I've had some grimmer thoughts lately. Lent is an amazing time for penance, a time for repairing and strengthening our relationship with Christ. Maybe it's the act of reconciliation that's got me on this line of thought. Especially during this liturgical season, we recognize our sinfulness. We try to make reparation to the beautiful heart of Our Lady that is pierced by the sins we commit against her Son. Our God longs for us to make our way back to Him -our Shepard waits, with his arms open wide.
It's somehow lead me to the topic of abortion. God knows us intimately in the womb, he formed us all individually in His image and with all the love he has within Him. Let's refer to Psalm 139:
11 If I say, "Surely the darkness will hide me
and the light become night around me,"
12 even the darkness will not be dark to you;
the night will shine like the day,
for darkness is as light to you.
13 For you created my inmost being;
you knit me together in my mother's womb.
14 I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
your works are wonderful,
I know that full well.
15 My frame was not hidden from you
when I was made in the secret place.
When I was woven together in the depths of the earth,
16 your eyes saw my unformed body.
All the days ordained for me
were written in your book
before one of them came to be.
After spending some time really reflecting on the tragedy of abortion, I feel like it must just break Our Lady's heart -the mother of all people- to see the slaughter of her little ones. Our God must constantly ache over the disregard we have for the gift of life, and our failure to protect the most defenseless and innocent among us.
I don't have much more to say about abortion in general in this post, but today i was reminded of AN interview by Bryan Kemper of the pro-life ministry Stan True. It was with Angie the Anti-theist. If you don't know about her, She tweeted her abortion.
You can read the interview here:
http://bryankemper.com/2010/02/24/my-interview-with-angie-the-girl-who-live-tweeted-her-abortion
For whatever reason that interview came to mind while looking at Little-Disciples.com (super cute christian baby clothes). To look at these adorable onesies, the cute and punny sayings, and think about what a blessing babies are. But to remember that so many of those bundles of joy don't even survive to the world God made them for.
So Angie states that her goal in doing this was to"demystify" abortion or "reduce stigma." To explain what's going on, I guess. Maybe to make it less taboo? But so taking her train of thought, a light went on in my head.
This was just an idea, here -what if one of us Catholics "live tweeted" our confession?
I mean, I'm not volunteering to do it. I don't know if that takes away from the nature of the sacrament in anyway. I'm pretty sure the priest wouldn't care for you typing away on your iphone as you give your act of contrition, but it was just food for thought. I just thought it would be a pretty stark contrast -the "stigma" of an abortion vs the "stigma" and mystery (and grace!!!) and Sacrament of Reconciliation being brought live to the world to see.
**Just a note to readers, please don't tweet and receive sacraments. Probably a very bad idea.**
I guess that's one thing I personally have to pray more about. The end to abortion. And I would encourage you all to get involved too. Here's a list of some web sites to visit:
www.Rockforlife.org
www.Standtrue.org
www.AbortionNO.org
Financial contribute if you can, spiritually support the movement with prayer, or think about representing the cause with an awesome t-shirt (everyone loves awesome t-shirts right!?).
You can read a lot more from Bryan Kemper's awesome blog at www.Bryankemper.com.
Ok, hopefully we are all equipped to go out and fight the good fight! Remember what Mother Theresa said,"I feel that the greatest destroyer of peace today is abortion, because it is a war against the child, a direct killing of the innocent child, murder by the mother herself."
And for all you sister suffragettes, Susan B Anthony (one of the 1st feminists ladies!) once stated, ""Guilty? Yes. No matter what the motive, love of ease, or a desire to save from suffering the unborn innocent, the woman is awfully guilty who commits the deed. It will burden her conscience in life, it will burden her soul in death; But oh, thrice guilty is he who drove her to the desperation which impelled her to the crime!"
**** This blog does NOT recommend tweeting while receiving any of the sacraments.
Showing posts with label lent. Show all posts
Showing posts with label lent. Show all posts
Monday, March 8, 2010
Tuesday, February 23, 2010
Sacrifice
So Lent is upon us.
No, it isn't a Catholic 40 day diet plan. It does, however, offer us a time to cleanse -not a physical detox, but spiritually (although, kudos to people who actually are detoxing physically for Lent. Jesus approves).
I've had some time to reflect on the idea of us as Church using these 40 days to fast and abstain, to sacrifice something for God. Our Lenten practices should be something that lead us to prayer and to Christ, something to prepare our souls for His death and Resurrection.
I think a lot of us struggle with that idea -that whatever we do, it should lead us to Christ. For years I gave up junk food because Lent was a convenient time to cut out the extra calories, and if it happened to lead me to prayer that would be great, but it seldom did.
In my experience I've learned that for myself, taking something on for Lent has been much more spiritually rewarding. Rather than using Lent for my selfish purposes, I find that taking on extra responsibilities helps me to make the effort to shed my sinful ways and seek Him more deeply.
Whichever way you roll this time of year, whether you abstain from something or take on new spiritual practices, the end result should always be the same. We work to bring ourselves to the same place on Good Friday -at the foot of the Cross, and on the same place Easter Sunday -rejoicing in the glory of the Risen Lord.
There is absolutely grace in fully immersing ourselves in whatever we have given to the Lord anytime of year, but Lent offers those of us who have not been as feverishly devout all year to come back in some way.
The main two thoughts that have been on my mind this first week of Lent are simple: Lent is an opportunity for those who have strayed to find their roots in the Church -and even if the simplest offering is made during this season, it is an opportunity for Christ to open the door to ones heart and deepen their faith a bit more. The second thought is that for all of us -Sunday catholics, daily massers, or CEA's (Christmas, Easter, Ash Wednesday Catholics) there is real and abundant grace in every sacrifice we make for the Lord -actual grace that stays with us and moves our hearts in the direction of Christ.
Some people bash the Catholics who abstain from meat on Fridays of Lent and give up candy bars for 40 days. For some of the Christians who daily receive Eucharist, they see this sacrifice as too little. For those who do not know Christ, they see these practices as meaningless and unimportant -just something we do for tradition's sake. But I maintain that however one chooses to make an offering to God -no matter how small, it is still beautiful in the eyes of our Lord.
More so, even IF it is a sacrifice that is made because out of tradition's sake, it is still an opportunity for one of the flock to find their way home. So what if they were binge drinking on Bourbon Street for Mardi Gras, and woke up Wednesday morning to the blurry realization that Lent had begun? Maybe it was a thought that was second nature and almost overlooked, and on the spur of the moment one thought, "I guess I'll give up cookies this year." Maybe they don't even know what Lent is really about, they just know that Catholics do it, and by golly, they are Catholic. So what? It doesn't matter how we come to Christ or how we choose to show Him our devotion, even in the littlest ways we can come to better know our Savior. When we least expect or realize it, Jesus takes hold of our hearts and brings us into deeper communion with Him. He reawakens that longing for Him. Lent is the perfect opportunity.
I am seeing more and more clearly that whatever we give to Christ brings grace and blessings into every aspect of our lives. As much as sacrificing can be inconvenient, when we put God first, all other things fall into place.
I have gradually noticed this effect in the past few years that I have really given myself over to the idea of a hearty Lenten practice. For example, this year I have taken on going to daily mass for Lent. I am a youth minister -I LIKE sleeping in. So to get up early for MASS of all things is about as big a sacrifice as I could have thought to make. I can get up to do the selfish things I need to do, but I have never really taken advantage of the gift of daily mass, and I thought this would be a great opportunity.
Getting up for mass has, in many secular ways, done me a lot of good. It gets me going for the day -it gets my running shoes on my feet ON TIME, it gets me to work early, it even gave me the chance to realize my tire pressure was low so that I could allow time to go to Tire Pros before work.
But spiritually, the grace and closeness to Christ I experience is worth so much more than the sacrifices I had to make to get to mass. More so, the conveniences of getting out of bed earlier than I would like to is NOTHING compared to the amazing feeling of partaking in Communion and hearing the word of God every morning before the day gets started. Eucharist strengthens us spiritually, and what better way to prepare for the day? I even think it makes me RUN better in the morning!
Long story short, Lent is awesome. It is an incredible gift from our Lord, and no matter what we do to during this liturgical season, the more important part of Lent is keeping an open heart, and our minds and spirits focused on that Cross.
No, it isn't a Catholic 40 day diet plan. It does, however, offer us a time to cleanse -not a physical detox, but spiritually (although, kudos to people who actually are detoxing physically for Lent. Jesus approves).
I've had some time to reflect on the idea of us as Church using these 40 days to fast and abstain, to sacrifice something for God. Our Lenten practices should be something that lead us to prayer and to Christ, something to prepare our souls for His death and Resurrection.
I think a lot of us struggle with that idea -that whatever we do, it should lead us to Christ. For years I gave up junk food because Lent was a convenient time to cut out the extra calories, and if it happened to lead me to prayer that would be great, but it seldom did.
In my experience I've learned that for myself, taking something on for Lent has been much more spiritually rewarding. Rather than using Lent for my selfish purposes, I find that taking on extra responsibilities helps me to make the effort to shed my sinful ways and seek Him more deeply.
Whichever way you roll this time of year, whether you abstain from something or take on new spiritual practices, the end result should always be the same. We work to bring ourselves to the same place on Good Friday -at the foot of the Cross, and on the same place Easter Sunday -rejoicing in the glory of the Risen Lord.
There is absolutely grace in fully immersing ourselves in whatever we have given to the Lord anytime of year, but Lent offers those of us who have not been as feverishly devout all year to come back in some way.
The main two thoughts that have been on my mind this first week of Lent are simple: Lent is an opportunity for those who have strayed to find their roots in the Church -and even if the simplest offering is made during this season, it is an opportunity for Christ to open the door to ones heart and deepen their faith a bit more. The second thought is that for all of us -Sunday catholics, daily massers, or CEA's (Christmas, Easter, Ash Wednesday Catholics) there is real and abundant grace in every sacrifice we make for the Lord -actual grace that stays with us and moves our hearts in the direction of Christ.
Some people bash the Catholics who abstain from meat on Fridays of Lent and give up candy bars for 40 days. For some of the Christians who daily receive Eucharist, they see this sacrifice as too little. For those who do not know Christ, they see these practices as meaningless and unimportant -just something we do for tradition's sake. But I maintain that however one chooses to make an offering to God -no matter how small, it is still beautiful in the eyes of our Lord.
More so, even IF it is a sacrifice that is made because out of tradition's sake, it is still an opportunity for one of the flock to find their way home. So what if they were binge drinking on Bourbon Street for Mardi Gras, and woke up Wednesday morning to the blurry realization that Lent had begun? Maybe it was a thought that was second nature and almost overlooked, and on the spur of the moment one thought, "I guess I'll give up cookies this year." Maybe they don't even know what Lent is really about, they just know that Catholics do it, and by golly, they are Catholic. So what? It doesn't matter how we come to Christ or how we choose to show Him our devotion, even in the littlest ways we can come to better know our Savior. When we least expect or realize it, Jesus takes hold of our hearts and brings us into deeper communion with Him. He reawakens that longing for Him. Lent is the perfect opportunity.
I am seeing more and more clearly that whatever we give to Christ brings grace and blessings into every aspect of our lives. As much as sacrificing can be inconvenient, when we put God first, all other things fall into place.
I have gradually noticed this effect in the past few years that I have really given myself over to the idea of a hearty Lenten practice. For example, this year I have taken on going to daily mass for Lent. I am a youth minister -I LIKE sleeping in. So to get up early for MASS of all things is about as big a sacrifice as I could have thought to make. I can get up to do the selfish things I need to do, but I have never really taken advantage of the gift of daily mass, and I thought this would be a great opportunity.
Getting up for mass has, in many secular ways, done me a lot of good. It gets me going for the day -it gets my running shoes on my feet ON TIME, it gets me to work early, it even gave me the chance to realize my tire pressure was low so that I could allow time to go to Tire Pros before work.
But spiritually, the grace and closeness to Christ I experience is worth so much more than the sacrifices I had to make to get to mass. More so, the conveniences of getting out of bed earlier than I would like to is NOTHING compared to the amazing feeling of partaking in Communion and hearing the word of God every morning before the day gets started. Eucharist strengthens us spiritually, and what better way to prepare for the day? I even think it makes me RUN better in the morning!
Long story short, Lent is awesome. It is an incredible gift from our Lord, and no matter what we do to during this liturgical season, the more important part of Lent is keeping an open heart, and our minds and spirits focused on that Cross.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
