I try to pay attention to those unexpected moments in a day where a word, a sound, or an image grab my attention. Today at Vespers a Latin hymn verse for Lent caught my attention. The English translation reads, “Grant that the body be so worn away on the outside by abstinence, that the sober soul might fast wholly from the stain of sin.”
Any addiction is strong-willed, often difficult to admit and face, and especially difficult to overcome. Sin is no different. Maybe Lent is like a rehab clinic for the soul (and by extension, the whole body as well). It’s a yearly time for the soul to specifically practice being “sober.”
Isn’t this why we take on specific actions for Lent? Small or large as my chosen abstinence’s may be, I need to allow myself to ask God this question; What does my soul need to be sober from this year?
