The season of Lent has begun. On this first Sunday of Lent, we hear about Jesus being led into the desert for 40 days. Did Jesus spend time there doing penance in order to develop greater self-discipline, or did he stay there for another reason? His time in the desert preceded his entry into public ministry, so we might assume that this was rather a time of preparation for what he would experience in the future.

As we begin this holy season, we might ask ourselves why we do the special things we do during Lent. Are we simply trying to develop self-discipline, or are we refining the choices we make on a daily basis in order to more appropriately proclaim the Kingdom of God? Perhaps we could take a little inventory of those choices:

Do I pay more attention to my physical needs than my spiritual needs?

Do I offer people hope for a future beyond this world as much or more than I strive to see that their temporal needs are met?

Do I look for various forms of entertainment when I come to worship God?

Do I think that the Church must offer some kind of spectacular event in order to attract new members?

Do I seek prayer experiences that give me an emotional "high"?

Do I readily compromise my beliefs or religious practices in order to fit in with the culture?

Do I have false gods that I regularly "worship"?

Why do we do what we do during Lent? In the end, isn't it always, first and foremost, about preparing for the proclamation of the Kingdom of God? Isn't it always about developing authenticity?

— Sister Elise Cholewinski is a member of Sisters of St. Francis of the Holy Cross, 3110 Nicolet Drive, Green Bay. She is the director of religious education for Holy Spirit Parish in Kimberly/Darboy, and she is the creator of "Early Morning Catechism," a YouTube channel featuring more than 100 brief religious instruction videos, which can be found at

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