Prayer is one of the three things that we are encouraged by the Church to do during the season of Lent. Along with fasting and almsgiving, we are encouraged to spend more time in prayer. Prayer is recollected quiet time, talking and listening to our Lord.

I think the readings today can help us think about what that conversation with our Lord during Lent might be about. For Lent is a time of preparation to receive the gift of salvation from God through the sacrifice of his son on the Cross and his resurrection at Easter. So the question to ponder during Lent might be, “Why do we need salvation?”

The readings today point us toward the answer. From the reading from Genesis, we get the important details about us, about what makes us unique in God’s creation. It says “the Lord blew into his nostrils — that’s Adam — blew into his nostrils the breath of life.” The breath of life is sanctifying grace. It’s everlasting life for our everlasting soul. It’s what makes us different from everything else that God created. Our everlasting soul filled with sanctifying grace is what makes us special.

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