God our Father,
You are the Eternal Shepherd. You protect and guide your Church from age to age.
Pour out the gift of the Holy Spirit upon your people and fill those entrusted with the election of a new Pope with the wisdom and understanding to know your will.
In your mercy, grant your Church a shepherd who will walk in your ways and be an example of goodness
so that your people may come to know and live more fully the gospel of your Son, our Lord Jesus Christ who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God forever and ever.
Thursday, February 28, 2013
Monday, February 25, 2013
Mon 2nd Week of Lent Homily
The second encyclical letter written by Pope Benedict XVI is "Spes Salvi" "Saved in Hope. Taken from Romans 8:22 "In hope we were saved" The Christian life requires a change in the way that we look at the world. From our Christian life we cannot move through life's motions without having a purpose. If we have no purpose to set our glance upon we are lost without hope. Hope has been extended into our lives through the cross and the reality of the Resurrection of the body. It is through the resurrection that the Christian is given hope.
Our world reflects the lack of direction that is found in society because we have no goal to look towards. With all the tragedy of the world we can say that we have a glimpse into the life of those who lack hope. In the continuing advancement of society it seems that we have moved further and further away from hope because we have lost the sight of the resurrection and the Heavenly Kingdom and have become mere individuals. Individuals, who are never content, but are constantly trying to find that contentment in objects that will always leave us empty.
This same individualism cannot be brought into our life of faith. Our faith does not exist to serve us alone, but to bring service to all. In doing so we are looking towards the love that is found with Christ's sacrificial offering upon the cross. We should feel moved by Christ's love that is being poured out and desire to allow that love to flow into the lives of all that we encounter. We are instructed in today's Gospel that "the measure with which you measure will in return be measured out to you." Often our experience of life results from doing things to serve our own needs or to build up pleasure within our life. If all the service that we give to others and prayers that we offer is built to serve ourselves then we can say that we have measured out nothing because we have only had concern for ourselves.
The hope that is found within our life will give true meaning to our lives. Our own suffering will be given meaning because from it will come greater glory. With hope we will realize that we are not building up perishing kingdoms for ourselves, but instead are looking towards the Kingdom that will never perish. For those who have lost hope the realization of hell exists because they have removed themselves from their relationship with God. In this state people have chosen to live where their whole life has become a lie where hatred has totally conquered over love. Despite all the sin that we have entered into the hope of Heaven remains inside of our life if we are open to mercy. At death none of us will equal the perfection of the divine, but hope remains because we will pass through Purgatory and be prepared to encounter our divine Lord. May we grow inside of this Lenten season in realizing the hope that is being extended into our lives that can conquer over all of our despair.
Our world reflects the lack of direction that is found in society because we have no goal to look towards. With all the tragedy of the world we can say that we have a glimpse into the life of those who lack hope. In the continuing advancement of society it seems that we have moved further and further away from hope because we have lost the sight of the resurrection and the Heavenly Kingdom and have become mere individuals. Individuals, who are never content, but are constantly trying to find that contentment in objects that will always leave us empty.
This same individualism cannot be brought into our life of faith. Our faith does not exist to serve us alone, but to bring service to all. In doing so we are looking towards the love that is found with Christ's sacrificial offering upon the cross. We should feel moved by Christ's love that is being poured out and desire to allow that love to flow into the lives of all that we encounter. We are instructed in today's Gospel that "the measure with which you measure will in return be measured out to you." Often our experience of life results from doing things to serve our own needs or to build up pleasure within our life. If all the service that we give to others and prayers that we offer is built to serve ourselves then we can say that we have measured out nothing because we have only had concern for ourselves.
The hope that is found within our life will give true meaning to our lives. Our own suffering will be given meaning because from it will come greater glory. With hope we will realize that we are not building up perishing kingdoms for ourselves, but instead are looking towards the Kingdom that will never perish. For those who have lost hope the realization of hell exists because they have removed themselves from their relationship with God. In this state people have chosen to live where their whole life has become a lie where hatred has totally conquered over love. Despite all the sin that we have entered into the hope of Heaven remains inside of our life if we are open to mercy. At death none of us will equal the perfection of the divine, but hope remains because we will pass through Purgatory and be prepared to encounter our divine Lord. May we grow inside of this Lenten season in realizing the hope that is being extended into our lives that can conquer over all of our despair.
Sunday, February 24, 2013
2nd Sun of Lent Year C Homily
The Transfiguration of Jesus Christ was an event that was filled with many witnesses. Peter, John, and James joined Him upon this mountain top and we know from the text that they would fall asleep. This experience should bring our minds to the event where Christ was preparing for his death in the Garden of Gethsemane and the three apostles who joined him were unable to stay awake for even one hour. Once they were awoken upon this mountain they experienced a very magnificent sight that was hard for their minds to comprehend. Once the experience ended they could not think past staying here upon this mountain and never moving forward from it. These future priests of the Church were not alone in this experience because they were joined by Moses and Elijah. We know Moses and Elijah to be precursors to Christ and through their witness to this event the fullness of Christ is being expressed. Christ is a link to which the past, present, and future are joined together to behold His glory.
In such an event where this miraculous glory was shown to the world through these representatives we must question why were nine of the apostles left out of the picture. For some reason these nine were not chosen to be witnesses to this great glory which surely would of altered their faith in some way. On the other hand we have these precursors to Christ who are limited simply to two in number. Of all the generations that have come before Christ why would others be left out as being chosen to be witnesses to this event? After all we were told in Genesis about Abraham and the many descendants that would come from his line. In the Roman Canon of the Mass I say "Abraham our Father in faith" and yet he was left out of this experience of glory. From this we can see the lesson that is being brought into our lives from which lofty mysteries cannot be given to everyone, but must be handed down from those from whom they have been in trusted.
We who gather inside of this Church, this day, are equal to the nine who were not chosen and to all those who pointed the way towards Christ, but were not present for this event. Despite our absence we are called to enter into the profound glory that was found with the event of the Transfiguration. We can gather from the experiences of these individuals who were called to be witnesses to this event of the great splendor that has been extended into the life of faith past, present, and future through Jesus Christ. In this miracle we are told that "his clothing became dazzling white" which expresses the twofold reality of baptism and the Heavenly Kingdom. On the day of our own baptisms we experienced the life changing waters that would cleanse our life from sin and bring us into the life of faith. Being given a white garment we were told: "You have become a new creation, and have clothed yourself in Christ. See in this white garment the outward sign of your Christian dignity." This splendor is the same hope that we hold for ourselves and those who have gone before us of one day reaching the splendor of the Heavenly Kingdom.
If we truly desire to be drawn towards the Heavenly Kingdom we must move forward from our daily experiences and become witnesses of the transformation that took place within our lives on the day of our baptism. There exists in the world a countless amount of souls who have yet to be moved to give themselves to Christ; maybe we even find ourselves feeling this way on certain days. Despite their absence from our midst we are called upon to be witnesses of Christ who are willing to evangelize in the name of the Gospel. Of course being witnesses of the faith calls us to continual transformation within our lives. Baptism was a good start, but from it we are called to continually educate ourselves in the faith and to continually grow closer in conformity with Christ's love.
Despite bearing witness to our own baptism we all find times in our life where we have fallen asleep. In falling asleep we have moved ourselves away from Christ and the relationship that should exist between us. In these moments where we have had a lack of trust in Christ or have fallen into the state of sin we conduct ourselves as enemies of the cross. Thankfully a hope for mercy has entered into our lives through our Saviour Jesus Christ who died upon the cross to bring the reality for salvation into our lives. May we not allow ourselves to remain asleep, but instead use the days that lie ahead during this sacred Lenten season to giving witness to our faith.
Witness through our every day need to enter into the silence of prayer with the hope of drawing ourselves closer to the glory of God. Witness given through our desire to continue to learn about the faith and its teachings, so that we in return can live them out and bring them into the lives of those whom we encounter. Witness to our inclination to sin and the reality that from it the invitation for Christ's mercy in the Sacrament of Confession has been extended unto us. Witness to the Eucharist as the source and summit of our faith from which flows all of our needs and longings. Witness that the sacrifices made within our lives, especially during the season of Lent, helps us to set straight our lives towards Christ. Despite the reality that none of us joined Christ on top of the mountain for the Transfiguration we are still being invited to become a witness to His glory though our baptisms and through the faith that we share. As these witnesses we join with Peter, John, and James and we are transformed in the presence of the glory of The Lord. We join with Moses and Elijah who gave witness to the reality that Christ was the fulfillment of the Law and of the prophets through the worship that we constantly bestow upon Him. May we use this Lenten season to be forever transformed as witnesses of the faith that have been set forth on this mission on the day of our baptism.
In such an event where this miraculous glory was shown to the world through these representatives we must question why were nine of the apostles left out of the picture. For some reason these nine were not chosen to be witnesses to this great glory which surely would of altered their faith in some way. On the other hand we have these precursors to Christ who are limited simply to two in number. Of all the generations that have come before Christ why would others be left out as being chosen to be witnesses to this event? After all we were told in Genesis about Abraham and the many descendants that would come from his line. In the Roman Canon of the Mass I say "Abraham our Father in faith" and yet he was left out of this experience of glory. From this we can see the lesson that is being brought into our lives from which lofty mysteries cannot be given to everyone, but must be handed down from those from whom they have been in trusted.
We who gather inside of this Church, this day, are equal to the nine who were not chosen and to all those who pointed the way towards Christ, but were not present for this event. Despite our absence we are called to enter into the profound glory that was found with the event of the Transfiguration. We can gather from the experiences of these individuals who were called to be witnesses to this event of the great splendor that has been extended into the life of faith past, present, and future through Jesus Christ. In this miracle we are told that "his clothing became dazzling white" which expresses the twofold reality of baptism and the Heavenly Kingdom. On the day of our own baptisms we experienced the life changing waters that would cleanse our life from sin and bring us into the life of faith. Being given a white garment we were told: "You have become a new creation, and have clothed yourself in Christ. See in this white garment the outward sign of your Christian dignity." This splendor is the same hope that we hold for ourselves and those who have gone before us of one day reaching the splendor of the Heavenly Kingdom.
If we truly desire to be drawn towards the Heavenly Kingdom we must move forward from our daily experiences and become witnesses of the transformation that took place within our lives on the day of our baptism. There exists in the world a countless amount of souls who have yet to be moved to give themselves to Christ; maybe we even find ourselves feeling this way on certain days. Despite their absence from our midst we are called upon to be witnesses of Christ who are willing to evangelize in the name of the Gospel. Of course being witnesses of the faith calls us to continual transformation within our lives. Baptism was a good start, but from it we are called to continually educate ourselves in the faith and to continually grow closer in conformity with Christ's love.
Despite bearing witness to our own baptism we all find times in our life where we have fallen asleep. In falling asleep we have moved ourselves away from Christ and the relationship that should exist between us. In these moments where we have had a lack of trust in Christ or have fallen into the state of sin we conduct ourselves as enemies of the cross. Thankfully a hope for mercy has entered into our lives through our Saviour Jesus Christ who died upon the cross to bring the reality for salvation into our lives. May we not allow ourselves to remain asleep, but instead use the days that lie ahead during this sacred Lenten season to giving witness to our faith.
Witness through our every day need to enter into the silence of prayer with the hope of drawing ourselves closer to the glory of God. Witness given through our desire to continue to learn about the faith and its teachings, so that we in return can live them out and bring them into the lives of those whom we encounter. Witness to our inclination to sin and the reality that from it the invitation for Christ's mercy in the Sacrament of Confession has been extended unto us. Witness to the Eucharist as the source and summit of our faith from which flows all of our needs and longings. Witness that the sacrifices made within our lives, especially during the season of Lent, helps us to set straight our lives towards Christ. Despite the reality that none of us joined Christ on top of the mountain for the Transfiguration we are still being invited to become a witness to His glory though our baptisms and through the faith that we share. As these witnesses we join with Peter, John, and James and we are transformed in the presence of the glory of The Lord. We join with Moses and Elijah who gave witness to the reality that Christ was the fulfillment of the Law and of the prophets through the worship that we constantly bestow upon Him. May we use this Lenten season to be forever transformed as witnesses of the faith that have been set forth on this mission on the day of our baptism.
Monday, February 18, 2013
Mon 1st Week of Lent Homily
In order for us to be able to discover and live out the theological virtues of faith, hope, and charity we must return to the love that is shown to us by God. In his first of what would of been four encyclical letters Pope Benedict XVI would give the Church "Deus Caritas Est" "God is Love" before moving further to explain the theological virtues of hope, charity, and what would of been faith. In our society we have a very harmful view of God because we hold God as a judge instead of being able to see the love that God continually pours out upon us. From the fourth chapter of the 1st Letter of Saint John we are told: "God is love, and he who abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him."
There are three types of love that can be found. These are agape, eros, and philia which move ourselves forward in our quest of love. Agape is a love which is descending and in which we give love to another. Eros is a love that is ascending and is the love that we receive from another. Philia is the love which is mutual. In our world we see over and over again the failure to love in an ordered fashion. Love is not to meet our needs alone for the sake of pleasure, but must also be returned for the sake of the person that we love. Upon the wood of the cross we can look to see the love that is being poured out into our lives hopefully moving us to love of ourself and our neighbor.
As we continue this journey into this sacred season of Lent may we rekindle our relationship to God through prayer. May we allow prayer to help us to enter more and more into the love that is found inside of the Trinity. This love in return will help us to respond to the message that comes to us in today's Gospel. That is the message of being concerned for our neighbor. We cannot say that we love God, but do not love our neighbor and we cannot say that we love our neighbor without in return loving God. When we love our neighbor we are loving the unseen God who we are drawn to through our faith. May we within this season rediscover our love for God and be moved from this outpouring of love to true concern and giving of ourselves to those whom we encounter in this life.
There are three types of love that can be found. These are agape, eros, and philia which move ourselves forward in our quest of love. Agape is a love which is descending and in which we give love to another. Eros is a love that is ascending and is the love that we receive from another. Philia is the love which is mutual. In our world we see over and over again the failure to love in an ordered fashion. Love is not to meet our needs alone for the sake of pleasure, but must also be returned for the sake of the person that we love. Upon the wood of the cross we can look to see the love that is being poured out into our lives hopefully moving us to love of ourself and our neighbor.
As we continue this journey into this sacred season of Lent may we rekindle our relationship to God through prayer. May we allow prayer to help us to enter more and more into the love that is found inside of the Trinity. This love in return will help us to respond to the message that comes to us in today's Gospel. That is the message of being concerned for our neighbor. We cannot say that we love God, but do not love our neighbor and we cannot say that we love our neighbor without in return loving God. When we love our neighbor we are loving the unseen God who we are drawn to through our faith. May we within this season rediscover our love for God and be moved from this outpouring of love to true concern and giving of ourselves to those whom we encounter in this life.
Wednesday, February 13, 2013
Ash Wednesday Homily
As we begin this solemn Lenten season I must admit that I was surprised, as all of you were, with the announcement of Pope Benedict XVI renouncing the papacy of Saint Peter. His reason for such a surprising announcement came through the reality of his ever failing health. With this announcement of stepping down as the pope our Holy Father has given each of us a great glimpse into humility. Being able to look into our own lives and to admit our own shortcomings is a great action of humility. Pride allows us to look inwardly into our lives and leads us into fooling ourselves into thinking that we are perfect. Humility, on the other hand, counteracts this vice because it allows us to see our need for mercy. Lent is a season where we can turn towards our Lord with humility and begin to pull ourselves away from our pride. Through prayer, fasting, and almsgiving we are growing past our sinfulness and restoring our relationship with God.
As surprised as we may find ourselves due to the news of Pope Benedict we should be more surprised at the many people who renounce their faith in Christ and are not open to moving their lives away from sin and death. At times we might even find ourselves placed inside of these situations. Situations where we have turned away from our principles of faith and have even come to renounce the Church and her teachings. Situations where we have fallen into sin and have felt comfortable remaining there instead of challenging ourselves to cooperate with the tension of conversion. Situations where we have been caught up in our thoughts and desires and have failed to allow Christ to enter into our lives. Lent is a season that can help us to live out the tension of conversion and feel challenged to cooperate in union with it. Thus moving ourselves away from our many situations of despair and entering into the great joy that is found with the mercy of God.
Each of our Lenten sacrifices should take us to encountering the joy of the mercy that comes with repentance. We do not fast to impress other people or to destroy our bodies. We instead fast in order to draw ourselves closer to God and His infinite mercy. For some little sacrifices will cause great spiritual growth while others will be able to endure greater challenges. We should not be filled with spiritual pride which leads us to taking on a challenge so great that we cannot endure it. We also should avoid spiritual laziness where our sacrifices are an afterthought and thus through our lack of work will never be able to grow spiritually. Lent should be able to aid us in our realization of our tendency towards sin and our ability to escape from its grasp. The grasp of sin may seem tightly connected to our lives, but with sacrifice and Christ's mercy it can become an afterthought. With all of our Lenten sacrifices our Father in Heaven cannot be fooled and knows our true motives.
On this day we encounter the ashes that will be placed upon our foreheads and will be reminded of our own mortality and the necessity of mercy that is connected to it. "Remember that you are dust, and to dust you will return." These ashes sum up the Lenten season that we enter into where through fasting, almsgiving, and prayer we are able to encounter the mercy of God within our lives. These ashes give us the outward appearance of penance, but hopefully we will take them to the core of our hearts. In Job, Daniel, Jeremiah. and 1 Maccabbes we see documented use of the ancient custom of using ashes in order to express sorrow for our sins and faults. If you noticed we did not have a penitential act today because the reception of ashes takes on the action of penance that we would normally make at the beginning of the Mass. May we all be able to respond with humility on this day as we begin our journey into the sacred Lenten season in hope to "repent and believe in the Gospel."
As surprised as we may find ourselves due to the news of Pope Benedict we should be more surprised at the many people who renounce their faith in Christ and are not open to moving their lives away from sin and death. At times we might even find ourselves placed inside of these situations. Situations where we have turned away from our principles of faith and have even come to renounce the Church and her teachings. Situations where we have fallen into sin and have felt comfortable remaining there instead of challenging ourselves to cooperate with the tension of conversion. Situations where we have been caught up in our thoughts and desires and have failed to allow Christ to enter into our lives. Lent is a season that can help us to live out the tension of conversion and feel challenged to cooperate in union with it. Thus moving ourselves away from our many situations of despair and entering into the great joy that is found with the mercy of God.
Each of our Lenten sacrifices should take us to encountering the joy of the mercy that comes with repentance. We do not fast to impress other people or to destroy our bodies. We instead fast in order to draw ourselves closer to God and His infinite mercy. For some little sacrifices will cause great spiritual growth while others will be able to endure greater challenges. We should not be filled with spiritual pride which leads us to taking on a challenge so great that we cannot endure it. We also should avoid spiritual laziness where our sacrifices are an afterthought and thus through our lack of work will never be able to grow spiritually. Lent should be able to aid us in our realization of our tendency towards sin and our ability to escape from its grasp. The grasp of sin may seem tightly connected to our lives, but with sacrifice and Christ's mercy it can become an afterthought. With all of our Lenten sacrifices our Father in Heaven cannot be fooled and knows our true motives.
On this day we encounter the ashes that will be placed upon our foreheads and will be reminded of our own mortality and the necessity of mercy that is connected to it. "Remember that you are dust, and to dust you will return." These ashes sum up the Lenten season that we enter into where through fasting, almsgiving, and prayer we are able to encounter the mercy of God within our lives. These ashes give us the outward appearance of penance, but hopefully we will take them to the core of our hearts. In Job, Daniel, Jeremiah. and 1 Maccabbes we see documented use of the ancient custom of using ashes in order to express sorrow for our sins and faults. If you noticed we did not have a penitential act today because the reception of ashes takes on the action of penance that we would normally make at the beginning of the Mass. May we all be able to respond with humility on this day as we begin our journey into the sacred Lenten season in hope to "repent and believe in the Gospel."
Monday, February 11, 2013
Benedict XVI Resigns
Dear Brothers,
I have convoked you to this Consistory, not only for the three canonizations, but also to communicate to you a decision of great importance for the life of the Church.
After having repeatedly examined my conscience before God, I have come to the certainty that my strengths, due to an advanced age, are no longer suited to an adequate exercise of the Petrine ministry.
I am well aware that this ministry, due to its essential spiritual nature, must be carried out not only with words and deeds, but no less with prayer and suffering.
However, in today’s world, subject to so many rapid changes and shaken by questions of deep relevance for the life of faith, in order to govern the bark of Saint Peter and proclaim the Gospel, both strength of mind and body are necessary, strength which in the last few months, has deteriorated in me to the extent that I have had to recognize my incapacity to adequately fulfil the ministry entrusted to me.
For this reason, and well aware of the seriousness of this act, with full freedom I declare that I renounce the ministry of Bishop of Rome, Successor of Saint Peter entrusted to me by the Cardinals on 19 April 2005, in such a way, that as from 28 February 2013, at 20:00 hours, the See of Rome, the See of Saint Peter, will be vacant and a Conclave to elect the new Supreme Pontiff will have to be convoked by those whose competence it is.
Dear Brothers, I thank you most sincerely for all the love and work with which you have supported me in my ministry and I ask pardon for all my defects.
And now, let us entrust the Holy Church to the care of Our Supreme Pastor, Our Lord Jesus Christ, and implore his holy Mother Mary, so that she may assist the Cardinal Fathers with her maternal solicitude, in electing a new Supreme Pontiff. With regard to myself, I wish to also devotedly serve the Holy Church of God in the future through a life dedicated to prayer.
From the Vatican, 10 February 2013
BENEDICTUS PP XVI
I have convoked you to this Consistory, not only for the three canonizations, but also to communicate to you a decision of great importance for the life of the Church.
After having repeatedly examined my conscience before God, I have come to the certainty that my strengths, due to an advanced age, are no longer suited to an adequate exercise of the Petrine ministry.
I am well aware that this ministry, due to its essential spiritual nature, must be carried out not only with words and deeds, but no less with prayer and suffering.
However, in today’s world, subject to so many rapid changes and shaken by questions of deep relevance for the life of faith, in order to govern the bark of Saint Peter and proclaim the Gospel, both strength of mind and body are necessary, strength which in the last few months, has deteriorated in me to the extent that I have had to recognize my incapacity to adequately fulfil the ministry entrusted to me.
For this reason, and well aware of the seriousness of this act, with full freedom I declare that I renounce the ministry of Bishop of Rome, Successor of Saint Peter entrusted to me by the Cardinals on 19 April 2005, in such a way, that as from 28 February 2013, at 20:00 hours, the See of Rome, the See of Saint Peter, will be vacant and a Conclave to elect the new Supreme Pontiff will have to be convoked by those whose competence it is.
Dear Brothers, I thank you most sincerely for all the love and work with which you have supported me in my ministry and I ask pardon for all my defects.
And now, let us entrust the Holy Church to the care of Our Supreme Pastor, Our Lord Jesus Christ, and implore his holy Mother Mary, so that she may assist the Cardinal Fathers with her maternal solicitude, in electing a new Supreme Pontiff. With regard to myself, I wish to also devotedly serve the Holy Church of God in the future through a life dedicated to prayer.
From the Vatican, 10 February 2013
BENEDICTUS PP XVI
Sunday, February 10, 2013
5th Sun of OT Year C Homily
Lent is a time to prepare our hearts and souls to experience the Risen Christ on Easter Day. If we take a glance at a calendar we realize that we will soon be entering into this great season of the Church. We know that with this season we will be called to fast from the pleasures of the world and even to abstain from meat on all the Fridays of the season. Things will not always be pleasant, but with faith in Christ we can allow ourselves to grow closer to Him during this season. Peter, in our Gospel, was able to realize the sinfulness that was present within his heart that made him unworthy to encounter Christ. Despite this sinfulness Christ found him and challenged him to grow in faith by casting his net into the sea. The burden from this catch seemed to weigh him down because sin is indeed a heavy burden. Instead of giving up during this strenuous catch he continued to place his faith within Christ and was eventually able to overcome the burden of the catch and reap the rewards that were found within the net.
By the time that Lent comes to a conclusion for us we should be able to glance into our own nets and see the abundant catch that we have received throughout this season. The only way that any of us will see any results within our lives is to invest something into the season. If our attitude towards Lent is nonchalant we will glance into our nets and see that our lack of faith placed within Christ has left us unchanged. Work must be placed into something if change is ever to take place. If we take an old beat up home there is a lot of potential that exists, but it will never meet the fullness of that potential without a lot of work. This same image works for our faith because we know that we constantly fall short of the love that God is constantly bestowing upon our lives. If we can ever hope to reciprocate this love towards God we must put a lot of work into our life of faith. Lent is a way for us to be challenged to follow this path and to begin to find ways where we can progress towards Christ's love.
With the solemn Lenten season beginning on Wednesday we must take the time necessary to begin to think about our Lenten fasts. As we enter into this season we should not do so without first entering into prayer and reflection. Lent is not a season to bring punishment into our lives, but is a season that can truly set us free from the enslavement of sin. Sin constantly pulls us away from our relationship with God, but sacrifices and mortifications within our life can return us to the trust that we should have placed within our Lord. To give up candy, soda, or alcohol is okay, but we should ask ourselves where these sacrifices will bring us. Are we giving something up only because we have been asked to by the Church or are we doing so because these little sacrifices can help us to reform our lives? Prayer, fasting, and almsgiving are all encouraged because they are ways that we can begin to liberate ourselves, like Saint Peter did through his unceasing trust in Christ when he casted his net into the sea.
The Church in her divine wisdom has always stood behind the importance of sacrifice. With sacrifice we are constantly being challenged to see the graveness of our sins. By depriving ourselves we are able to join with the cross of Christ and begin to counteract vice with virtue. These sacrifices are especially important in a society like ours where we have grown comfortable with all the pleasures of the world. It is especially important for us to claim temperance from which we can learn to not indulge and to become properly ordered towards God. According to Saint Josemaria Escriva: "Temperance is self-mastery. Not everything we experience in our bodies and souls should be given free rein. Nor ought we to do everything we can do. It is easier to let ourselves be carried away by so-called natural impulses; but this road ends up in sadness and isolation in our own misery." Sacrifice is the Lenten reality that aids us at moving away from this miserable road that we have grown comfortable walking upon.
Christ did not allow Saint Peter to grow comfortable, but challenged him to place his faith in Him and then work unceasingly at continuing to build up this relationship. This is the challenge that we face as we head into the season of Lent. However we plan to fast during this season should help us to overcome our disordered pleasures. Almsgiving should help us to see our need to give of ourselves in order to draw ourselves freely towards Christ. Prayer must also be a place of focus because without it we will always remain disconnected from Christ. Each of these three areas are able to help us to hear the voice of Christ and to respond to it. At times we will fill the pressure that comes with Lent and with sacrifice, but may we all continue to work hard throughout this season and for the rest of our lives. Even the smallest of actions are able to aid us in our pursuit for Christ, so may we open our eyes to the world and respond to Christ and His call that comes into our lives today. Christ is indeed present and desires for us to have a great catch by the end of this Lenten season. May we be willing to cast our nets into the sea and to work hard each day in achieving this great feat.
By the time that Lent comes to a conclusion for us we should be able to glance into our own nets and see the abundant catch that we have received throughout this season. The only way that any of us will see any results within our lives is to invest something into the season. If our attitude towards Lent is nonchalant we will glance into our nets and see that our lack of faith placed within Christ has left us unchanged. Work must be placed into something if change is ever to take place. If we take an old beat up home there is a lot of potential that exists, but it will never meet the fullness of that potential without a lot of work. This same image works for our faith because we know that we constantly fall short of the love that God is constantly bestowing upon our lives. If we can ever hope to reciprocate this love towards God we must put a lot of work into our life of faith. Lent is a way for us to be challenged to follow this path and to begin to find ways where we can progress towards Christ's love.
With the solemn Lenten season beginning on Wednesday we must take the time necessary to begin to think about our Lenten fasts. As we enter into this season we should not do so without first entering into prayer and reflection. Lent is not a season to bring punishment into our lives, but is a season that can truly set us free from the enslavement of sin. Sin constantly pulls us away from our relationship with God, but sacrifices and mortifications within our life can return us to the trust that we should have placed within our Lord. To give up candy, soda, or alcohol is okay, but we should ask ourselves where these sacrifices will bring us. Are we giving something up only because we have been asked to by the Church or are we doing so because these little sacrifices can help us to reform our lives? Prayer, fasting, and almsgiving are all encouraged because they are ways that we can begin to liberate ourselves, like Saint Peter did through his unceasing trust in Christ when he casted his net into the sea.
The Church in her divine wisdom has always stood behind the importance of sacrifice. With sacrifice we are constantly being challenged to see the graveness of our sins. By depriving ourselves we are able to join with the cross of Christ and begin to counteract vice with virtue. These sacrifices are especially important in a society like ours where we have grown comfortable with all the pleasures of the world. It is especially important for us to claim temperance from which we can learn to not indulge and to become properly ordered towards God. According to Saint Josemaria Escriva: "Temperance is self-mastery. Not everything we experience in our bodies and souls should be given free rein. Nor ought we to do everything we can do. It is easier to let ourselves be carried away by so-called natural impulses; but this road ends up in sadness and isolation in our own misery." Sacrifice is the Lenten reality that aids us at moving away from this miserable road that we have grown comfortable walking upon.
Christ did not allow Saint Peter to grow comfortable, but challenged him to place his faith in Him and then work unceasingly at continuing to build up this relationship. This is the challenge that we face as we head into the season of Lent. However we plan to fast during this season should help us to overcome our disordered pleasures. Almsgiving should help us to see our need to give of ourselves in order to draw ourselves freely towards Christ. Prayer must also be a place of focus because without it we will always remain disconnected from Christ. Each of these three areas are able to help us to hear the voice of Christ and to respond to it. At times we will fill the pressure that comes with Lent and with sacrifice, but may we all continue to work hard throughout this season and for the rest of our lives. Even the smallest of actions are able to aid us in our pursuit for Christ, so may we open our eyes to the world and respond to Christ and His call that comes into our lives today. Christ is indeed present and desires for us to have a great catch by the end of this Lenten season. May we be willing to cast our nets into the sea and to work hard each day in achieving this great feat.
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