Waking Up Your Soul for Lent by Sharon Espeseth

Jesus on the Cross
Unsplash by Christop Schmid

Lenten Goals

Common goals for Lent are to repent, draw near to God and prepare ourselves to celebrate the joy of our salvation at Easter time. How will I, how will you, do that this year? Most of us need to slow ourselves down so we can walk with Jesus in the wilderness. For Jesus, these 40 days were a period of training, testing and preparation for his ministry on earth. Full of the Holy Spirit, Jesus rebuked Satan's three notorious temptations. (Matthew 4:1-11)

During this year's Ash Wednesday mass, Pope Francis "summoned Christians to slow down in a fast-paced and often directionless life and fast from the unnecessary things that distract us, to heed Lent that he described as 'wake-up call for the soul'." (See "Pope at Ash Wednesday Mass: 'focus on what is essential.'": article by Linda Bordoni in Vatican News.)

"Waking up our souls" can be accomplished by prayer, fasting and almsgiving. While delving into information on Lent to find something quick and easy to write, I discovered several instructive and inspirational YouTube videos with Fr. Mike Schmitz. Sorry, but this topic isn't quick, easy or brief to write about. For example, see https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r5zL2U4p5SY

Taking Time for Prayer and Devotions

This requires stillness, silence and solitude. I know I can't soul search when I'm rushing about or when the TV is blaring. Mornings work best for me when the house is quiet and there are fewer distractions. Getting up early can be a Lenten offering.

Ash Wednesday
Unsplash - Ahna Ziegler

Prayer and Repentance

Although God called David "a man after his own heart," he wasn't perfect and he couldn't always resist temptation. After David's transgression with Bathsheba, the prophet Nathan spoke to him about matters of the soul. Psalm 51 is the Psalmists touching repentance.

Throughout this Psalm, which you may want to read for yourself, David pleads with God for forgiveness, mercy, and cleansing.

"Have mercy on me, O God, according to your steadfast love . . . , your abundant mercy,
blot out my transgressions. . . Wash me and I shall be whiter than snow. Create in me a clean heart, O God, and put a new and right spirit within me."

David prays for restoration of the joy of salvation and asks God to sustain a willing spirit in him. He prays that the Lord will open his lips, so that his mouth would declare God's praise. This speaks to my efforts in writing, speaking and living. How well and how often do I share the joy of my salvation and declare praise to God's name?

As practicing Christians, salvation is not for us alone. Christ's Great Commission is that we share the Good News with our fellow humans.

What about fasting?

For Catholics and others who observe Lent, fasting is a no feasting day. Canadian Catholics between 14 and 59 are commanded to abstain from meat on Ash Wednesday, Good Friday, and all the Fridays of Lent." Fish is allowed. This isn't a huge requirement.

Some Catholics and other Christians do more fasting for the 40 days of Lent in the sense of "giving up" things that are too dear to their hearts. Sacrifice is made in commemoration of the 40 days Jesus spent in the wilderness. Sacrifice is also made in memory of the ultimate sacrifice Jesus made by dying on the cross for our sins.

To learn more about discerning what we should "give up" for Lent, I recommend Fr. Mike Schmitz's YouTube video, "Picking a Thing for Lent."

Giving up a favourite food can be a start. In his March 3 column in The Catholic Register, Fr. Scott Lewis S.J. writes of how we are inundated and even "assaulted" with words on news media, talk shows, and in social gatherings where gossip is the norm.

Cake with Fruit Topping
Unsplash by Alona Alona

Fr. Lewis concludes his column saying, "Jesus ended His teaching by reaffirming that what comes out of us in the form of words and deeds reflects who we really are within. As Lent approaches, perhaps paying attention to our words and actions each day would be a more useful discipline than giving up candy."

Almsgiving

Whether we are praying, fasting or giving alms, we are to do it secretly. No trumpets please! Our left hand should not know what the right hand is doing. If we do our praying, fasting and praying for others to see, that will be our reward. (Matthew 6:1-6) There are many needy people and worthy causes to support. Sometimes it is good to meet the poor in person and address them by name.

40 Days of Lent
Free Image

Almsgiving can also be a kindness, hospitality, recognition for good deeds, a note of encouragement, or spending time with the ill, the elderly, broken hearted, or lonely. I saw the following words posted on Facebook and it reminded me that is time to give up more of the treasures I hang onto "for where (my) treasure is there will (my) heart be also." (Matthew 6:21)

40 DAYS - 40 ITEMS

Instead of giving up something for Lent this year,
why not try the 40 days - 40 items challenge?

Each day of Lent, remove one item from your house,
which you don't use or wear anymore and place it in a
bag. At the end of Lent, donate these items to a
charity shop or to a homeless shelter.

They'll be shared with those who really need them!

#40Days40Itmes
VoucherCodes.co.uk

Prayer: May we have an awakening of the soul this Lenten Season and prepare ourselves and others, through Prayer, Fasting and Almsgiving for a Joyous Easter.

"Let All You Do Be Done in Love" by Sharon Espeseth

February 14 is a big day in 2018
Google Free Images of Valentine's Day

Three Days in One

For the first time since 1945, Valentine's Day and Ash Wednesday both land on February 14th. Do you, like me, find that an interesting alignment of days to commemorate?

In our family, we have a third event we celebrate on the 14th of February. This is the day our third adopted child, Jennifer Joanne, a.k.a. Jenny, became a member of our family.


Valentine's Day

The history of Valentine's Day is not well documented, but it is believed this once "holy day" was started in honour of St. Valentine, who was martyred for the Christian faith in 269 A.D. Valentine was known in the third century for his marrying of young couples who were in love. Perhaps because love wasn't the general prerequisite for marriage, this landed him in jail.

The jailer liked Valentine and they apparently got along fine until he tried to convert his overseer to Christianity. That got him beheaded. Valentine was fond of the jailer's daughter, a fellow believer. Before the axe fell, Valentine had given the young woman a card encouraging her to keep the faith. "From your Valentine," he signed.

Martyrdom is a far cry from the chocolates, gifts, cards and romantic excesses of the 21st century. Valentine's Day  2018 will also be a sharp contrast from the more sombre day of fasting, reflection and penance that is Ash Wednesday, the first day of Lent.

Lovingly made by our granddaughter Abbie

Ash Wednesday

Free Catholic Inspired Image 

Ash Wednesday is a time to consider God's love and sacrifice for us. His is a love so deep that he sent his only Son to die on a cross for our sins. "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life." (John 3:16 NIV)

For some of us this year, we may have to push or pull our Valentine's treats back to February 13th. Shrove Tuesday is observed in different ways and with different names depending on one's culture. Simply put, it's a day when dietary leniency is allowed before Lent begins. For many Christian traditions, the 13th, this year, would be a better day than Ash Wednesday to indulge in rich foods.

The ashes drawn in the shape of a cross are a symbol of our repentance or our dying to self and turning more toward living like Christ. The ashes are prepared beforehand by burning the blessed palms from the previous Palm Sunday. During Lent, we are invited to renew our lives in Christ and to walk with him.

Jenny's Arrival Day


The third important occasion for our family on February 14th is the Arrival Day for our third adopted child, Jennifer Joanne a.k.a. Jenny. Imagine our joy at receiving a bouncing baby on Valentine's Day some years ago. Each of our three adult children were adopted as infants, so they each have a birthday and an arrival day.

When our kids were young, Arrival Day meant the child's choice of dinner prepared and served. The table was set with china and decorations prepared by the other two siblings. Arrival Day was a special day to express our love for and appreciation of this particular child.


Now that our young people are grown and away from home, we may not see them on the exact day of their arrival, but we at least talk by phone and try to see them around that time.

Three Love Stories in One Day 

One common thread, and that is love, runs through this triptych of special commemorations--Valentine's Day, Ash Wednesday and our family's Arrival Days. But there is something else I noticed while writing this blog. In each of these love stories, a poignant or sorrowful side surfaced.

What is sorrowful about Valentine's Day? you may ask. Many people are lonely, homeless, broken-hearted, grieving for the loss of a loved one . . . We can't assume that everyone will be celebrating a loving, joyous holiday. Maybe some of you, my readers of this blog, are at a loss this February. We as writers don't know everyone's circumstance, but we can be sensitive to the possibility that the 14th may not feel special at all for some. We can ask ourselves if there is someone who needs a call, a card, a coffee or dinner buddy on this day.

Ash Wednesday is a solemn day and there is a sadness in this as well. God's loving act of saving us from our sins came at a price--the horrible death of his Son on a cross. Mary the Mother of Jesus watched the whole episode from the foot of the cross. Her suffering defies imagination and this is a sorrow only heaven can heal.

Even our loving experience of being blessed with three children has its sorrowful side. We are so thankful for our three children and the fact that our family of five has since grown into a family of thirteen. (God multiplies his giving.)

Visiting Maligne Canyon with our kids during their teens

Our children were brought into this world by birth parents who were at a place in their lives when it seemed impossible for them to raise these infants. We think of each birth mother who carried a child in her womb and went through pain to give birth. Then this young woman had a tough decision to make. Would she be able to raise this child? Was there a father to help her? What would be best for the child?

These young women each wrote a letter expressing their love for their child and their inability to raise the child in their present circumstances. They wrote of their hope for the child to be raised in a home with loving, and Christian, parents.

These expressions of love were sacred for us and for the children. We are proud of these women for giving their children/our children the gift of life. Then they made the tough decision to surrender the infant to someone who longed for a child. We don't know of the birth father's involvement, but my heart ached for these young mothers. I still think of them and the young men, as much as they were involved, and pray for their well-being. 

Thinking of these three "love days--Valentine's Day, Ash Wednesday and our own Arrival Days-- I see a connection with this month's theme of ministry. How do we minister to those who are broken by "poverty, oppression, injustice," or personal heartbreak? On a recent Sunday, Fr. Johnny spoke about how our listening to others and sharing our experience can be ministry. We can do this in person or through our writing.

"Above all," Paul writes to the Colossians, "clothe yourselves with love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony. And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in the one body. And be thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly; teach and admonish one another in all wisdom; and with gratitude in your hearts sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs to God.  And whatever you do in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him. (Colossians 3:14-17

NRSV)

My Lenten Journey by Sharon Espeseth

Easter Week is quickly approaching. Tonight my husband and I attended the penitential service as part of our preparation for Easter. On Ash Wednesday 29 days ago, as our priest painted the sign of the cross in gritty ashes on our foreheads, he said to each of us, "Remember that you are dust, and to dust you shall return."

Lent is a time of prayer, fasting, and examining of conscience. Lent is also a time to reflect on God's love and mercy and a time to allow God to help us grow in our relationship with him.

While other parishioners were receiving the ashes, our music team sang the song, "Ashes," with text and music composed by Tom Conry. This hymn is particularly meaningful to me this year as I examine myself in light of my Lenten Journey. I would like to write out the words for this song, especially the second verse that speaks to me so clearly, but I don't have the time now to search out the copyright holder.



Other YouTube presentations of this song, for some reason, have left out the second verse, and these words are most precious to me. You will hear the words in this video.  

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VLZmz-ukOWo

My fellow InScribers, I have read your inspiring and helpful blogs so far this month. Your writings have gently shown me that I have temporarily lost my way in the business end of writing. Because of this, I don't believe I have much that is new or useful to add to this month's conversation.

Before we collectively despair of my writing/marketing lapse that is lasting longer than I expected after downsizing, moving twice, dealing with family health issues and challenges, I have not lost hope. My decline in organizing and marketing my writing has become a serious matter for prayer. "Ashes" has become one of my go-to prayer songs for writing, especially the second verse.

The  songwriter speaks of offering God our failures, attempts, our gifts "not fully given," and our "dreams not fully dreamt." Could that mean my writing? The author also prays for God "to give our stumblings direction" and "our visions wider view." Your blog posts are giving me the gifts of direction and wider view. This informs me that your words are gifts from God.

I am learning from each of you in the steps you are taking in your writing business-wise. I appreciate discovering that I am not the only one who can't follow all of the writing gurus and platform-building experts. Keeping my eyes on Jesus and following him is the main thing.  Another main thing is being a Christian writer who actually writes. These are gems I have gleaned from some of you, my favourite bloggers.

Thanks to all of you for your perspectives and how-tos on the business of writing.