What does that mean for us? It reminds that we swim [live] against the tide of our me-first, get even culture, a culture focused on the material things. We are called to love our enemies and to put others ahead of ourselves.
Lent is our time to return to our roots as Christians and seriously look at how we are living as disciples of Jesus.
May God Be Praised.
We are past the halfway mark in our Lenten Journey let us reflect on this excerpt from Ecclesiastes,
“There is an appointed
time for everything, and a time for every affair under the heavens.
A time to be born, and a time to die;
a time to plant, and a time to uproot the
plant.
A time to kill, and a time to heal;
a time to tear down,
and a time to build.
A time to weep, and a time to laugh;
a time to mourn, and a
time to dance.
A time to scatter stones, and a time to gather them;
a time to embrace, and
a time to be far from embraces.
A time to seek, and a time to lose;
a time to keep, and a
time to cast away.
A time to rend, and a time to sew;
a time to be silent,
and a time to speak.
A time to love, and a time to hate;
a time of war, and a
time of peace.” [From the Book of Ecclesiastes]
Father in Heaven,
grant us the wisdom and love you have revealed in Your Son, we ask that they be
given to us through His grace.
Help us to be like him in word and deed, for he lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, God, forever and ever. Amen.
May God Be Praised.
A Blind Spot is where the optic nerve passes through retina & does not detect images; we all have them. Each one of us has Spiritual Blind Spots and Lent is a time for us to uncover them through our Lenten practices of: Prayer, Fasting and Almsgiving.
For the remainder of this Lent, as we prepare to celebrate Easter, consider Praying the Loser’s Prayer. It will help us find our Spiritual Blind Spots.
“I asked God to take away my pride, & God said no. He said it was not for Him to take away, but for me to give up.
I asked God to make my test grade 100 and God said no. God said study hard, do your homework, and when you take your test do your best and be satisfied with your grade.
I asked God to grant me patience, & God said no. He said that patience is a by-product of tribulation. It isn't guaranteed; it's earned.
I asked God to give me happiness, & God said no. He said He gives blessings. Happiness is up to me.
I asked God to spare me pain, & God said no. He said suffering draws me apart from worldly care & brings me closer to Him.
I asked God to give me self-esteem, and he said ‘No. You already have it because I dwell in you. Don’t you realize you are my Beloved?’
I asked God to help me love others as much as He loves me. God said, ‘Ah, at last. You finally have the idea.’'' [The Yellow Brick Road, Bausch] p.178]
This Lent in our Prayer, Almsgiving and Fasting may we seek to Love as God Loves. And when we fail - ask God for His Grace to begin anew. If we do that our Lent will be spiritually nourishing, and our blind spots will be revealed to us.
May God Be Praised.
Henri Nouwen wrote, “Joy does not come from positive predictions about the state of the world. It does not depend on the ups and downs of the circumstances of our lives.
Joy is based on the spiritual knowledge that, while the world in which we live is shrouded in darkness, God has overcome the world. Jesus says it loudly and clearly: ‘In the world you will have troubles, but rejoice, I have overcome the world.’”
Our Joy is a gift from God, the gift in knowing in the end, God Who is Father, Son & Holy Spirit wins.
May God Be Praised.
*Kelly Latimore at: https://kellylatimoreicons.com/
