Why do we fast? Because we have a hunger for God, our deepest hunger. And we are meant to access that hunger. We are meant to feel it so that it can direct us toward God. Every spiritual master recognizes the danger that if we allow the superficial hunger of our lives to dominate, we never reach the deepest hunger.
Thomas Merton once observed that our desires for food and drink are something like little children in their persistence and tendency to dominate. Until they are disciplined, they will skew the functions of the soul according to their purposes.
Fasting is a way of disciplining the hunger for food and drink. It is a way of quieting those desires by not responding to them immediately, so that the deepest desires emerge. Unless you fast, you might never realize how hungry you are for God.
Dear Lord, set me free from the way I turn to other things when I could be turning to You. I need more of You and less of the stuff that leaves me hungry. Take all these heavy idols I’m laying down and teach me to lean into Your gentle refining. Take my life as I empty it out and fill me with Yourself. Your Word proclaims: “It is for freedom that Christ has set you free” Galatians 5:1 and I’m choosing to believe that’s true. Set me free! In the bondage-breaking, freedom-giving, name of Jesus, Amen.
Our basic struggles never really leave us. These are the doors that open and if invited, God allows us to heal incrementally. Shame based perfectionism has always been a challenge for me. Most days I let go and let God. However, recently, I felt the dark night of my soul in prayer. Thinking I’m not doing it right or good enough God revealed to me this morning it is not how I show up, but that I show up steadfast, faithfulness to praise him and that is what’s important to his heart, the orientation of my heart.
My steadfast faithfulness is enough.
Lord, thank you for all you’ve done for me. Please guide my heart, and help me to grow into the person you want me to be. Purify my heart and make me more like you. Guide my path and help me see the plan for my life is in front of me, it is not in the past or the future. I trust I’m exactly where I need to be today.
We are God’s people, created and sent by Him. Through his words and tradition we learn how to live the fullness of life. As we prepare our hearts for Holy Week, we continue to assess how we are living a life with God at the center, loving God and His ways with all our heart and soul.
The Lord your God commands you this day to follow these decrees and laws; carefully observe them with all your heart and with all your souls. Deuteronomy 26:16
Examine your conscience, in prayer, with what God asks of us::
Love God more than anything else.
Don’t make anything in your life more important than God.
Always say God’s name with love and respect.
Love and respect your parents.
Don’t kill (spoiler alert, anger is the first step in the path of killing).
Do not take anything that isn’t yours.
Always be faithful to your spouse.
Do not lie.
Be content with what you have and don’t wish for other people’s stuff.
The goal of prayer is greater love. The fruit of prayer is a deepening faith. The fruit of faith is love. Mother Teresa
Our faith tells us to love until it hurts. Our world tells us to do what feels good, do what gives us pleasure or makes us happy. We think pain and disturbance should not be for us but with real, pure love we sometimes must suffer through it.
God, you know how I love you. My heart overflows at times with gratitude for your goodness but my love for you is but a grain of sand in the ocean of love you have for me. It is humbling to know that without your grace, I would not love you. Your grace has opened the eyes of my mind and enabled them to see your glory. Your grace has touched my heart leading me down the path of love, compassion and service. Break the bonds of earthly pleasures that interrupt my fidelity to you. Keep my eyes, my ears and heart focused on you. Break any chains that bind me, raise my heart and keep my whole being fixed on you. Let me never lose sight of you. As I gaze upon your glory, let my love grow deeper and stronger, more and more everyday.
As we enter into the last two weeks of lent, Passiontide calls for a heightened awareness of the Lenten sacrifice by covering the crucifixes, artwork, statues and other beautiful reflections of the faith throughout the church. This time is a visual reminder of many important elements regarding Christ’s ultimate sacrifice for humanity preparing us for the Triduum, which consists of three days: Holy Thursday, Good Friday and Easter Vigil. The veiling of these images during Passiontide symbolizes the darkness without faith.
Let’s praise God for the protection He provides us through the gift of faith. St. Patrick, who we celebrate his feast day today, gives us some beautiful words of truth in the Breastplate Prayer of Protection.
I arise today Through a mighty strength, the invocation of the Trinity, Through belief in the Threeness, Through confession of the Oneness of the Creator of creation.
I arise today Through the strength of Christ’s birth with His baptism, Through the strength of His crucifixion with His burial, Through the strength of His resurrection with His ascension, Through the strength of His descent for the judgment of doom.
I arise today Through the strength of the love of cherubim, In the obedience of angels, In the service of archangels, In the hope of resurrection to meet with reward, In the prayers of patriarchs, In the predictions of prophets, In the preaching of apostles, In the faith of confessors, In the innocence of holy virgins, In the deeds of righteous men.
I arise today, through The strength of heaven, The light of the sun, The radiance of the moon, The splendor of fire, The speed of lightning, The swiftness of wind, The depth of the sea, The stability of the earth, The firmness of rock.
I arise today, through God’s strength to pilot me, God’s might to uphold me, God’s wisdom to guide me, God’s eye to look before me, God’s ear to hear me, God’s word to speak for me, God’s hand to guard me, God’s shield to protect me, God’s host to save me From snares of devils, From temptation of vices, From everyone who shall wish me ill, afar and near.
I summon today All these powers between me and those evils, Against every cruel and merciless power that may oppose my body and soul, Against incantations of false prophets, Against black laws of pagandom, Against false laws of heretics, Against craft of idolatry, Against spells of witches and smiths and wizards, Against every knowledge that corrupts man’s body and soul; Christ to shield me today Against poison, against burning, Against drowning, against wounding, So that there may come to me an abundance of reward.
Christ with me, Christ before me, Christ behind me, Christ in me, Christ beneath me, Christ above me, Christ on my right, Christ on my left, Christ when I lie down, Christ when I sit down, Christ when I arise, Christ in the heart of every man who thinks of me, Christ in the mouth of everyone who speaks of me, Christ in every eye that sees me, Christ in every ear that hears me.
There are moments throughout our day where we feel the sacredness, where the divine inside connects with the divine in another. Psalm 27:7-9 says it beautifully: “Here, O Lord, when I cry aloud, be gracious to me and answer me!
“You have said, ‘Seek my face.’ My heart says to you, ‘Your face, Lord, do I seek.’ Hide not your face from me.” As we see the face of God in our neighbor our interactions change. We become move loving. Let’s praise God for showing his face through love which is truth and beauty, today.
Back in the 70’s the catchphrase “Love means never having to say you’re sorry” became popular because of the movie Love Story. That is faulty logic because it is through a contrite heart that we express remorse to those we love. We are beautiful and broken people so we inevitably hurt others even when we don’t mean too. Our love draws us to resolve to do better through our actions. This repairs our relationships, helping them be pure and strong.
The Act of Contrition is a Christian prayer that expresses our sorrow to God for the things we do that that hurt Him and compromise our relationship. Sin is what we do, little and big, when we do not put God first. Through love we resolve to stop that behavior. I praise God for the Sacrament of Penance whereby I gain insight into what needs to change in my life in order to draw me closer to God.
Act of Contrition
My God, I am sorry for my sins with all my heart. In choosing to do wrong and failing to do good, I have sinned against you whom I should love above all things. I firmly intend, with your help, to do penance, to sin no more, and to avoid whatever leads me to sin. Our Savior Jesus Christ suffered and died for us. In His name. May God have mercy.
Does your soul proclaim the greatness of the Lord? The Magnificat is a hymn of praise by Mary, the mother of Jesus, found in the Bible in Luke 1:46-55. God, the Father, wants nothing more than for our souls to proclaim His greatness. Let’s look to Mary, the mother of Jesus, to teach us how to do the will of God and show us the way to a deep trust, to be the handmaid of the Lord.
My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord, my spirit rejoices in God my Savior for he has looked with favor on his lowly servant. From this day all generations will call me blessed: the Almighty has done great things for me, and holy is his Name.
He has mercy on those who fear him in every generation. He has shown the strength of his arm, he has scattered the proud in their conceit.
He has cast down the mighty from their thrones, and has lifted up the lowly. He has filled the hungry with good things, and the rich he has sent away empty.
He has come to the help of his servant Israel for he remembered his promise of mercy, the promise he made to our fathers, to Abraham and his children forever.
The Glory Be is a Catholic prayer, also known as a doxology. The word “doxology” comes from a Greek word that means “an expression of glory or praise”. The “Glory Be” prayer is the third most common Christian prayer, after the “Our Father” and the “Hail Mary.”
In the midst of lent, let’s praise God for His mercy.
Through Christ we have salvation, which is a true gift from God. As we witness Jesus’ suffering on the cross in the days ahead, let it break our hearts and penetrate us with a deep understanding of how much we are loved.
Praise God that in Jesus Christ, we find the remedy to our brokenness and learn to be fully human. Amen
Smitten With Goodness 