How’s Lent Going So Far?: Weekly Message for 3-28-17

Dear Digital Pilgrim, Pax Christi:

If I were sitting across the table from you right now, and we were each nursing a cup of hot coffee, I would ask you: “How’s Lent going so far?”  And if I were to ask that question, how would you answer?

Even though we are not actually sitting at the same table, and so we can’t dive into the conversation, it’s a question worth considering. But it’s kind of a trick question. To ask someone how their Lent is going assumes, at least implicitly, that Lent is mainly about their own plans and goals.  But in fact, Lent is not something that we “do.” Rather, it’s something that we enter into and live through. It is a liturgical season that we didn’t invent (the Holy Spirit did) and that we can’t simply manipulate in accordance with some preconceived, self-help priorities.

A better way to think about Lent then could be summed up in this question: “What’s the Lord doing in your life this Lent? And how are you responding?” Now that would really be a great great conversation starter!

Lent has a spiritual purpose. It is a time of discipline and prayer designed to help us tune into the message of love and grace that the Church celebrates each year through the liturgies of Holy Week and Easter. Through our Lenten disciplines, we cut away things that may be hindering us from hearing and heeding God’s word in our lives – the word that brings his love and grace. Through prayer, we listen to and savor whatever the Lord may be saying. That’s the essence of Lent.

So, what is the Lord doing in your life this Lent? It is our hope and prayer that he is doing a lot!  And if you feel like you need some help detecting the answer to that question, never fear! Lent has plenty of time left, and so you have plenty of time to read or watch some of the many meditations from our Lenten Retreat Guides, any one of which could spark a new insight and help you hear the voice of the Lord whispering in your heart: The Colors of the Cross, Father of Mercies, The Widow’s Might, Trouble with Trust, and our most recent one, The Faithful Steward.

Here at RCSpirituality, all we desire is for your relationship with God to go deeper. If that happens, then you will find all the light and strength you need to fulfill your mission in the Church and the world.

May this Lent be a privileged time for that great adventure to continue to unfold.

God bless you!
In Him,
Fr John Bartunek, LC, SThD
contact@rcspirituality.org