Lent

God could put me here. He could put me there. He can use me. He cannot use me. It doesn't matter because I belong so totally to Him that He can do just what He wants to do with me. Lent is a time when we relive the passion of Christ. Let it not be just a time when our feelings are roused, but let it be a change that comes through cooperation with God's grace in real sacrifices of self. Sacrifice to be real, must cost; it must hurt; it must empty us of self. Let us go through the passion of Christ day by day.

Blessed Teresa of Calcutta

Whenever I forget for one moment that God, through Jesus Christ, is working in me, I start to complain. I wine and moan about everything. "Why aren't my prayers being answered like I want them to be?!" "Why won't God heal me?!" "Why can't I find the job I really want?!" "Why aren't my dreams coming true?!" When we forget that God never slumbers or sleeps, and that as His children we are kept, we start looking for help in places that only bring us further from His grace. We turn to pleasures, drinking, sports, food, anything to bring us some kind of comfort. This is where a season like Lent can become our greatest friend and ally. It hurts to trust in God for Him to do what He wants to do in our lives. It is painful to hope against hope that He knows what He is doing when everything seems for naught. He cares for our soul's eternal destination more than anything else. And since He will not force us to spend forever with Him, He woos us like a heart broken Lover, imparting grace for us to give our everything to Him always and every day. Lent is a time to practice this dying of self so that when Lent ends, it will continue to be the way we love our Beloved.

wkm