Thoughts on conversion

 

Saturday after Ash Wednesday

Luke 5:27–32

Friends, in today’s Gospel, Jesus tells Matthew, “Follow me.” The call of Jesus addresses the mind, but it is meant to move through the mind into the body, and through the body into the whole of one’s life, into the most practical of moves and decisions. “Follow me” has the sense of “apprentice to me” or “walk as I walk; think as I think; choose as I choose.” Discipleship entails an entire reworking of the self according to the pattern and manner of Jesus. Upon hearing the address of the Lord, the tax collector, we are told, “got up and followed him.” The Greek word behind “got up” is anastas, the same word used to describe the resurrection (anastasis) of Jesus from the dead. Following Jesus is indeed a kind of resurrection from the dead, since it involves the transition from a lower form of life to a higher, from a preoccupation with the temporary goods of this world to an immersion in the goodness of God. Those who have undergone a profound conversion tend to speak of their former life as a kind of illusion, something not entirely real. Thus Paul can say, “I live, no longer I, but Christ lives in me”; Thomas Merton can speak of the “false self” that has given way to the authentic self; and, perhaps most movingly, the father of the prodigal son can say, “Your brother was dead and has come to life again; he was lost and has been found.” Bishop Robert Barron

Thoughts on temptations

 

This past Wednesday we began our annual Lenten journey, subjecting ourselves to the imposition of ashes and the exhortation, “Repent, and believe in the Gospel.” The Scripture readings for the First Sunday of Lent call us not only to repent of our sins but to confront the temptations that might lead us into sin. 

From the perspective of Christianity, of course, there is a crucial difference between a temptation and a sin. Sins are “unloving choices”; temptations are occasions/invitations to make a choice. That choice can wind up being either loving or unloving. If we make loving choices even while tempted to do otherwise, we grow in virtue and holiness. If we succumb to the temptation and make an unloving choice, we alienate ourselves from peace and goodness, eroding our fundamental orientation toward God and love. Sometimes when people come to confession and state that they are “struggling” with something, what they are saying is not that they have actually sinned, but that they have been tempted to do so. Often, of course, we experience that struggle as exhausting, and so it is for good reason that we pray, echoing the words of the Lord’s Prayer, “Lead me not into temptation.” Temptations aren’t sins, but they can wear us out!

We might dismiss the temptations which Jesus faced as portrayed in this Sunday’s Gospel as uniquely his own. That would be a mistake. Jesus’ temptations occur soon after Jesus has had the powerful experience at his baptism of being filled with the Spirit and knowing in a profound way that he is God’s beloved Son. It is this very sense of his identify that the tempter tries to undermine. So too with us. We know who we are, who we are called to be by God, and who we want at our best to be. In our lives, it is our identities as beloved sons and daughters of God, as faithful disciples of Christ, that the tempter seeks to call into question and undermine.

What is important about the temptations of Jesus is that they were real temptations over which he had to mull and struggle. In his case, all of his temptations could easily become occasions for discouragement. Let us pray that as we struggle with temptation in our lives, we not become discouraged, but find within them opportunities to grow in our deepest identity as those who love and serve in the manner of Jesus.

Lenten Blessings.

Fr. Frank Reale, S.J.

More thoughts on Lent

 

We enter once again into the holy and grace-filled season of Lent. The Church, in her wisdom, gives us three clear practices every year: prayer, fasting, and almsgiving. During Lent, we are meant to take on these concrete disciplines so that our hearts can be drawn more deeply to the Lord. Watch here.

Let me offer three very specific recommendations this year.

First, prayer.

Lent is the privileged time to renew our friendship with the Lord. Can I urge you this year to set aside some quiet time every day—five minutes, ten minutes, whatever you can manage—to sit with God? Speak to him honestly, listen in the silence, meditate on Scripture. If you need a bit of structure, follow the daily Lenten reflections from Word on Fire or any other good Catholic apostolate offering a daily spiritual program. The key is intentionality: Carve out that space to let the Lord speak to your heart.

Second, fasting.

Of course, follow the Church’s norms on abstaining from meat and limiting food intake. But I’d also challenge you to fast from some of the habits that occupy too much of your attention—maybe it’s scrolling through social media on your phone, binge-watching television, or playing video games. You don’t have to necessarily eliminate them entirely, but cut them back significantly. Why? Because when we quiet these distractions, we make room for more prayerful reflection, and we allow a deeper hunger for God to rise within us.

Third, almsgiving.

This is the practice of giving: giving money, giving time, giving attention. Be intentional about generosity this Lent by performing one concrete act of mercy each week. Donate to a charity or a nonprofit ministry. Give to the poor. Volunteer at a soup kitchen. Visit someone who is sick or lonely. Whatever you do, give alms. Almsgiving expresses that great spiritual truth: Our souls expand in the measure that we give ourselves away.

May I humbly suggest that one way you might direct your almsgiving is toward Word on Fire? Your contribution will help us to continue to evangelize the culture with free content that reaches millions of people.

So, this Lent: Pray in a focused and quiet way, fast from the things that clutter your heart and mind, and give in a spirit of sincere generosity. If we take up these disciplines, Lent won’t become a burden. It will become a season of renewal, clarity, and deep joy. May God bless you with a transformative and fruitful Lent. In Christ,

Bishop Robert Barron

Thoughts on Lent

After fasting for forty days and conquering every temptation that came His way, Jesus returned to Galilee and began His public ministry with these words,  “This is the time of fulfillment. The kingdom of God is at hand. Repent, and believe in the gospel.” (Mark 1:15)

Indeed, now is the hour of fulfillment. 

We are called by Christ and Our Lady of Fatima this Ash Wednesday to once again acknowledge our sinfulness, so that through God’s grace and mercy we may be purified and share in Christ’s victory.

Each Lent we are invited to join in the Lord’s time of fasting for forty days. 

As Jesus warned in the parable of the sower, cares of the world and a delight in riches and earthly things threatens to choke out our spiritual life like thorns engulfing a bush (Mk. 4:18). 

By generously giving to others and by offering up the pains of fasting and mortification this Lent, the Lord purifies our hearts from earthly attachment and these pains are instead joined to His sacrifice as an offering of love for the salvation of souls.

Yet, fasting and almsgiving are challenging, and at the beginning of Lent, such trials can be daunting. 

Spiritual exercises make clear the spiritual combat which is always present. 

As the Enemy vainly tried to through and during this time of fasting, so will that same Enemy try to lead us to discouragement and to abandon the resolutions we take on this Lent.

The good news is that we need not be afraid to face this battle! 

Instead, let us take refuge in the Immaculate Heart of Mary and follow the example of our Savior. 

Each time the devil tempted Christ, the Lord responded by dispelling the attack with the power and truth of Scripture. 

So while we fast, we must also pray!

When we pray the Rosary and reflect upon the lives of Jesus and Mary, we are given the wisdom and strength we need to see past any sinful illusions and to overcome the temptations we might face this Lent.

Therefore, through prayer, fasting, and almsgiving, let us hear the call of Christ, echoed by Our Lady of Fatima. 

Let us repent and believe in the Gospel!

In the Hearts of Jesus and Mary,

Christopher P. Wendt
International Director
Confraternity of Our Lady of Fatima

Thoughts on Ash Wednesday

 

Ash Wednesday

In the Gospel for Ash Wednesday, we hear Jesus remind us three times that our hidden acts are neither unseen nor unrewarded. No, “your Father who sees what is hidden will repay you.” Taking up our daily cross (see Luke 9:23) is the most important penance we can offer—the daily cross of our state of life, such as: going to sometimes unsatisfying work for your family; helping your children for the umpteenth time with patient love and a smile even when tired or upset; as a Religious or Priest, rising early once again, to offer praise to God and to intercede for the many needs we learn of, and working to alleviate them; and at the eve of life, being patient with the infirmities and limitations as they increase—and offering them with prayer for others. “And your Father who sees what is hidden will repay you.”   Those hidden acts of self-sacrifice are neither unseen nor unrewarded. In fact, they are proofs of genuine love. We deepen our conversion through the often-unchosen penances of daily life.   Grumbling makes our burdens un-bearable. Love, however, is healing and lightens the load: loving God in prayer; loving others in self-giving generosity; and loving ourselves in fasting, which quiets the demands of our untamed nature.    Lord God, help us as we begin this Holy Season to take up our daily cross with love, so that our conversion to You may ever deepen. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.   In His healing wounds,   Fr. Joseph Mary Wolfe, MFVA

Thoughts on gratitude

 

A Spirit of Gratitude

From: Lifesigns: Intimacy, Fecundity, and Ecstasy in Christian Perspective

Life loses its dynamism and exuberance when everything that happens to us is viewed as a predictable result of predictable actions….. Without a spirit of gratitude, life flattens out and becomes dull and boring. But when we continue to be surprised by new manifestations of life and continue to praise and thank God and our neighbor, routine and boredom cannot take hold. Then all of life becomes a reason for saying thanks.

Reflection Question: What would change if I approached even ordinary moments as reasons for thanksgiving?

“Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances, for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.”   - 1 Thessalonians 5: 16-18

Thoughts on Saint Valentine

 

As many people in the secular world reduce this day to simply an exaltation of romance, in the traditional Latin calendar we remember a man who shows us the path of true love, the priest and martyr, St. Valentine. Our Lady of Fatima warned us that the Church would suffer a time of great trial, and many would lose sight of the good of chastity and purity. The nature and purpose of love, of marriage, and of the family have become deeply misunderstood or outright rejected across the world and such chaos has brought great harm to millions of souls.

So while it is undeniably honorable to have a day dedicated to love, it is imperative that such a dedication is guided by a true and profound understanding of love’s nature. So on this day which so many use to justify all kinds of licentiousness, let us turn back to the origin of this celebration and reflect upon the life of St. Valentine. St. Valentine was a priest during the third century. While little is known about him, what is certain is that he served the Lord devoutly, so much so that he took a vow of celibacy and was ready to lay his life down for our King. In a society obsessed with feelings of romance, such acts of love seem utterly foolish. Yet, St. Valentine understood that love is not simply a pleasurable feeling, nor is about what the individual can get out of a relationship. Love is about recognizing the good in the other and willing that person’s good, even if it means your own harm. It is not concerned about “me”, but about “you." It is not concerned about what feels good, but what it is good. Thus, when we see that God is good and the source of all that is good, we are ready to lay down our senses, our desires, our very lives and all that we are for Him, as He has done for us. This is the love which is above every other virtue. This is the love Our Lady of Fatima has for us and which She calls us to. This is the love which draws a man and woman so closely together that through God’s grace they become a family and start a family. This is the love we must celebrate and live out this day! In the Hearts of Jesus and Mary, Christopher P. Wendt International Director Confraternity of Our Lady of Fatima