Five R's for Lent -- Remember, Reflect, Repent, Return, Rejoice - And Some Other R Words for Good Measure!

Prodigal son among the swine by
Albrecht Durer (1496)

During my Lenten reading the past few days, I keep meeting five R words: remember, reflect, repent, return, and rejoice. The first is remember and we hear it from the very first day of Lent in the Ash Wednesday admonition. "Remember, man, that thou art dust and unto dust thou shalt return." A sobering thought upon which we do well to reflect, the second R word. Holy Mother Church, on the first Sunday of Lent, also urges us to remember the devil's temptations of the Holy One of God and to reflect on them. Jesus goes out to the desert and He responds (another R word) to each temptation with a remembrance from Old Testament scripture. Remember, Satan, "It is written, man does not live by bread alone!...You shall not put the Lord your God to the test!....You shall worship the Lord your God and Him only shall you serve!" Jesus looks at us from the cross and tells us to remember and reflect upon the word of God whenever we are tempted. The Word has power over evil that we can hardly imagine. And so during this time of Lent, let us remember to read  (another R word) and reflect upon holy scripture every day.