Lent

Ash Wednesday in Two Words

If there are two words that perhaps best describe the intent of Ash Wednesday and of the Lenten season that follows, those words are found in the Scripture assigned to the day.  In the second reading in the liturgy for Ash Wednesday (2 Corinthians 5:20-6:2) we read “be reconciled to God”  .. in the present moment “for now is the acceptable time” (and what a hard time we are facing in the world just now; a time when our Lenten commitments find added importance).

What might the words, “be reconciled” mean as, once again, we are called to move into the season of Lent? What might they mean as we hope to sustain our Lenten commitments beyond the designated season in ways that impact our living for the life of God’s world?

Reconciliation, according to the Oxford English Dictionary, is to “restore friendly relationships”. To deepen, strengthen or to restore relationships, is then, at the very heart of living Lent and indeed life more widely. As I begin Lent, I might ask myself how is my relationship with God, with self, with other humans and with all of creation of which I am a part? How am I called to repent of broken relationships? How do I need to become more deeply a person of relationship and reconciliation? What do I need to do so as form or deepen relationships of love and respect?

These questions go far beyond the three traditional practices of Lent, the call to prayer, fasting and almsgiving (charity toward the neighbour) and yet the traditional practices remain significant as a means toward the restoration or deepening of right relationships.  Lenten practices are never ends in themselves. They are always God-and other-directed!  They help us creatively mend and build relationship with God, other humans and all of creation. It is only in relationship that they find meaning.

In Lent we remind ourselves anew of the Pascal Mystery and Jesus’ journey to the cross and to resurrection not because God wills suffering but because in the face of injustice and cruelty Christ commits to an ultimate act of reconciliation and an act of hope. In so doing he calls us to follow Him, to repair relationships that cause pain, separation and destruction. He opens for us a way by reminding us how deeply we are loved, even in our vulnerabilities and frailties; loved in order that we may love in turn. In Lent we walk with Him and he walks with us in the joys and turmoil of our lives.

So, this Lent and especially in our current, violent, broken world may we be “reconciled” and become reconcilers like Christ, menders of breaches, bearers of hope!  

-Sister Mary Rowell, CSJ

Image: Ahna Ziegler/Unsplash

Laetare Sunday - Rejoice!

Midway through this year’s Lenten journey we are invited to REJOICE and for good reason. The New Testament readings (Ephesians 2:4-10, John 3:14-21) remind us of the gifts we have received freely from our generous God; the love of God, the grace of faith, Jesus, a call to good works and eternal life. 

Mind-blowing! Humbling! Eliciting gratitude!

How do we respond to free gifts? In the movie “Pay it Forward” a junior high school class were invited to think of an idea that would change the world for the better. One young lad thought of paying forward good deeds. A simple example I experienced recently was going through the “Tim’s” line and finding out the person ahead of me had paid for my order! I couldn’t thank them because they were already gone but I was able to pass on their generosity by doing something good for someone else.

Simple Ways to Pay It Forward

  • Letting someone go in front of you in line

  • Paying for a stranger's coffee or meal

  • Sharing your green thumb

  • Donating blankets, pajamas, socks, and toiletries to shelters

  • Leaving a big tip for a server or waiter

  • Returning another person's shopping cart

  • Sending an email or card of gratitude.

I don’t think God needs my gratitude, but I need to show it. Our call to good works is one way of acknowledging our acceptance and gratitude for the blessings we have received; pressed down and overflowing (Luke 6:38).

-Maureen Condon, CSJ Associate

Header Image: Isaac Hernandez/Unsplash

3rd Sunday of Lent

Some of the readings for this Sunday are disturbing, reminiscent of the hellfire and brimstone of my youth; children punished for the iniquity of their parents, overturned tables in the temple, misunderstood meaning of Jesus’ words. Thankfully there are other writings highlighted that help me to balance the seeming threat in Exodus 20: 1-17 and the righteous anger in John 2: 13-25.

“Zeal for your house will consume me” spoken by Jesus predicting his upcoming crucifixion also invites me to consider whether I have zeal for the house of God. Could that zeal draw me out of myself to act for peace wherever I see violence ?

I also found comfort in Psalm 84:3 “The sparrow finds a home and a swallow a nest for her young by your altars oh Lord”.

We are living in an all too violent world. Sadly, that’s nothing new, but that violence doesn’t need to consume us. If you have coffee in a cup & someone bumps into you what’s in the cup will spill out. On this difficult week of my Lenten journey I choose to cultivate a spirit of peace so that when violence bumps into me I will offer love.  Won’t you join me?

Maureen Condon, CSJ Associate

What the World Needs Now: PEACE

Might you be looking at how you might support your prayer practice during this Lenten Season? May I suggest you consider getting yourself a copy of “Praying with the Earth: A Prayerbook for Peace” J.P. Newell’s, user friendly compilation of morning and evening prayers are rooted in the prayers, scriptures, and artistic riches of the faith traditions of Jews, Muslims, and Christians. Nowell provides individuals with a spiritual pathway to a contemplative oasis where one can discover soul food and find oneself nourished from these long-standing wisdom sources.

We become spiritually grounded as we pray on one of the beatitudes. Each of the daily morning and evening prayers gently challenge us to live out of this wholistic attitude, one Jesus called blessed. Using this prayer aid fosters global peace, one day, one person at a time, as we reflect, find our inner peace, and voice our desire for peace.

-Sister Nancy Wales, CSJ

Header Image: Sunguk Kim/Unsplash

Every Journey - Lent I

Image: Jon Tyson/Unsplash

Every journey starts with a first step. Here we are just past Quadragesima Sunday, the first Sunday of Lent, reminding us of our forty-day Lenten trek of fervent prayer, fasting and almsgiving until Good Friday.

An unusual first step for me was to attend my first Alcoholics Anonymous meeting. No, I am not an alcoholic, but I was honoured to attend as a guest of someone who was receiving his 1-year medallion of sobriety.

AA Sobriety chips

Perhaps 30 people were in attendance announcing anywhere from several days up to 55 years of sobriety. The speaker of the evening recounted, with humour and tears, her downward spiral into addiction then her inspiring journey to sobriety. To say I was moved is a gross understatement. Her acknowledging of her current dependence on God (her higher power), her family of origin and her AA family was inspiring. To see that support in action over the evening will continue to be a blessing for me. To hold the hand of a stranger with 50 year sobriety as we prayed the Lord’s prayer was a gift. Prayer, almsgiving, and fasting were all elements of the meeting. The coffee was very welcome!

As we begin Lent, we often set goals for ourselves: giving up candy or cigarettes OR praying more OR not gossiping etc.  At AA I learned that to keep coming back is one key to success even when we misstep. Forty days is long!

Let’s share our journey and offer support to those we love and those who love us and maybe even those who don’t know but have wisdom we need to hear.

-Maureen Condon, CSJ Associate