Life does not have to be this way. You don’t have to be this way. You can begin again. All that you require has been here all along. You need only return to the mystery of your own baptism.

Reflections on the three pillars of Lent: prayer, fasting and almsgiving

Lent is the moment — or 40 days of moments — for us to turn away from our constant and public self-curating and turn towards God.

Even the holiest people are complicit in social sin; we benefit from injustices that we do not control. Yet we still have the freedom to seek God’s grace.

Fasting always sounds like a brilliant idea before the consequences hit home. Having lost some control over my bowel movements, I felt vulnerable and fragile. I was afraid. Was it really worth it? Would I make it the full 40 days?

The practice of remembering death may sound grim, but not so long ago, it was considered an essential part of the Christian tradition.