Today's readings: Joel 2:12-18; 2 Cor 5:20-6:2; Mt 6:1-6, 16-18
Lent is such a strange yet wonderful season for me. For some reason, I have always felt connected to this season. As I reflect on my life, I am getting a little glimpse as to why…I need a Savior and I must get outside of myself to see Him! The act of giving things up has given me a way to find hope when things are taken away.
Joel 2: 12-13
Yet even now—oracle of the LORD—return to me with your whole heart, with fasting, weeping, and mourning. Rend your hearts, not your garments, and return to the LORD, your God, For he is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, abounding in steadfast love, and relenting in punishment.
Growing up I liked the idea of Lent, but I did not like giving things up (go figure). I didn't understand what it was going to teach me and how it was going to help me to be happy later. How could giving up candy help me to understand eternal happiness in Heaven? How was it going to help me to truly celebrate Easter?
Offering things up during Lent has given me an example! Looking forward to Easter so that I could
once again have soda and candy has been one of the greatest foundations I have
had in life! Let me explain:
Life is rough. We
struggle with self-acceptance and understanding. We find that we aren't as ‘able’ as we once
were (or as able as the average person). People and things are taken away
from us unexpectedly. We feel that we
are not accepted in society. We have
heartache. We go through a whole array
of experiences where we feel we have been cheated in some way, or that we have
to give something up that we don’t choose.
Life really is rough.
Isn't it fantastic that this life is not it?! We have something to look forward to! And, I have to learn to be willing to give up
this life for the next. Actually…I have to learn to LIVE THIS LIFE TO THE
FULLEST to get the next! But, living to
fullest requires suffering. Christ is
our model of holiness, and he suffered all the sufferings possible. Suffering is God’s way of forming us. St. Madeline Sophie Barat says, "As iron is fashioned by fire and on the anvil, so in the fire of suffering and under the weight of trials, our souls receive that form which our Lord desires them to have."
Learning to live without those special treats growing up helped me to learn that suffering is valuable. I learned that real happiness is not achieved by getting to have things. I learned that I could help those who have so little by offering up my savings/time to them. I learned that offering my suffering up (no matter how bad...or not) can do infinite goodness. I learned that just as I developed my yearning for candy (or whatever I gave up that year) and then got to feed it on Easter morning, today I very much need to develop my yearning for Christ...and the true Easter celebration-that of the Resurrected Christ-fulfills that yearning each day-through the Eucharist (which is Christ truly present), and through continued prayer and reflection!
Reflecting on the need to rend my heart toward God is
hard. I have gotten frustrated with Him so many times in the last few years. I need so much help giving my heart and will to him. But, it moves me to action. This is why Lent is so important. It is a time to teach us how to live
fully. Through the Lenten practices of
prayer, fasting, and alms-giving we learn what is necessary: Love of God, love of neighbor and love of
self. We learn how to see ourselves more
completely and truly. It is a time to
learn how to suffer…and to do so joyfully.
To let myself return to God is going to take a lot of
suffering-because I have A LOT I need to let go of. :)
Today I have to remember that all my struggles are ways that
I get to prepare myself to celebrate Easter! Each day I am faced with a new challenge to give in to my fear and
frustration. But, I have a foundation of
hope! I know that suffering allows me to
become transformed into the person I really want to be!
So, as today marks the beginning of a very special season,
we make some commitments. Although some
of them may seem trivial (like giving up a certain food or the like), it gives
us a way to train our hearts and minds.
It reminds us that we are stronger than we think.
My friends can tell you that sometimes I don't suffer very well. I get very angry with God and myself about why life has to include so much suffering and loss. Yet, deep down I have a great life of joy (they could tell you that too), and Lent helps me to experience the true process of rending my heart and return to God...and that it will include weeping (which I do very well) and fasting.
My friends can tell you that sometimes I don't suffer very well. I get very angry with God and myself about why life has to include so much suffering and loss. Yet, deep down I have a great life of joy (they could tell you that too), and Lent helps me to experience the true process of rending my heart and return to God...and that it will include weeping (which I do very well) and fasting.
This Lenten season I commit to suffering! I am going to allow my weakness to empower
me. I hope to let the fire of my struggles
mold me. This is going to be another
great season, and when the Easter hymns ring out…I hope that my journey will
allow me to present to God a new person-one more in love with Christ and His
most beautiful will for me!
And so instead of (or in addition to) giving up some food or show or something like that, I'm going to fast from pride and believing I can do this whole "life" thing on my own (I just hope I make it to Thursday). :) In other words...I want to yearn for God more each day and stop yearning for myself.
And so instead of (or in addition to) giving up some food or show or something like that, I'm going to fast from pride and believing I can do this whole "life" thing on my own (I just hope I make it to Thursday). :) In other words...I want to yearn for God more each day and stop yearning for myself.
What is your commitment today?
How can you rend your heart today and turn more toward God?
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