Lenten Reflection Day 11 ~ Monday Second Week of Lent

Opening Prayers:
Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory Be, and Confiteor (see Day 1 for full text of prayers).

Scripture Reading (Deuteronomy 30:15–20):

“Consider that I have set before thee this day life and good, and on the other hand death and evil… That thou mayest love the Lord thy God, and walk in His ways, and keep His commandments… Choose life, that thou mayest live… and that thou mayest dwell in the land which the Lord swore to thy fathers.”

Reflection:

The voice of the Lord through Moses is as clear as thunder: Choose life. These words, though spoken to the people of Israel preparing to enter the Promised Land, are meant for every soul. Lent, at its core, is a series of daily choices—between life and death, virtue and sin, grace and disobedience.

God never forces our will. He “sets before” us the two roads, and invites us with fatherly urgency: “Choose life!” What does this mean for us in practical terms?

First, to choose life is to love the Lord with our whole heart. It means turning away from whatever damages that love: mortal sin, habits of vice, even indifference. “Life” here is not just biological, but spiritual—the life of grace in our soul. The Catechism teaches that mortal sin kills the life of grace, but through repentance, that life can be restored. Today is a good day to examine whether we have allowed anything to pull us off the path of life.

Second, to choose life means keeping God’s commandments. The modern world often sees commandments as burdensome or outdated. But Scripture insists they are the path to happiness. Psalm 118 repeatedly sings: “Blessed are they who walk in the law of the Lord.” The commandments are like signposts on the narrow road that leads to life. Jesus Himself said, “If you love Me, keep My commandments” (John 14:15).

We must remember that God’s commands are not arbitrary. They are rooted in His love and reflect the moral order written into creation. When we violate them, we harm ourselves and others. When we follow them, even imperfectly, we grow in the likeness of God.

Third, to choose life is to walk in trust. Moses says, “That thou mayest dwell in the land which the Lord swore to thy fathers.” For the Israelites, this meant the earthly Promised Land. For us, it points to Heaven. Lent reminds us that this world is not our final home. We are on pilgrimage to our eternal inheritance. Every choice we make either brings us closer or farther from that goal.

Choosing life doesn’t always feel triumphant. Often, it looks like daily perseverance in prayer, small sacrifices offered in secret, and faithful resistance to temptation. The saints remind us that real spiritual progress happens in the hidden moments. St. Faustina once wrote, “Great love can change small things into great ones, and it is only love which lends value to our actions.” Choosing life, then, is choosing to love; in actions, in sacrifice, in fidelity.

Consider today whether there are areas of your life where you’ve been choosing “death” (i.e., sin, apathy, or disobedience), even in small ways. Ask the Holy Spirit to enlighten you. Then make a firm act of the will to choose life again today, even if it means beginning again.

A helpful practice is to renew your baptismal commitment silently during prayer: I reject sin, and I choose to follow Christ. I choose the life of grace. I choose holiness. I choose to love. Say it with your heart, and heaven rejoices.

Saintly Insight:

St. Teresa of Avila emphasized that authentic humility is essential for progress in the spiritual life. In The Interior Castle, she teaches that the soul cannot advance toward union with God unless it first acknowledges its nothingness and sinfulness. This aligns with Ninive’s example: repentance must come from a heart stripped of self-deceit. “Self-knowledge is so important,” Teresa writes, “that even if you were raised right up to the heavens, I should like you never to relax your cultivation of it.” Lent is our school of self-knowledge. Not to wallow in guilt, but to honestly see ourselves so that we may surrender fully to God’s mercy.

She also stressed that sorrow for sin must not paralyze us but lead us swiftly to action. Like the people of Ninive, we must change course. Teresa says: “Let us look upon our falls as a blessing, if they help us to rise better.” She reminds us that God does not expect perfection all at once, but perseverance and trust in His mercy.

Moreover, her teaching on mental prayer; a simple, honest conversation with God, echoes the penitential heart of today’s reading. “Prayer,” she says, “is nothing else than an intimate sharing between friends; it means taking time frequently to be alone with Him who we know loves us.” This Lent, our fasting and penance must be anchored in that relationship with the God who longs to forgive.

Let us, like Ninive, repent in both heart and deed. And like St. Teresa, let us do so in humility and trust.

Closing Prayers:

V: O Lord, hear my prayer.

R: And let my cry come unto Thee.

V: Let us bless the Lord.

R: Thanks be to God.

V: May the souls of the faithful departed, through the mercy of God, rest in peace.

R: Amen.