Fr. Charles Bolser, CSV, offers today’s reflection. Most recently, he served as pastor of St. Viator Parish in Chicago, but he also has led Saint Viator High School as president, Bishop Gorman High School in Las Vegas as principal, and Maternity of the Blessed Virgin Mary Parish in Bourbonnais as pastor. Here are his thoughts:

“Lent is a time of letting go, of allowing the old self to die, in order to experience the resurrection to life. This is an ongoing process throughout our lives. We are constantly called to change as we encounter new experiences and grow in our humanity.

“We are born into life — which is a radical change and transformation — and we begin our journey to death. Along the way, we encounter many moments of death and re-birth. Letting go is most difficult and to let go is to engage in the struggle, to listen carefully to what it is that we are experiencing and what it is that we are called to do.

“Prayer is a time of conversation and like all conversations, to be fruitful it must be two-way. Prayer requires listening to the voice of God speaking to us in the depths of our being and in our normal everyday experiences.

“It also requires a response — to respond to what we are hearing on a conscious level. Prayer teaches us how to trust in the spirit of God that resides within the ongoing creation that we are participating in.

“In order to let go, we need to trust in the loving presence of God. It is impossible to enter into the new life without letting go of the old. We learn trust or not within our families and communities. At times, sadly, we learn not to trust others — not to trust life.

“Lent is a time for us to find a quiet space within our lives and put our trust in a loving God. It requires insight, courage and the willingness to move ahead — to let go of the past and to seize the moment.”