I. What Are We Preparing. In Lent, To Renew? We're preparing to renew our Christian covenant, that is, to renew our baptism into the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.
II. How Do We Prepare Ourselves For This Rewal? We prepare by getting in touch with our deepest self, which is the Christ-self dwelling in our mind and heart since our baptism.Our old self our ego-self, our false-self–reasserts itself in all sorts of subtle ways. We can recognize these subtleties in prayerful reflection on ourselves, and learn to fast from some of the false or vain and empty things that we do–to ourselves, to others, and to the world around us.
III. When Do We Make This Covenant Renewal? We do it at Easter when we renew our baptismal promises. We can do this at Mass on Easter Sunday morning, but if we want to celebrate this renewal in its most meaningful context, then we should try to do so at the Easter Vigil on Holy Saturday night.
III. What Is The Easter Vigil? The Easter Vigil is the culmination of a very dramatic set of Holy Week liturgies, beginning with Palm Sunday and moving through Holy Thursday, Good Friday, and Holy Saturday. The Vigil is the most dramatic liturgy of all, and the most meaningful, as we celebrate Jesus' resurrection from the dead, in the context of the history of God's saving actions from the beginning of creation. This is the night when adult baptisms usually take place, dramatizing our readiness to lay down our life for Jesus, who laid down his life for us. We renew our own baptismal covenant, confident that the risen Christ will raise us from death to live a transformed life with him in a new heaven and a new earth.
IV. What Follows Easter? What follows Easter is seven weeks of praying for a renewed outpouring of the Holy Spirit, so that we can live the mystery of our life in Christ in ways that are less focused on ourselves, more conscious that each day we are being led by the Holy Spirit.