I was hoping you would ask!
FEB 25, 2025
Browse through scripture and you will notice that the number 40 is pretty popular with some consistent themes:
Preparation
Testing
Penance
Purification
Renewal
Fasting
Revelation
HOPE
Genesis 7:12 – "And rain fell upon the earth forty days and fortynights."
Exodus 24:18 – "Moses entered the cloud and went up on the mountain. And he was on the mountain forty days and fortynights."
1 Kings 19:8 – "And he (Elijah) arose, and ate and drank, and went in the strength of that food forty days and forty nights to Horeb the mount of God."
Jonah 3:4 – "Jonah began to go into the city, going a day’s journey. And he cried, 'Yet forty days, and Nineveh shall be overthrown!'"
Matthew 4:2 – "And he (Jesus) fasted forty days and fortynights..."
Acts 1:3 – "To them he presented himself alive after his passion by many proofs, appearing to them during forty days, and speaking of the kingdom of God."
The number 40 is mentioned many times in the Bible. The above passages are just a few of them. Coincidence?
Not even a little!
40 represents something beautiful and meaningful: Whether it be 40 days or 40 years, in the Bible it is seen as a time for preparation and purification for something great that is to come. There is an unspoken HOPE in these times. A hope for something that cannot be seen, nor can it be grasped.
Lent, by no coincidence, is 40 days long. That is approximately 10% of our calendar year. 10% is also what we are asked to tithe. Any coincidence?
Starting on Ash Wednesday next week, we are given the perfect opportunity to begin again and turn our eyes and hearts to the Lord and to what truly matters. We will "give up" or perhaps tithe those things (good and bad) that distract us and lead us away from God. However, we can also set unrealistic expectations and settle for mediocrity, especially when tempted by that leftover piece of Beatty's Chocolate Cake sitting on the counter!
Lent is so much more than meaningless abstinence, fasting and giving things up. When we purposefully deny ourselves in small things we are growing self-control and self-discipline in the bigger things. The seeds of patience and fortitude are scattered and sown as conscious decisions are made to discipline our desires and turn that longing for "things" into a longing for God, His Love, and His mercy.
Yet, we are human and can easily forget these simple realities. HOPE40 is here to remind you that Lent can be simple, fruitful and filled with HOPE. We are all in this together and can challenge and support each other as we grow in virtue, strengthen and nourish our bodies, and fortify our marriages.
And, remember...40 days is really not that long after all!
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