Use Lent to Spend Time with God

My wife and I are opposite in many ways. Some differences are larger such as our hobbies while others are just normal day to day things like when we wake up in the morning. I wake up early while my wife sleeps a little later. I will wake up, make coffee and say my morning prayers. My wife wakes up later and does not drink coffee. She will start her day with prayers, while I may be checking on things around the house or catching up on the news. God does bring us together though. As the morning slowly slips into the work of the day, our lives will come together. We will start the activities we planned on previous days. This could be a trip to the store, some special cleaning project around the house or babysitting some our grandchildren while their parents work. It does not always involve work though. Many days will include a movie we both want to watch. It could be listening to an audio book over a few days or weeks. The whole point is that we always come together. Though we have our own habits, wants and needs, we make sure we have time to spend with each other. It is where we learn more about each other and ourselves. It is where we let go of past hurts and ask for forgiveness of our transgressions. This time together is where we grow closer.

We should also have this type of relationship with God. The responsibilities of our family, our occupation and to our self will always be part of our lives. Our relationship with God should be our first responsibility. We should always have a time to sit with God. It is through this relationship that all other relationships are governed. This same relationship we should have with God is brought forth to the elect in the RCIA through the scrutinies. The elect will receive the second scrutiny today, the Fourth Sunday of Lent. Part of the exorcism prayer that is said over the elect asks that the Father free them from false values that surround and blind them. We need a relationship with God to understand his desires for us. Without a relationship with God we will have false values that separate us from God. These false values will blind us to the true journey God wants us to take.

The prayer of exorcism in the three scrutinies ask that the elect be freed from the influence of the devil. It asks for strength of the elect, so they may continue their spiritual journey. The scrutinies help the elect to open their hearts to receive the gifts of the Holy Spirit. During this purification and enlighten phase of RCIA the elect spend time with God. They have been taught that to have a relationship with God means they must devote time to Him.

All relationships in our lives are important. Think of how you build and maintain those relationships. If a relationship feels strained, weak or non-existent then you devote time to strengthen that relationship. Our relationship with God should be the same. When we feel earthly desires pulling us away from God, we know that our relationship with God is strained. This is the very time we need to scrutinize our life. It is the time to come together with God through our prayer life. It is what is required of the elect and it should be what you require of yourself.

Praying the Rosary

My Rugged Rosary

The rosary is a prayer that gives us the opportunity to reflect on Jesus and our own lives.  Last Friday I was reciting the Sorrowful Mysteries of the rosary when I came to the third Sorrowful Mystery; Crowning with the Thorns. I reflected on the Roman guard pushing that crown of thorns onto the head of Jesus and the pain it caused when suddenly I saw myself as the guard. I was the one pushing down the crown of thorns. It was a painful thought but I did not want to leave it as I knew it had meaning to me.  As I continued to pray the ten Hail Marys, I realized it was my sins that pushed down that crown of thorns.  These sins occur when I do not return the love God has shown to me.

I moved on to the next mystery; Carrying the Cross.  I continued to reflect on the pain caused by my sins but now I also thought of Jesus voluntarily taking up the cross.  I thought of the cross Jesus carried.  I began to see the cross not being made of wood but being made out of the sins of the world.

Finally I came to the last sorrowful mystery; The Crucifixion.  In my reflecting on the crucifixion, I saw Jesus the loving Son, sacrificing his life for my sins.  I realized it was my sins that made necessary the crucifixion.

The praying of the rosary opened up my eyes to a new way to look at the death of Jesus on the cross.  My sins do cause pain.  God knows my sins even if I do not recognize them.  My sins make the thorns cut deeper into Jesus.  My sins make the cross a little heavier.  My sins make the death of Jesus a little more painful.  I realized my sins have to do this!

The sacrifice of Jesus is for all mankind and for all of time. The pain of his sacrifice must include the sins that I commit today.  Understanding the sacrifice of Jesus in this way opened up a deep sense of love in me.  I felt God's love for me through the sacrifice his Son made for all.  The sins of mankind; past, present and future have been forgiven by this one sacrifice.

Can I come close to imagining a love this strong?  God allowed his Son to endure the suffering and pain caused by my sins of today so I could be forgiven by a sacrifice of love made two thousand years ago.

Our Hope in God

Sometimes the things we enjoy doing the most are pushed back for what we consider more important matters. This blog is one of those things. I enjoy writing for it but there always seems to be something to do with a higher priority.  I will try to do better in posting to this blog.

I have just returned from our annual diocese Diaconate retreat. This year it was at the Subiaco Abbey in Arkansas. It is a very beautiful place. If you have never visited the Abbey, it is definitely worth the drive.  Our very own Bishop Duca was the retreat master and I think this was one of the better retreats I have attended since being ordained a Deacon.

The Bishop had a different topic for each of our sessions but they all related to one common theme. That theme was that each and everyone of us has been called to a vocation.  The deacons at our retreat have been called to the Sacrament of Holy Orders, more specifically to the order of the Diaconate.

The Diaconate which we have been called to is a twenty four hour vocation. We cannot step away from it at any time of the day. As ordained clergy we represent both the Church and most importantly the hope we have in God.  We show our hope in God by the way we treat others. We must show and give that hope to everyone we meet regardless of the time of day or our own personal thoughts, attitude or feelings.

This same hope in God is something everyone can show. It is not just the domain of the clergy. Remember as a Christian, you represent the risen Lord to others. Your actions are a reflection of your hope in an eternal life with God that the risen Lord has given us. Think of the old cliché; actions speak louder than words.  Let us make sure that our actions express our hope in God to others.

There is a prayer in the Liturgy of the Hours that sums up my thoughts on this very good:

Father, creator of unfailing light, give that same light to those who call to you. May our lips praise you; our lives proclaim your goodness; our work give you honor, and our voices celebrate you for ever.