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.

Resetting Our Spiritual Time Clocks by Sharon Espeseth

Don't forget to reset your clocks tonight!

A Mini-History of Lent

On March 1, we observed Ash Wednesday, an important day on the Christian liturgical calendar, which officially begins the season of Lent. In brief, Lent is a time to repent of our sins, renew our faith, and prepare for Easter when we see Jesus risen from the grave.

Researching the etymology of the word Lent, we find that Lent in many languages implies "forty" which signifies the number of days Jesus spent in the wilderness with God the Father. When the six days of Easter week are added to the forty, the season of Lent becomes 46 days.


Historian and priest, Norman Tanner SJ, in his article "A Short History of Lent," points out that the English word Lent comes from the Anglo-Saxon word meaning "lengthen." Norman Tanner explains that Lent is ". . . a time when we can stretch out and grow in the Spirit."



To read more of Norman Tanner's explanation about the joy of Lent, see
www.thinkingfaith.org/articles/20110315_1.htm.

At this site, we read Tanner's explanation of how God's grace can work in us, if we but cooperate with God in the process of growing our faith. God cannot grow our faith without us.

Lent is here. What does that mean to each of us? 

In Isaiah: 58:1-9a, God tells us that he doesn't want us to wear sack cloth and sit in ashes.That's not the kind of fasting he wants to see. Rather he would have us be active in making ours a better world by loosing the chains of injustice, untying the cords that bind people, setting the oppressed free,  by helping to provide food and shelter for the needy. . .

This we can do by loving God and loving our neighbour as ourselves, by doing charitable deeds, and by spending time in God's presence. Saint Teresa of Calcutta has said, "We need to find God, and God cannot be found in noise and restlessness. The more we receive in silent prayer, the more we can give in our active life."

Finding Our Own Wilderness

Without going to the wilderness for forty days as Christ did, we can retreat to the quiet of our bedrooms to pray. We can turn off the television and other technical devices to read God's Word and spend time in prayer. We can put on sacred music or listen to tapes of Scripture or faith messages while we drive, go for a walk, or do household chores.

Resetting Our Spiritual Clocks

"Lent comes providentially," Pope Francis says, "to reawaken us from our lethargy."

For those of us living in a province where the time changes in spring or fall, this is the weekend for resetting our clocks. We can be creative and individual in how we reset our spiritual clocks.

Lent may be the best of times to "breathe new life," as Sandi Somers says in her blog, into one or more of our unfinished writing projects. Our writing, if surrendered to God, may bring a life-changing message to one, or more, of our readers. Whatever our genre--essay, fiction, memoir, blog or poetry--someone in this world may be waiting for what God leads us to write.

Listening

Remember the movie, "O God" with actor John Denver. Although this movie was "theology lite," the writer of the story made a good theological point. A fictitious God, acted by George Burns, gave a  non-religious, young, assistant manager of a supermarket the message that the world can work with what he, God, has already given us.

St. Augustine is credited with saying, "God has promised forgiveness to your repentance, but he has

not promised tomorrow to your procrastination."



Whatever your message, remember the Chinese pro
verb that says, "The best time to plant a tree (or write a book) was twenty years ago. The second best time is now."




* Clock photo from Pixabay.

The Lord of the Harvest by Sharon Espeseth

"He (Jesus) told them, "'The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field.'" (Luke 10: 2 NIV)

This part of our Gospel reading for last Sunday still rings in my ears. Combining the story that follows  with our web moderator's suggestion to write about our prayer concerns for Canada led me directly to what InScribe proposes to do.

Click on the link and scroll down to Purpose: http://www.inscribe.org/about-inscribe/

Jesus sent out 72 workers to go, two by two, into every town and place where he planned to go himself. Our group, ICWF, has about double that number of workers. As members we work together, sometimes even two by two, to share the good news with our fellow Canadians. We pray for Canada and we share our writing with Canada.

Our message? The same one Jesus gave the workers he sent out. "The kingdom of God is near you." That's a simple message. We need to proclaim it in spoken and written word. We need to live it. Jesus told us we are to offer our message peacefully. Our opening line and our opening attitude must be, "Peace to this house!"

Jesus says that carrying out his message may not always be easy. "See," he warns, "I am sending you out like lambs into the midst of wolves." The tidings we bring won't always be well-received. In his letter to the Ephesians, Paul says, ". . . We wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places." (Ephesians 6:12)

Lecturing in Toronto on June 8, Catholic academic and apologist, Peter Kreeft, urged Christians to wage cultural and spiritual warfare. Kreeft, philosophy professor at Boston College, says, "Spiritual warfare is a necessity, not an option for all Christians." He explains, "Christ came to our world to make war, war against greed and lust and pride." By standing up to anti-Christian aspects of culture, Kreeft says, we will "make peace with neighbour, self and God."

Kreeft encourages us to educate ourselves as Christians. He mentions Christian education and reading the words of the saints. We also need to study God's word. We must be aware of and ready to ward off the rise of anti-Christian influences.

And how are we to do this? With simplicity. Luke in chapter 10 expands the list of what Jesus tells his workers not to haul with them. "Do not take along any gold or silver or copper in your belts; take no bag for the journey, or extra tunic, or sandals or a staff; for the worker is worth his keep." It's not about money or the power it brings. It's not about fashion or variety. Working for the Gospel entitles you to be fed, but don't go to several houses to see who provides the best meals. Stay at the first house where you are welcomed.

The gospel bearers were asked to take on poverty. Then, as Pope Francis said recently, "I have no riches, my only wealth is the gift I received, God," and with God come his free gifts of grace and salvation. The Holy See recommends letting God's grace grab the spotlight.  He also reminds us, "The Church does not engage in proselytism. Instead, she grows by attraction."

For our Canada theme on InScribe Writers Online, I suggest we pray about our writing, then write and submit to secular and religious publications. Individually and collectively, we will bring the message to our nation that the kingdom of God is near. May God lead us and bless our country with his love, grace, salvation, and peace.