Saturday after Ash Wednesday - March 9, 2019

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Isaiah 58:9-14  Luke 5:27-32

Being a new convert to Catholicism, I am still learning these new rituals and holidays. I do not remember celebrating Lent in the Methodist church the way we do in the Catholic church. Last year was my first Lent and I adored Holy Week. It left me in awe. I really felt the Holy Spirit’s presence and understood Jesus much more and what he went through, up to his crucifixion. So, in my learning, I know Lent is for us to try to imitate Jesus’ sacrifice of those forty days in the desert. We are to remember and reflect daily on what Jesus has sacrificed for us. While we are participating in all the traditions and rituals of Lent, we should be careful to remember that these reflections should be relatable to what is happening in our hearts.

In the first reading of Isaiah, God is giving us tools to draw nearer to him. He tells us how we should live and how to honor him. In return, we will find joy and he will provide for us. In Luke, Jesus wants to change the hearts and lives of sinners. We are all sinners and we all fall short of the glory of God. We need to change our hearts and seek God’s will as directed in today’s readings and throughout the bible. We need to have compassion for those in need, whether those needs be physical, spiritual, or mental.

While we really focus on the daily sacrifices and remembrances during Lent, are we also remembering to continue those into our daily lives after Lent?  Do we devote ourselves to God’s will to serve and love others the way he has directed us and by the example he has shown us while he was on earth?  If we call upon the Lord, he will answer, “Here I am!”  He is calling us nearer to him.

Q: Which sacrifices during Lent do you intend to carry on into Ordinary Time? Today, write down a plan for how to incorporate this Lenten “change of heart” into your daily life. 

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