I recently saw a group of robins--the first I have seen this year--and I was pleased to see that they all looked healthy and well-fed.  Some robins, I understand, do not migrate for the winter, but remain in more northerly locations and take a chance on finding enough food for the winter season.  Perhaps the ones that remain hide out somewhere when it gets really cold, because I can't recall ever seeing them in December of January.  These lovely birds, which give me such cheer when I first see them each year, make me think of the words that can be said at the Breaking of the Bread in Holy Eucharist, Rite II.  After the priest says, "The Gifts of God for the People of God," the following words can be added:
"Take them in remembrance that Christ died for you, and feed on him in your hearts by faith, with thanksgiving."  I love these words, and I think they are important to remember during the Lenten season.  Lent is typically a time for fasting and is also a time for deepening our personal journey with Christ.  It may seem like a "lean" time.  Yet, if we always "feed on him in (our) hearts by faith, with thanksgiving," we will never be hungry and we can always have hope, even during the darkest parts of our faith journey.  Christ will preserve us and sustain us.  Just as the robins seem to do with their winter food, we can trust that God's Gift to us, Jesus Christ, will always be there and will always feed us.  Let us take a lesson from the robins!