Practices for Lent … 24-Feb-2019

From the Desk of Father David

Dear Friends in Christ,

              The first reading on Ash Wednesday will invite to “rend your hearts, not your garments.”  A call to change out attitudes.  This is a call to encounter the living God in the circumstances of our lives and all that is happening in our world and Church.  The God who is mystery is the same God who is Emmanuel, the God who is with us.  To be with us means He is totally present at every moment of our lives.  This Lent we need to allow Him to reveal Himself to us in new and exciting ways.   In last week’s blog post I mentioned two tools to help us.  First is to take time each night or the following morning to prayerfully examine the day seeing it from God’s point of view.  Giving thanks for all the life giving moments, asking for forgiveness for what we did wrong, and asking Jesus’ blessing on the next day.  Second, the need to slow down and create silence in our lives thus enabling us to hear God’s voice better and to see more clearly His presence.

Next let’s add two practices, first, frequently giving thanks for all that Jesus is doing daily in your life.  At first it might be hard to see those special blessings that day.  For example, these are the times when you are depressed, lonely, or confused and all of sudden you realize that everything is becoming clear.  In other words these blessings are not the usual ones like food, shelter, clothing, etc.  Second, we need to regularly ask the Lord Jesus to transform our words and actions so they will become life-giving, not just for others but also for ourselves.

May our Lord Jesus enable us to look deeply into our souls and encounter His Divine presence.

Peace of Christ,

Fr. David