It’s funny how God works with us. We are now into the season of Lent. That’s a time when many of us stop and reflect. Often, we will pick out a penance as a means of spiritual discipline, and sometimes for some good that we need to seek out. (Is it time to finally quit smoking? Or am I still wasting too much time in front of the TV?)

On occasion, however, God takes the initiative to give us something particular to focus on during Lent, something we didn’t seek out ourselves. It might be a question of health or a family concern. Maybe a financial challenge comes up that brings to the fore our need to truly trust that God will take care of us, even if at a given moment we don’t see how. All of those can be the spiritual lessons that God sends us to draw us away from our sins and closer to Him during Lent.

This year, God gave us a Lenten thought and meditation on Feb. 11. That was the Feast of Our Lady of Lourdes and the morning when the Holy Father announced to the world that he was resigning as pope on Feb. 28.

Later that day, the papal spokesman said that by every expectation, we will have a new pope by Easter Sunday. That leaves all of Lent for us to reflect and pray about this news.

The pope is the successor to St. Peter. That might be a good place to start our Lenten reflections.

Go to the Gospel of Matthew 16:13-19 and read the story of Jesus entrusting the keys of the kingdom to Peter, thus making him the first pope. In the mystery of God’s plan, not only is the humanity of Christ used to save us from our sins, but Jesus uses our own humanity to continue his work.

Peter was not just made a leader in some organizational sense but, to him and his humanity, was entrusted the keys of the kingdom of heaven itself.

Even to our own day, even when not speaking in some rarely used infallible context, the Holy Father still is the successor to St. Peter and is used by God to keep us together and our faith on track.

What a good Lenten meditation it is to thank God for our faith and our participation in this mystery of God’s love.

In prayer, please remember Pope Benedict XVI, especially in his final days as pope. The world has seen what a kind and loving man that gentle white haired figure has been. His demeanor has shown us the face of Christ.

But how blessed we have been over these last eight years of his pontificate to have had his magnificent teaching, especially in drawing out the insights and meaning of the Scriptures. At Mass, in his encyclicals and in his books, Benedict has patiently and consistently pointed the way to Christ.

And it’s no secret that he has done so at great personal cost for such a quiet and private individual. He has merited our gratitude, our love and our prayers.

And now let us pray also for the guidance of the Holy Spirit on the selection of the next pope. In the coming days we will read and hear many stories from those who don’t know, often with a theme of “handicapping the horserace.” Let’s not be distracted.

We are more like a family awaiting the birth of a child. We sort of know “when” but we are preparing our love and faith to receive one whom we don’t yet know.

Pray especially for the new pope. He is already near, but he does not even know it himself. Jesus said it 2,000 years ago, but it still echoes in our minds today for the new pope: “You are Peter and upon this rock I will build my Church.”