[Even now, says the
LORD,
return to me with your
whole heart.
for I am gracious and
merciful.]
(Joel 2:12-13)
I’m not sure about
you, but most of my “Lents” have similar pattern. I start out strong and on
fire and usually end on fire. However the middle is generally a roller
coaster. Once I start there’s a period of steady keeping of my chosen
penances. Unfortunately my pride slips in and I think, “This ain’t so bad”.
Inevitably this gives way to lots of struggles in keeping my Lenten promises.
This can then lead to a feeling of failure. At which point, giving up my
penances all together seems like a pretty good idea.
In the Gospel verse
during today’s Mass, the prophet Joel reminds us that we can still “return” to
the Lord. Regardless of how great our Lent has gone so far, we can recommit
today. If pride has slipped into our Lenten journey, today we can begin to
uproot it. If we’ struggling to keep our penances, today we look toward
the Lord and His grace. If we are thinking of giving up our penances all
together or already have, today can be our new beginning.
“God has not called me
to be successful. He has called me to be faithful.” — St. Mother Teresa
We’d all love both, to
be successful and faithful. However if we were completely successful right now
with our Lenten penances, would we remain faithful to God? By this I mean,
would we recognize that we need Him or that our penances are for love of
Him?
How is your Lent
going? Gleam encouragement today from the prophet Joel.
•Is your Lent going
smoothly? Keep trucking.
.•Is your Lent a
struggle? Take courage.
•Is your Lent feeling
like an epic fail? Start again today.
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