The Spiritual Path of Lent

Lent is that annual time of year when I am challenged to examine the spiritual path I’m walking on.

Am I even walking on a SPIRITUAL PATH?

To walk a spiritual path presumes there have been choices along the way which keep me focused on what I cannot see.  Here is one example.

Why are the leaves on my philodendron plant all facing toward my window?  If I turn the plant, then over time the leaves again all face toward the window.  Do they have a longing to be outside growing beside that tree in the backyard?  Or do they have some inner awareness that their life depends on the light energy coming from outside my window?  I am a witness, not of the energy my plant is using for its life but I am a witness of the effect the invisible energy is having on the actions of my plant.

I think our lives are more complicated because we have to CHOOSE to face the direction of the energy we need for our lives.  Am I even facing in the direction of the energy I need to walk on a spiritual path?  Love is that energy.  Life is about experiencing being loved and respected and giving love and respect to another.  Life is about relationships, about receiving and about giving.  The way I receive and give love energy is a choice I make. 

During LENT we witness the life of Jesus; we witness all his loving relationships no matter what the hardships he suffered.  His primary gaze was loving obedience to the will of the Father and then actively sharing that love with his followers.  In examining my life, I ask myself, “Am I even on that spiritual path with Jesus?”

This Lent, go home and let your plants teach you how to follow the energy you need for saving the life of your soul. 

 -Sister Elaine Cole, CSJ

...a Time of Healing

ASH WEDNESDAY….a Time of Healing

Restoring right relationships with self, God, one another, and creation is an act of love that is central in all faith traditions however it is expressed; it is the work of a lifetime and essential to peace and harmony in all creation.  

For Christians, Ash Wednesday, the beginning of Lent, is an invitation to rethink our relationships with a renewed desire to transcend our ego and live more lovingly with one another. Traditionally the practices of prayer, self-denial, and support of the poor and marginalized seeking justice mark this sacred season. These 40 days are observed in commemoration of the 40 days Jesus spent in the wilderness preparing for his public ministry and for us they are a preparation for the celebration of the great feast of Easter, the living out of our mission of love.

For Jews, the ten days of Awe culminating in Yom Kippur are the holiest days of the year, a time of fasting, prayer and reflection focusing on the sins of the past year and seeking forgiveness.

Imam Johari Abdul-Malik describes the 5 steps to forgiveness: admit your wrongdoing, detest it in your heart, commit to turning away from it, make restitution and finally ask for God’s forgiveness. Self-forgiveness is an important part of this process of atonement.

Sweat lodge ceremonies, spiritual practices of Indigenous people, are sources of healing, wisdom and gratitude where one purifies the mind, body and soul in order to restore right relationships with creation, our brothers and sisters and the Creator.

Lent is a time to strengthen your relationship with the God of Jesus, a time to reflect on where you are and where your heart is calling you to grow.  God loves you just the way you are but loves you too much to leave you there. The choice is yours.

-Sister Ann Marshall, csj

Shrove Tuesday - Pancake Tuesday

As a child, I was unfamiliar with Pancake/Shrove Tuesday and the traditions surrounding it, but my best friend and her family invited me to their church for supper, where I was able to experience the festivities firsthand. Of course, there were the pancakes but beyond the food, was the sense of community and camaraderie that comes with sharing a meal together.

Events like this can provide us with an opportunity to come together and celebrate our shared values, while also acknowledging the importance of reflection and repentance. And, you experience firsthand a chance to form connections with others in the community. As a child I did not understand the significance of “Pancake Tuesday” only that it was a lot of fun and delicious! Many friends I know still ask - WHAT IS SHROVE TUESDAY?

Shrove Tuesday, also known as Pancake Day, is a significant day in the Christian faith, marking the start of the Lenten season. It is a day of celebration and preparation, where people indulge in rich and indulgent foods before the start of a period of fasting and sacrifice.

The origin of Shrove Tuesday can be traced back to medieval times when people would confess their sins and receive absolution, or "shrive" themselves before the start of Lent. It was a time of preparation for the penitential season, where Christians would make sacrifices, give alms, and focus on their relationship with God.

As the custom of confessing one's sins before Lent waned, the focus shifted to food, and Shrove Tuesday became associated with indulging in rich foods. Pancakes, in particular, became a traditional food as they were a way of using up ingredients like sugar, butter, and eggs that would be forbidden during Lent. Pancakes were also seen as a symbol of unity, as they could be made easily and quickly, bringing people together to celebrate and enjoy each other's company.

From a faith perspective, Shrove Tuesday is an important reminder that we need to take the time to reflect on our relationship with God and prepare ourselves for the Lenten season. It is a time to confess our sins, seek forgiveness, and commit to making positive changes in our lives. The indulgent foods we enjoy on this day should not distract us from this central message; rather, they should serve as a reminder that we need to make sacrifices and give up our worldly desires in order to focus on our spiritual well-being.

Shrove Tuesday is a day of celebration and joy, but it is also a time for reflection and repentance. As we indulge in our pancakes and other treats, let us take the opportunity to reflect on our relationship with God and commit to making positive changes in our lives. Let us remember the true meaning of this day and the importance of preparing ourselves for the Lenten season.

-Connie Rodgers, Guest Blog

Creating You - only BETTER!

“How does your best self feel?”

Image: Unsplash/Alysha Rosly

This question posed by Nature’s Bounty in its current supplement product’s commercial caught my attention. As the season of Lent begins on February 22nd, I am wondering if this question might provide a pathway for Lenten journeying.  The season of Lent traditionally calls upon the faithful to spend time in self-reflection in the pursuit of spiritual renewal. Thinking of one’s best self could engender a desire for creating concrete ways needed to experience your YOU - only BETTER!

-Sister Nancy Wales, csj

Holy Saturday - Time “In-Between”

Image: Unsplash/Pisit Heng

The Paschal Mystery we have just celebrated in the Western Christian Churches is written about by theologians as one event beginning with Holy Thursday through to the Easter celebration of Resurrection.  However, this time is filled with so many events that our human experience and understanding requires that we pause from one day to the next to help us more fully enter into the Mystery of the passion, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.  I like to think of Holy Saturday as “in-between” time.  What does this mean?

This is time to pause to help us enter the mystery of which we are a part.  This time is where we live our lives – between birth and death and rebirth into communion with God.  As we learn from the life of Jesus we are invited into the journey of love.  Any of us who watch the news or read the newspapers know that so much of what we see and read, is the opposite of love.  We see a false sense of power which destroys life and love.

Image: Unsplash/Alicia Quan

This Holy Saturday if each of us paused just long enough to consider how life can teach us to love and not to be lured into a false sense of power.  Jesus before Pontius Pilate remained detached from the power of Pilate.  Jesus understands that he too has power that is of God.  We desire to know this and can only learn its truth if we stop to listen for that longing in our hearts.  Our longing for what is yet to be realized is part of the birth of what is yet to come.   To long for love in our lives and our world is to be part of the creation of love.  To desire wellness for our families and the earth is to stir the energies within us that can be transformed into words and actions of well-being for our world.  This is the holy desire we touch on days like “Holy Saturday”.  In the words of John Philip Newell, “…This is the holy desire we can be part of, to long for oneness even in the most broken and apparently God-forsaken places of our lives and our world.  Desire leads to conception and conception leads to birth.”  This is how we walk this journey of life and love.  Blessing of love for all.

- Sister Joan Atkinson, CSJ