Lent is a time of reflection. Silas Henderson writes that understanding who we truly are within ourselves and before God is an essential element of the life of faith. Henri Nouwen said, “our deepest identity is rooted where we are like other people – weak, broken, sinful, but sons and daughters of God.” What is our deepest identity? Love alone of all things is sufficient unto itself. It is its own end, its own merit, its own beginning, and its own satisfaction. It seeks no cause beyond itself and needs no fruit outside of itself. Its fruit is its use. I love simply because I am love. That is my deepest identity. I am created in and for and because of love. I came forth from a God who is love and share in that divine identity. Without love, I will never know who I am, who God is, or why the universe was created. We should look at the Lenten season as one in which we can reorient ourselves to who we are before the Lord. That may involve facing some hidden elements trapped in our identity layers. It may involve turning our gaze outward to recognize that we, too, need God’s mercy and care, as the tax collector understood.