We know we want that next big thing that we talked about yesterday. We also talked about that next big thing being Jesus, so that whatever is in our lives, can all fall into place. Say you have a great prayer life or you have a regular prayer life and you’re getting closer to Jesus and your life is pretty good and your following him the best you can. That’s Amazing! Keep going! If not, keep inviting God into your life and yes, keep going! We can do this!
As we get closer to Christ, we see more and more of our own sin. By seeing this, we may feel like we just took two steps back and are now worse off then where we were. This is not true! A great friend of mine put it perfectly:
“To face yourself in the silence before God is scary indeed. God’s light is so pure and bright; the closer you get to Him, the more sensitized you are to even the tiniest of smudges within. You become overwhelmed as you see yourself as you truly are in His light. You want to run and hide and will try to in many ways. Even during prayer time, it is easy to hide behind many things. But we need to learn how to simply be…still… How grueling it can be! But it is essential for us to understand God is not revealing to us our darkness and poverty within to discourage us or put us into an attitude of despair. He wants to rid us of our artificial false self and make us real and authentic. He wants us to keep our eyes fixed more upon His love and mercy than our mess within. It is simple in theory but very hard in practice. At the end of the day, God is working within us and that is a cause for rejoicing.”
Jesus went into the wilderness for forty days. He was tempted. He also prayed a lot. But Jesus, found clarity and strength to resist temptation. Jesus pretty much gave us a map of how to do this. If we are in constant prayer and fasting, we are in practice with the fasting to deny our flesh of its inclinations and desires, which creates discipline so when we are met with temptation, we can resist.
After Jesus came out of the desert he was ready and started his ministry here on earth. Sisters, this isn’t that time of the year to give something up but it’s a time of preparation for ministry in many different forms. (You can talk with your Parish office for more info on ministries in your Church. You can also spend this time of Lent to ask God for direction toward a ministry that you might be called to by Him.) So know that this time is to get closer to Christ and to be a more authentic self but it's also to prepare us to give Jesus to all who we encounter. That is our call: to give what we have received. And what a beautiful gift it is!
Let us rediscover the indwelling presence of God constantly throughout the day, in the midst of our busy lives, and let all activity flow from that deep center.
Sisters, always, you are loved!
