Blessed (middle) beginning of
Lent! May this be a time a prayer and growth for you. Some of you may have
dreams of giving up coffee, while the rest of your family is desperately hoping
you won’t or you may be planning to give up that one dessert that you don’t
like anyway, or you are somewhere between these two extremes, but remember that
Lent is about YOUR relationship with God. Not about ignoring Lenten fasting
and penance altogether or about making everyone else around you
suffer. The three goals we are given is PRAYER, FASTING and ALMS
GIVING. Your Lent should be balanced with all three. It is even possible
to occasionally put all three together. Maybe get a plain coffee
instead of the Carmel Latte you love and use the extra money to buy a meal for
someone else, while you pray for that person…that will touch your heart and
someone else’s. When we truly put our faith into practice, it becomes
very real and tangible to us, this helps us, but it also helps the people
around us as well. This Lent take the challenge to take your faith seriously
and also make it tangible in your life so it can be a witness to others.
Recently, I found a reflection I had written during my first retreat as a postulant. The last conference that had been given was on Spiritual Motherhood. As I approached the 4 th Station where Jesus meets His Sorrowful Mother, this is what struck my heart: What is the sacrificial love of a mother? It is the self-sacrifice made to love her children. Mary’s self-sacrifice to be there with Christ, her Son, in His passion was the selfless love that united her with Him. Her heart was pierced with 7 swords in the agony of watching her beloved Son endure a cross that He did not deserve, but which He embraced for the love of the Father and mankind. Could she not have said to Jesus, “You don’t have to do this, there are other ways. Do you know how much pain You are causing me and those who love you?” She knew He could have chosen any other way t...
Comments