The Heart’s Lenten Change

Jesus, Lord of all my passions,
Take this Lenten ash and fashion
A heart in me that beats and burns with love like Thine.

Take my will, as Lent progresses.
Break it as my tongue confesses
Sins which sever me from eternal Love Divine.

Bless my fast and sacrifices,
So they stave the lure of vices
That would deprive me of the life You died to save.

When the time of Lent has passed,
May this new heart, in virtue cast,
Cry out with joy, “My Lord has spared me from the grave!”

By Natalie Hoefer

(Natalie Hoefer is a member of St. Monica Parish in Indianapolis and is a writer for The Criterion.)

The Criterion