The Journey of Lent
Blessings are easy to spot when times are good, like when we joyfully acknowledge life’s milestones, such as buying a new home, celebrating the birth of a child, or 50 years of marriage. During those happy times, our God’s blessings might be so omnipresent we can fall into a disordered perspective where we think our confidence in God rests in our prosperity. This line of thinking may be why we struggle to see God’s presence during the not-so-happy seasons of life, those times that feel disproportionately filled with suffering, hardships, and tough breaks. Then, we may even flirt with abandoning the faith, feeling that the Lord has to prove his presence and love by changing our fortunes for the better.
Thankfully, a careful read of the Scriptures can realign our thinking; God uses both the bitter and sweet, the Exodus and the Exile, to accomplish GOOD. Over these next forty days of Lent, God invites us to ponder his wisdom and how everything that happens in our lives, the good, the bad, and the ugly, is part of his perfect plan for those who love Him (Romans 8:28).
So join me in embracing a mindset this Lent that whether we are experiencing times of abundance or scarcity, our Lord is a promise keeper, and our hope should rest in him.
Inspired by these truths, let’s help each other recognize God’s graces in our lives, families, and parish. Let’s abide with one another by offering prayers of thanksgiving and intercession during our Lenten liturgies. Let’s make room for the Lord through fasting, so we can rely more deeply upon Him while being more present to one another. Finally, let’s offer our resources to those in need through almsgiving, but even more, let’s commit to giving our hearts entirely over to the Lord this Lent.
To further these efforts in faith, please take a minute to visit our dedicated Lenten landing page, which lists all of our upcoming events and offerings, such as Stations of the Cross, Mini Lenten retreat, spiritual reading recommendations from our parishioners, and more.
I pray that your Lenten journey is grace-filled and a time where you can readily see your Heavenly Father’s blessings at work!