I have been some sort of follower of Jesus my whole life and I never looked up the meaning of “lent” until this morning.

It means to elongate or lengthen and it refers to the passage of days in spring into summer. It means the spring season.

Ironically, this makes me feel better about all the years my arbitrary Lenten prohibitions have been less than fulfilled to the letter of the law.

Lent is grace.

I remember teaching at a community college in Maryland and looking at the sky in early March. I could see how the light lasted a little longer each day before the evening classes for adult learners.

I had a Russian student who had or feigned a crush on me. I see him holding roses with the evening sun behind him. For almost thirty years I have thought of that acknowledgment of lent in the days when winter starts to lose its sway and light stretches forth.

What does Jesus want from lent? What does he want from us?

He wants our full passion and attention. He wants us to walk in the light.