Pastor Samuel Rodriguez Says Lent Is Not a Ritual but a Radical Reset for Every Christian

Why Lent Is the Spiritual Reset Every Christian Desperately Needs in 2026

Rev. Samuel Rodriguez, pastor of New Season megachurch and president of the National Hispanic Christian Leadership Conference (NHCLC), has issued a powerful call for Christians to reclaim the true meaning of Lent.

In a new column published in The Christian Post, Rodriguez argued that Lent should not be viewed as an empty religious ritual but rather as a purposeful spiritual reset for every believer's walk with Christ.

Lent is not a ritual. It is a reset.

Rodriguez, who has advised three sitting U.S. Presidents and authored 12 books, pointed to the 40 day wilderness journey of Jesus Christ as the model for Lenten practice. He emphasized that the season calls believers into personal reflection, repentance, fasting, and prayer.

The pastor directly challenged the modern tendency to reduce Lent to mere religious performance. He compared this mindset to the empty legalism of the Pharisees that Jesus repeatedly condemned during His earthly ministry.

Jesus says His yoke is easy and His burden is light.

Rodriguez contrasted this with religious systems focused solely on rules and outward appearance, urging Christians instead to focus on the inward transformation that Lent was always designed to produce.

He also took aim at the constant noise of modern culture, observing that society is addicted to digital connections and online distractions. Lent, he argued, offers something the world desperately needs: holy silence, holy restraint, and humility in a society obsessed with prominence.

Rev. Samuel Rodriguez Calls Believers to Reclaim Lent as a Season of Spiritual Renewal

The NHCLC president issued a direct challenge to churches and individual believers alike, calling them to use the Lenten season to examine their motives, confess their sins, extend forgiveness, and pursue reconciliation.

Our hunger for righteousness must outweigh our hunger for everything else.

Rodriguez concluded with a stirring declaration that a church aligned with its original mission becomes impossible for the world to ignore.

When the Church is reset, the world cannot ignore its witness.

The Crusader's Opinion

Rodriguez is right. Lent has become a checkbox for too many Christians, something to endure rather than embrace. We live in a world that screams at us 24 hours a day through our screens, demanding our attention, our outrage, our money. Lent is the one season where the Church tells us to stop, be still, and remember who we actually serve. If you cannot give up Netflix for 40 days to draw closer to the God who gave His Son for you, then you need to ask yourself some hard questions about where your heart truly is. The early Church fasted. The desert fathers fasted. Christ Himself fasted. Who are we to think we are above it?

Take Action

• Commit to a personal Lenten discipline today: choose fasting, daily Scripture reading, or dedicated prayer time and stick with it through Easter Sunday (April 5, 2026).
• Invite a friend, family member, or neighbor to attend a Lenten service at your local church this week.
• Disconnect from social media for the remainder of Lent and replace that time with prayer and Scripture.
• Support persecuted Christians who practice their faith at the risk of their lives. Donate at www.TheShepherdsShield.org or Open Doors.
• Share this article with fellow believers who need encouragement to make Lent more than just a tradition.