WOW! It has been almost one year since my last post. I have to admit that I did try to get another blog going on another site with a slightly different focus but that didn't work out like I had planned so I'm back here for a while. And I have to admit, that it does kind of feel like coming home.
So it's Ash Wednesday and all of Catholic media, social and otherwise, is buzzing with Lenten devotions and journeys and readings and ideas. My email account and timeline are brimming with ideas for this season of preparation. If I honestly look at my journal and think about all the reading and learning and reflecting that I want to do this lent, I need to go to a dessert for the 40 days and do nothing else. I am super excited about continuing the ladies bible study at my parish, Loyola Press' Living Lent, Best Lent Ever from Dynamic Catholic, and the online book club with WINE (Women in the New Evangelization). I am attempting to do all of these and do them well. Plus, I do love going to daily mass 2 or 3 times a week and I don't think Lent is the season to cut back on that. So if I am really going to stick to this, I will be automatically cutting back on social media and watching TV.
Don't worry, my challenge for you has nothing to do with being as overzealous with Lenten practices as I am. My challenge comes from a conversation I had with a woman who is a fairly new Catholic. This woman, who happens to be African American, truly blessed me this afternoon and without knowing it challenged me to rethink all of my Lenten ambitions. The two of us were chatting about something completely separate and she mentioned her Catholic Faith. I shared that that was something we had in common. She had grown up in predominately black, bible churches. But she shared it wasn't in the music or clapping or preaching that the Spirit found her and won her heart. It was in a predominately white, Roman Catholic church that the Holy Spirit spoke to her and she told me, it was just so different. She looked at me at that point and asked if I knew why. She was so honestly passionate about it that I didn't want to interrupt her, she continued and said, "It is the Eucharist! It's..." and I filled in "the body, blood, soul, and divinity of our Lord". And at that point she apologized because she was in tears and had to sit and pause for a moment. When she composed herself a bit, she told me that she had just been confirmed in 2016 and it was still so new and so overwhelming and beautiful to have such a gift. Her reverence and love was so inspiring. We spoke for a few more minutes, but then we both had to get on with our days.
Throughout the rest of the day, my mind (and heart) kept going back to the amazement and joy in my new friend's eyes. And it made me think about my daughter when she was in first grade and couldn't wait to make her First Communion because then she would be able to receive Jesus. Then it made me think about my son the first time he told me he thought he had a vocation to the priesthood and he said "Mom, think about the joy on Fr. Bob's face (my uncle). Who wouldn't want that joy?" (Disclaimer, my son denies that this was a real vocation conversation b/c he was only about 6 but I'm counting it). Hopefully, most of us have had the experience of sharing a First Communion day with a second grader who was just so excited about finally being able to join the community at the table of the Eucharist. And the conversation and these thoughts bring me to my challenge.
I want to go into Holy Thursday and the Triduum with the awe and reverence that my friend had today. I want to use these devotions and reflections as a way to learn and grow closer to Jesus. I want to learn so that my faith and wonder will grow to appreciate even more His love and sacrifice for me. I'm challenging myself and you to use this time to fall in love again with the Eucharist, the greatest gift any of us will ever receive.
Showing posts with label lent. Show all posts
Showing posts with label lent. Show all posts
Wednesday, February 14, 2018
Sunday, February 7, 2016
No, I don't think ashes on my forehead are a ticket to heaven...
but I do think it's a beautiful way to begin lent. I love Lent. Or maybe I love that Lent means that spring is coming. Most years by the time we get our ashes, those of us in Greater Cleveland are ready to move on from winter. So for me Lent is the first indication that spring really is on the way.
We are pretty traditional with Lent in our house. I have a lot of friends and aquaintances that are not Catholic. Some of them get the "Lent thing", some have no idea. Many of them laugh or roll their eyes at my observance of these Lenten practices. These traditions are precious to me and all are practical but you need to understand the meaning behind them to understand that. So today I'm going to look at Ash Wednesday and it's significance to me.
Ash Wednesday mass and ashes on my forehead. No, I don't think it's a badge of honor or bragging to get ashes. I don't think going to church and having someone rub ashes on my forehead is a straight ticket to heaven. The tradition of ashes predates christianity and was adopted from the Jewish practice. The blessed palms from the previous Palm Sunday are burned to create the ashes used. So we as a church and individually have come full cycle. Palm Sunday, Jesus is a hero! It's a beautiful celebration: lots of story telling (ok kids look at it as LONG readings), we get palms when we walk in, there's incense and beautiful music. It is celebrating the height of Jesus' popularity and his welcome back home as a hero. Then just a few short days later we're back in church for the start of the Passion. And the falling of Jesus from hero to criminal. Peter vowing to always be there for Jesus and then just hours later denying even knowing him. The victory over death on Easter. And then a whole year of going from the thrill of Easter and knowing that we will recommit to living as good a life as possible to ending up again on Ash Wednesday knowing that we are really a whole lot like Peter. Using those palms as ashes symbolizes to me the cycle of the church year and my weakness but willingness to get back up and try again to be more the person God made me to be.
When the ashes are placed on your forehead you hear "Remember you are dust and to dust you will return" or "Repent and believe in the Gospel" or a variation of these. These can be powerful words if you reflect on them. I think about words and have for a long time. So I really reflect on what those words mean. God created the universe and everything in it. He created humans and he did that from the earth, from dust. I think most of us reading this are aware of what happens to our earthly body after our soul passes on. So starting from dust and ending as dust. God created us and gifted each of us with abilities and talents. He gave us the ability to do everything we do. Obviously, each gift is different and how each person uses their gifts is different. Hearing those words can be a reminder that our very being and everything we hold dear is a gift from God. In the culture we live in, I can't help but think that this is a good message for us to hear from time to time.
Remembering all God has done for us, how far our sin can take us from His presence is a wonderful way to begin the season of fasting and prayer that is Lent. In my mind, it's good to have Lent. It's good to have a season set aside to try again. Try again to be more the person God made you to be, try again to grow closer to God or more like Jesus or one of the saints whose life really speaks to you. It's just a time to try again.
We are pretty traditional with Lent in our house. I have a lot of friends and aquaintances that are not Catholic. Some of them get the "Lent thing", some have no idea. Many of them laugh or roll their eyes at my observance of these Lenten practices. These traditions are precious to me and all are practical but you need to understand the meaning behind them to understand that. So today I'm going to look at Ash Wednesday and it's significance to me.
Ash Wednesday mass and ashes on my forehead. No, I don't think it's a badge of honor or bragging to get ashes. I don't think going to church and having someone rub ashes on my forehead is a straight ticket to heaven. The tradition of ashes predates christianity and was adopted from the Jewish practice. The blessed palms from the previous Palm Sunday are burned to create the ashes used. So we as a church and individually have come full cycle. Palm Sunday, Jesus is a hero! It's a beautiful celebration: lots of story telling (ok kids look at it as LONG readings), we get palms when we walk in, there's incense and beautiful music. It is celebrating the height of Jesus' popularity and his welcome back home as a hero. Then just a few short days later we're back in church for the start of the Passion. And the falling of Jesus from hero to criminal. Peter vowing to always be there for Jesus and then just hours later denying even knowing him. The victory over death on Easter. And then a whole year of going from the thrill of Easter and knowing that we will recommit to living as good a life as possible to ending up again on Ash Wednesday knowing that we are really a whole lot like Peter. Using those palms as ashes symbolizes to me the cycle of the church year and my weakness but willingness to get back up and try again to be more the person God made me to be.
When the ashes are placed on your forehead you hear "Remember you are dust and to dust you will return" or "Repent and believe in the Gospel" or a variation of these. These can be powerful words if you reflect on them. I think about words and have for a long time. So I really reflect on what those words mean. God created the universe and everything in it. He created humans and he did that from the earth, from dust. I think most of us reading this are aware of what happens to our earthly body after our soul passes on. So starting from dust and ending as dust. God created us and gifted each of us with abilities and talents. He gave us the ability to do everything we do. Obviously, each gift is different and how each person uses their gifts is different. Hearing those words can be a reminder that our very being and everything we hold dear is a gift from God. In the culture we live in, I can't help but think that this is a good message for us to hear from time to time.
Remembering all God has done for us, how far our sin can take us from His presence is a wonderful way to begin the season of fasting and prayer that is Lent. In my mind, it's good to have Lent. It's good to have a season set aside to try again. Try again to be more the person God made you to be, try again to grow closer to God or more like Jesus or one of the saints whose life really speaks to you. It's just a time to try again.
Thursday, February 19, 2015
On Lent and Being Part of Something Bigger
Yesterday was Ash Wednesday. The first day of Lent and 40 days until Easter. For many Catholics it's a big deal. I love Lent and follow the traditions and guidelines set forth by the Church. Let me first say that under no circumstances do I think that walking around with the absolute biggest cross of ashes I have ever received (Fr. Russ was on a roll with making sure they were visible!) makes me a saint or any better than anyone else. I do not eat meat on Ash Wednesday or any Lenten Friday. Again, I don't think anyone is getting a ticket to hell if they have a burger on any of those days. And I don't think it makes me any better than anyone else. And really, there are so many days of the year I don't eat meat that it would almost be deliberate if I did eat meat. Now the fasting on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday is a completely different story and is REALLY tough for me!!!
My husband and I observe the Lenten traditions and strongly encourage our children to observe them. I think we need traditions and rituals to help us journey through this thing we call life. I think we need time that is specifically set aside to focus on our God and our relationship with him. I try to focus on my relationship with Him. I am part of a bible study. I read and pray and learn and try to grow. I like learning what family and friends are doing to grow spiritually. But taking these weeks before Jesus' passion to remember the ultimate sacrifice and then sacrifice something in my life to make me more aware of how I need my God in my life. It's not really about ashes or fish or giving up chocolate but it's about reminding ourselves daily that God gave all for us and trying in some tiny way to remember to live a life that more closely resembles the life we want to live or the life that Jesus lived while He was here. So while I know people who think giving up meat on Friday is ridiculous, I say nothing is ridiculous if it makes you think of the sacrifice done for you and appreciate it just a little bit more. Most parents I know appreciate their own parents even more after a sleepless night, a round of the flu, or writing a check for a prom dress or wrestling camp. The same is true here, a little sacrifice on our part can help us appreciate the sacrifice God made for us. That is the idea behind Lent. Looking at our mortality, our weaknesses and our dependency are uncomfortable. As a society we don't like to do that so I think that's why Lent can be so uncomfortable.
As I prayed before mass yesterday with my lifelong friend (really she's my twin sister so it is as lifelong as it gets!) kneeling next to me, I realized once again that one of the things I love about being Catholic is being part of something bigger than me. I was doing the same thing that my mom did on Ash Wednesday for 78 years and that my dad has been doing for 83 years. My grandparents before them. My great grandparents before them. And back hundreds of years on this continent, in Europe, and in Ireland. It's comforting to me to be a part of something so long term. I feel closer to the people I have loved and have gone on to heaven before me. During mass, I feel in a special way that I am once again doing something with those people and I love that. Now not one of those people that I knew (so I am assuming the people who raised them were similar) ever agreed with every single thing a priest or bishop said or did. I'd throw some popes into that list, too. But the Church itself, the sacraments, the real presence in the Eucharist, those are things I treasure and cling to. And things I treasure are worth staying a part of and making better and making sure they are there to pass on to the next generation. And so I observe our traditions and I appreciate that the meaning is way deeper than meat, fish or ashes.
My husband and I observe the Lenten traditions and strongly encourage our children to observe them. I think we need traditions and rituals to help us journey through this thing we call life. I think we need time that is specifically set aside to focus on our God and our relationship with him. I try to focus on my relationship with Him. I am part of a bible study. I read and pray and learn and try to grow. I like learning what family and friends are doing to grow spiritually. But taking these weeks before Jesus' passion to remember the ultimate sacrifice and then sacrifice something in my life to make me more aware of how I need my God in my life. It's not really about ashes or fish or giving up chocolate but it's about reminding ourselves daily that God gave all for us and trying in some tiny way to remember to live a life that more closely resembles the life we want to live or the life that Jesus lived while He was here. So while I know people who think giving up meat on Friday is ridiculous, I say nothing is ridiculous if it makes you think of the sacrifice done for you and appreciate it just a little bit more. Most parents I know appreciate their own parents even more after a sleepless night, a round of the flu, or writing a check for a prom dress or wrestling camp. The same is true here, a little sacrifice on our part can help us appreciate the sacrifice God made for us. That is the idea behind Lent. Looking at our mortality, our weaknesses and our dependency are uncomfortable. As a society we don't like to do that so I think that's why Lent can be so uncomfortable.
As I prayed before mass yesterday with my lifelong friend (really she's my twin sister so it is as lifelong as it gets!) kneeling next to me, I realized once again that one of the things I love about being Catholic is being part of something bigger than me. I was doing the same thing that my mom did on Ash Wednesday for 78 years and that my dad has been doing for 83 years. My grandparents before them. My great grandparents before them. And back hundreds of years on this continent, in Europe, and in Ireland. It's comforting to me to be a part of something so long term. I feel closer to the people I have loved and have gone on to heaven before me. During mass, I feel in a special way that I am once again doing something with those people and I love that. Now not one of those people that I knew (so I am assuming the people who raised them were similar) ever agreed with every single thing a priest or bishop said or did. I'd throw some popes into that list, too. But the Church itself, the sacraments, the real presence in the Eucharist, those are things I treasure and cling to. And things I treasure are worth staying a part of and making better and making sure they are there to pass on to the next generation. And so I observe our traditions and I appreciate that the meaning is way deeper than meat, fish or ashes.
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