The Paradox of Lent

"Lord, open my lips; my mouth will proclaim your praise."
--Psalm 51:17

Christianity is a faith of paradox. The examples are countless. We die in order to be reborn. God becomes human so that humans can become like God. The smallest is the greatest, the greatest the least.

These paradoxes come into particularly sharp focus during the season of Lent. We fast in order to become fuller of the things that matter. We give to others so that we can be grateful for what we have. We embrace our brokenness so that we can be healed. We proclaim our sinfulness so that God's grace can be glorified. We mourn our lostness so that we can relish the joy of our salvation. We practice discipline so that we can experience total freedom.

Despite its somberness and seriousness, Lent is not a time of sadness. It is a season to nurture joy, gratitude and love, which will come to full realization in the glory of Easter. It is a time to acknowledge our brokenness, sinfulness, and dependence on God, so that we might revel in His gracious love, which embraces and cherises us with no regard for our dependence, brokenness, and sin.

This phrase from the Psalms, which serves as the opening verse of the Invitatory psalm during the Liturgy of the Hourse, is the consummate Lenten statement. I call upon God to open my lips, because I am utterly helpless to speak when I fully acknowledge my fail humanity And yet, with God's grace, I find my voice, which was made for one purpose.

Holy One, with humble, broken hearts, we fall upon your mercy, our heads bowed in shame. In your infinite compassion, you pick us up, gently turn our faces toward you, and whisper your endless adoration into your ears. We are your children, your beloved. Help us to turn this season of sorrow into the season of endless joy you planned for us from the birth of creation. Amen.