This week we Lectio the Liturgy with the Collect for the First Sunday of Lent.
Grant, almighty God, through the yearly observances of holy Lent, that we may grow in understanding of the riches hidden in Christ and by worthy conduct pursue their effects. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God, for ever and ever.
I’m sure you have heard of this expression before, “You had just one job…” It is the same in this week’s prayer. In it, you have just one job and God has two.
Here is your one job: to observe Lent. Observing Lent doesn’t mean that we get ashes and don’t eat meat on Fridays. In Latin, to observe means to exercise. To observe Lent means that we are putting effort into it.
During Lent, we are intentional in prayer, fasting, and almsgiving but not just on Fridays. We are to take advantage of each day of Lent to make prayer and spiritual growth a higher priority, to inconvenience ourselves in small ways in response to the sacrifice of Jesus, and to give from the blessings we’ve have been given.
What are God’s jobs? Two things: to enable us to grow in understanding of the riches hidden in Christ and give us worthy conduct to pursue their effects.
When we grow in understanding of the riches hidden in Christ, we more deeply comprehend, revere, and appreciate that which we cannot see. In the Sacrament of the Eucharist, with our eyes, we see bread and wine, but with faith, we see the Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity of Jesus. In the Sacrament of Reconciliation, we hear the prayer and see the Sign of the Cross, but what we don’t see is how our sins are washed away.
When it comes to worthy conduct, don’t be surprised to find that while you are putting in the effort, God is at work in you in ways you don’t realize.
One day, out of the blue, you may find yourself with a newfound desire to pray more or to even ask some friends over for a bible study. Guess what! That is the fruit of God working in you and through you. All you had to do is let Him do His work and to cooperate with the Holy Spirit working in you.
Perhaps the most important word of this prayer is the very first one, “grant.” Grant is a common verb in the Collects of the Church. When we ask God to grant something, we not only ask, we give Him permission to do it. Just by asking Him to grant it, we acknowledge that this is something we can’t achieve on our own. Our request is something that only God can do, and we are asking Him to accomplish it in us.
If your first few days of Lent haven’t been perfect, don’t give up! God’s mercy and grace are always right on time. All we have to remember is, “I only have one job.”