Saturday of the First Week of Lent - March 12, 2022

-

Deuteronomy 26:16-19           Matthew 5:43-48

For me, Jesus’ words today are pointed and clear.  He directs me each day to love; to pray for my enemies; to let go of my resentments. Sometime shortly after my husband Albert’s death, I found a little folder with some precious clippings and articles of great importance to him. One precious piece of paper was a copy of a little piece entitled “Let Go.”

The little piece begins “Let Go. If you want to be healthy, morally, mentally, and physically, just let go. Let go of the little annoyances of everyday life, the irritations and petty vexations that cross your path daily. LET THEM GO!” The advice is the same for life’s big troubles, bitter disappointments, deep wrongs, and heartbreaking sorrows. “Drop them, softly maybe, but surely. Put away all regret and bitterness.”

This profound and simple piece has been a precious source of direction in my life and helps me follow Jesus’ commandment given to us today. For some, “letting go” may come easy. For others, (including me!) letting go may be difficult. I know this for sure: we are called to forgive and to be loving people.

In today’s gospel, Jesus give us instructions for how to let go. Pray for the person that you resent. I find that being specific is best. Pray for their health, prosperity, and happiness. Pray this, even if you don’t really want it for them. Say the prayers anyway. The AA Big Book tells us that if you pray such prayers for two weeks, “you will realize that where you used to feel bitterness and resentment and hatred, you now feel compassionate understanding and love.” It works. It has worked for me, and for many others.

Can I do this? In times of great need, I first ask God to help me, to remove my anger and resentment, and to give me a clean heart. With God’s grace I can follow Jesus’ commandment.

Q:  Am I harboring a resentment that I need to let go? With confidence in God’s help, I commit to praying for these  three people during these six weeks of Lent.


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