Our journey begins today. Lent is a time for prayer, fasting, and almsgiving. Ever since I was a little girl my parents instilled in us kids that during Lent you abstain from sweets and eating in between meals. In addition to that there was always one thing we either did or did not do that would make us a better person.
This Sunday in anticipation of today Fr. Szydlik gave a powerful sermon, which made me rethink my journey this Lent. Fr. Szydlik challenged us to "begin with the end in mind." One of the seven habits of highly effective adults. At Easter all of us need to feel a deeper connection with God. The only way to get there is to focus on prayer. If we choose to give up chocolate, pop, or something similar in the end all we can say is, "Yay, me!" I can go 40 days without doing such thing.
During these days when our world seems to be separating itself more and more from God's plan for us, we need PRAYER. Every good thing in our lives is truly not because we did x or y, but because of God's grace and mercy. Through prayer and lots of it, we can start to turn this world around.
Fr. Szydlik listed three ways to help us focus on prayer. One was to list three things you are grateful for everyday. Then spend quiet time in prayer reflecting on those gifts. At this point I thought, "Wow, he is speaking directly to me." Recently I have found myself being a Debbie Downer. Looking at the gifts in my life will help me get a new perspective.
Second was to go to confession once a week. He knew this was a huge challenge considering many people haven't been to confession in years. He even said if you think you don't sin, go through an examination of conscience every night. You will be surprised at the things you will find to confess. Once again, nail on the head. When I was teaching I would go to confession once a month with the school kids. It did help to keep you focused on the end goal in this life, HEAVEN.
Third was to challenge us to go to Stations of the Cross. For those of you who don't know, Stations of the Cross are traditionally held on Fridays during Lent. Catholic churches will often have fourteen images on the walls of the church that commemorate the last day of Jesus's life on Earth. They begin with him being condemned to death and ending with him being laid in the tomb. During this devotion, which is like a mini pilgrimage, you recall what Jesus went through and meditate on it before moving to the next station. Personally I find Stations of the Cross are very powerful whether it is using an elementary level reflection with the school kids or an adult level reflection in the evening.
Challenge accepted.
Prayers that our world turns to God in times of need instead of just ourselves.
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