart handing over His heart. Week later, after I had taken the prayer leaflet and put it in my Liturgy of the Hours book, my dad realized I had stolen his book. He asked for it back, but I told him I wasn't done yet. He said, "As soon as you are done with it, I want it back. It was your grandfather's copy." So, I guess the prayer leaflet was his, too. But I'm keeping it!!
The image is a beautiful one to reflect with during lent. On Ash Wednesday we hear, "Rend your hearts not your garments." Jesus is handing over His heart for us. But, as we all know, a human being cannot survive without a heart. So, Jesus needs a heart is return. He wants yours! He wants your heart, however broken, shattered, torn, hurt. He wants to take all your pain away and give you a new heart. We also hear, "I will break your hearts of stone, and give you new hearts." Well, here is your new heart: the very heart of Jesus. You are so loved by Jesus, that He is willing to give you His ever perfect heart in exchange for your beat up heart. And yes, with all of His heart, with ALL of HIS HEART, He loves you; He desires you.
This Lent, truly rend your hearts to Jesus so you can get a new one. Render back what belongs to Him, your heart. Jesus loves you so much that He gave you a heart transplant. A HEART TRANSPLANT!! And then He died for you. That's true chivalry, true love if I ever saw it. Yes, He loves you, and this is why I love Lent. It's just so romantic. I gave Jesus my broken heart; will you give Him yours?
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