Praised Be Jesus Christ!
And so we begin another Lent. Lent
is that special time of year when we examine our relationship with Jesus and
ask Him how He would like us to grow closer to Him through this very blessed
season. This is what you must remember - Lent is about a relationship with
Jesus Christ - not just about giving things up! We have a chance to be with
Jesus these next 40 days and to allow Him to transform us into Himself through
our prayer, fasting, and alms giving. This transformation must involve our being
crucified with Jesus, so that we may rise with Him when we celebrate Easter.
So, what is Jesus calling YOU to do for Him this Lenten Season?
As I have said, the three
traditional practices of Lent are fasting, alms giving. and prayer. I would
encourage you to do something in each of these areas.
Most people give up something they
like. You know -- chocolate, pop, etc. And that is OK, but it is not enough. I
think I can hear Jesus saying sometimes: "I gave up my life for them, and
they give up chocolate for Me!" When it comes to fasting, we need to look
at where our sins are, and then give up something that will help us deal with
that sin. For instance, let us say that we are lazy and that we waste a lot of
time watching TV instead of doing what we need to be doing -- then give up TV.
You get the picture. Fasting should help us to die to self and sin, so that we
can live more fully for God and others.
In regard to alms giving, this is
something that we should be doing all year, but most especially during Lent.
This means taking care of the poor. This would be a great time to adopt a Third
World child, through one of the many agencies that do offer this. Or you can
give to a local food bank or other charity that helps the poor.
The next practice must be the most
important one, and that is prayer. We need to be people of prayer! You can
decide to read the Bible every day, go to daily Mass, say the rosary, or say
the Divine Mercy Chaplet. However, God is calling you to grow in intimacy with
Him through prayer; DO IT! Just make sure you take time to LISTEN more than
talk - - more than anything, this is what God calls us to do this Lent!
So pray about what Jesus wants YOU
to do, and then, "Do whatever He tells you!"
At the end of his message Father Larry said that one the most important
comments he gets from people is, "Father, I pray for you every day."
There is nothing that means more to him! I ask you to include praying for Father Larry, The Reason for Our Hope Foundation, and our ministry in your Lenten prayers. Please know that Father Larry prays for you daily!
- Caitlin Ryan, Marketing/Operations Manager: The Reason for Our Hope Foundation
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