This Lent my resolution to make it to daily mass failed with a big, fat, capital F. I didn't even come close. But... I tried! And as always, God surprised me and showed me things this Lent I wasn't expecting. Especially important were the youth group retreat about the Our Father and reading Mother Teresa's book. It was especially important for me to learn that life isn't about the earthly pleasures... and getting married and having the perfect family can seem like the perfect earthly pleasure to a lot of women, myself included. Earthly pleasures are just a preview of the eternal pleasure of total communion with God and others, heaven. And along the way, we're called to love and draw as many others into that love with us.
“As part of my Lenten practice, I do give something up, but it must be something I’ll be longing for with every part of me. When I have chosen the right sacrifice, these 40 days of Lent can seem like an eternity. Perhaps that’s why the single life can often feel like Lent: I feel that something is missing, something I truly desire and yearn for.
“I find myself waiting and hoping for a long period of time to come to an end. … Unlike my Lenten sacrifice, which can be easily broken, the single life is not so easy to break if I want to experience what I am really looking for. The 40 days of Lent, like life, cannot be rushed if we are truly to appreciate and rejoice in a glorious Easter.”
What I've learned this Lent:
♪ Life cannot be rushed ♪ God's plans cannot be rushed or even guessed ♪ I'm absolutely unable to stick to priorities ♪ I'm absolutely unable to succeed or get my life in order ♪ The value of silence ♪ Friendship takes TIME ♪ Even the right decisions include thorns ♪ I'm a lot blinder than I think ♪ I can learn from everyone ♪ We need touch and physical closeness... to others and to God ♪ Suffering alone is the worst... suffering for another is a form of love, and a form of prayer ♪ God identifies Himself with the poor and that's a gift for us... to allow us to express our love for Him ♪ Love is patient ♪ The value of close friendships ♪ The value of community ♪ How few things I really need ♪ Joy is a result of being loved and loving ♪ The most difficult type of poverty to satiate is loneliness ♪
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My amazing goddaughter, who teaches me
about unconditional love |
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