The Church gives us this ‘time apart’ from life as usual as an opportunity to turn our lives around, to begin something new.
Over these past few years, we have seen the sufferings of the people in the Ukraine. Parents, children, the elderly are in the middle of a terrible war. We heard the stories of Covid19 deaths and the consequences of the isolation so many endured.
Recently the images from Syria and Turkey have been heartbreaking when massive earthquakes buried people in the rubble of poorly constructed apartment buildings in some of the poorest sections of those cities. We feel helpless.
In the face of such the pain, our Lenten practices are calling us to go deeper.
C.S. Lewis called pain, “God’s megaphone to rouse a deaf world.” Pope Frances stated that “the globalization of indifference will continue to threaten our (spiritual) journey”, and Billy Graham proclaimed over and over “Prayer is the Christian’s greatest weapon.”
What can we do? How should we respond? Prayer, fasting and almsgiving are the foundational pillars of Lent. Open your ears to hear the cry of the poor. Do not let indifference hinder your opportunities to do good and grow in love.
“Let us not grow tired of doing good, for in due time we shall reap our harvest,
if we do not give up.” Galatians 6:9
Pray and cry out to God, implore His mercy and grace for the many suffering people, ask God to meet the needs in these places out of His abundance and through the kindness and generosity of we who call ourselves Christian.
Support relief efforts in places of great need. Fast from some of the pleasures of this life and use those funds to give more than ever.
“Do nothing out of selfishness or out of vainglory; rather, humbly regard others as more important than yourselves, each looking out not for his own interests, but [also] everyone for those of others.” Philippians 2:3-4
We are not helpless. God is our help. I pray that this Lent will be different. I pray that all of us will ‘bear great fruit’ from the practices of prayer, fasting and almsgiving so that suffering is relieved and our Easter celebrations will surpass all our expectations.
Happy Lent!
Blessings,
Mary Ann Barnhorn, SNDdeN
“No, in all these things we conquer overwhelmingly through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor present things, nor future things, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Romans 8:37-39