Friday of the First Week of Lent - February 26, 2021

-

Ezekiel 18:21-28 Matthew 5:20-26

As a mother of five young kids, there seem to be eyes on me at all times. I tend to be very hard on myself, constantly questioning my decisions and how they will play out for myself and my family down the road. When Lent rolls around every year, I like to think of it as a hard reset, a time to set new goals, grow deeper in my relationship with the Lord, develop new good habits, and, at long last, ditch those bad ones. So I’m not going to lie, when I read this fi rst reading, I had to swallow the lump in my throat and press on.

“None of his virtuous deeds shall be remembered, because he has broken faith and committed sin; because of this, he shall die.” 

Well, shoot! What happened to that really good day I had on Monday!? I guess my sins of Tuesday wiped them all away? There go my chances of getting into heaven.

But it wasn’t until I finished all the readings that I realized there was a common theme. God is forgiving. He doesn’t judge or condemn me. As a cradle Catholic, this isn’t a new or complicated message. However, when I feel I’ve failed myself or my family, this message can be so powerful and humbling: “For with the LORD is kindness and with him is plenteous redemption.”

God knows I am going to fail. God knows I am going to make mistakes, and yet he gives me grace because he wants me to get to heaven. It’s such an easy lesson to teach my young children, and yet as an adult, especially with so many eyes on me, it can sometimes feel to sin is to fail myself as well as my kids. Aiming for perfection is not the answer. Rather, I aim to make myself a new heart and a new spirit everyday, and starting each day with an openness to the Lord and His love draws me nearer to Him.

Q: Can you forgive yourself today and find God’s grace in your imperfections?

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Monday of the First Week of Lent - March 11, 2019

-
Leviticus19:1-2, 11-18  Matthew 25:31-46 As I read my assignment for today, I felt relief. I knew these readings; I could relate to them. I had heard them multiple times and thought that I understood them well. The first reading from Leviticus tells me to love my neighbor as myself and to judge my neighbor justly. I know this! I believe this in my head! I often find it difficult to carry out, but I do believe it. Today’s gospel, Matthew 25, many of us know well through readings, songs, and social concerns committees, "Whatever you do for one of the least of …mine, you do to me." Feed the hungry; give drink to the thirsty; welcome the stranger; clothe the naked; comfort the sick; visit the prisoner. We try to do these things in our life. I decided to read our parish book, Stranger God by Richard Beck, to see how it could expand my understanding of Matthew 25 – and expand it did! After I read the book, I realized that I had been reading Matthew 25 literally. ...
Read more

Fifth Sunday of Lent - March 26, 2023

-
Isaiah 43:16-21 Philippians 3:8-14 John 8:1-11 Unfortunately, I am able to easily say that death is the most significant image that is present in my life at this time. My wife of 50+ years died approximately 2½ years ago. My wife was a seriously  committed Catholic and she was able to accept her death after an illness of less than 2 years. She said, “Jim, I am ready.” I think a lot about what “ready” means and what it meant to Kathy! Clearly, Kathy thought that she had accomplished a full life of being a mother to our children, being a loving and faithful wife to me, and being an active and meaningful friend to the people she met and the organizations she assisted and contributed to. She was at her best when assisting “others.” Probably the biggest contribution Kathy made to me and our children was that she has made it easy for us to face our own deaths because she was “at peace” with her imminent death; and yet she showed us a graceful way to handle the process and demonstrate tha...
Read more

Annunciation of the Lord - March 25, 2021

-
Isaiah 7:10-14; 8:10 Psalm 40:7-8a,8b-9,10,11 Hebrews 10:4-10 Luke 1:26-38 In the Responsorial Psalm, I hear these words, “Here I am Lord, I come to do your will,” and I immediately begin to hum the song we hear so often during mass: “Here I am Lord, here I am, I come to do your will.“ As I begin each day at my kitchen table reading the daily scriptures, a reflective app on my phone, and the daily devotional Jesus Calling, I sit in joyful hope, waiting to hear what God has to say to me. Although I don’t believe I will ever hear the enormous call that our mother Mary heard in the Annunciation of our Lord, I do try every day to listen and hear what God is calling me to do as a humble daughter, sister, wife, mother, and friend. I feel all are called according to God’s plan in small and large ways; the trick is recognizing the signs when God is calling us. It is easy to get lost in all the “have to-dos of the day” in our crazy busy world. Today, let us start by asking Him to guide us to re...
Read more