Wednesday of the First Week of Lent

Needs and Wants

                God gives us what we need. Moses, when he didn’t want to do what God asked of him, received Aaron, someone who would speak for him. He felt he needed that help and God came through. When Jesus was in the desert for forty days God took care of him and made sure he had what he needed.

                Our wants often get in the way of our needs, which may be why so many people give up unhealthy foods or bad habits during Lent. There is recognition that though we may want that piece of cake we certainly don’t need it.                

                Take time this Lent to look at your wants and needs. Physically what do you want, and what do you actually need? Are social wants getting in the way of academic or financial needs? When it comes to your relationship with God, what is it you want and what is it you need to grow in faith? St. Ignatius tells us that God gives us the graces we need; all we have to do is ask.

Katie '13

First Monday of Lent

"Turn away from sin and be faithful to the Gospel"

           

 Becoming aware of our sins is a big part of Lent. None of us are perfect, I can absolutely attest to that about myself. We do not reflect on our sins to feel like failures and to see how bad we’ve screwed up. On the contrary, we look at our sins during Lent to move forward: to honestly evaluate where we are in our lives on every level.

            During these forty days, look at the sin in your life but please please please do not stop there! Seek forgiveness from God (perhaps get some pardon and peace from the sacrament of confession), forgiveness from others who you’ve wrong and forgiveness from yourself- often the hardest to achieve. And then strive to be better and to grow from your sins, to not fall back into those same patterns.

Here’s hoping you have a Lent full of forgiveness that you both give and receive.

-Lauren ‘13

Friday After Ash Wednesday

Friday After Ash Wednesday

Feels Good to Be Blessed

As I reflect at this moment in time, I realize I have much to be grateful for. Better yet I'll just say it - I'm blessed! Then I further search for the reasons behind it. Luckily, I have 40 days to do so. So for each day I give something up, I count a blessing as something that has been given to me. And this lent season should remind us that while it's a struggle to relinquish satisfying habits, the blessings we are given fill those voids. In actuality we receive more than we give up! Man, o man, it sure feels good to be blessed! 

J. W. ‘13

Thursday After Ash Wednesday

Easter and spring are times of new life. Baby animals and flowers decorate storefronts and, if the weather’s nice enough, maybe the rest of the world as well. We celebrate Jesus’s rise from the dead and ascension into heaven, His new life after death and the heaven’s opening so that everyone can have an eternal life with God. It is a glorious, beautiful time of the year.

            Cute animals and colorful flowers are the result of unseen growth. The tulips that pop up have been growing and taking root for weeks, maybe months, before we see them bloom. Animals and humans alike need to develop in the womb for a long time before they enter the world. Jesus lived for thirty-three years and died before his new life began. He needed to grow up enough to be ready to say yes to God.

            Lent is that chance to grow, a time when God asks us to come closer to Him and grow in our faith. Lent is a time to put down good roots and develop internally, a time to strengthen our relationship with God so that we can emerge bright and beautiful at the end. Strong enough so that we can keep growing with God even after Lent is over.

-Katie

           

Ash Wednesday 2012

Ash Wednesday Reflection

            “What are you giving up?” the phrase we so often hear around this time each year. When I was younger I never put any thought into it. I’ll give up candy because I’m supposed to. This God guy wants me to be good and apparently interrupting my sugar intake was good.

            But as I grew up I learned that there is a lot more to Lent. Giving things up for God can be good, but they aren’t ends in themselves. Our sacrifices are meant to bring us closer to God. Maybe to send up a prayer when we get tempted or to put him in our daily lives. Maybe to remember that God is more important than what we gave up.

            Another part of Lent I didn’t know when I was a kid was doing something for Lent. This can be an active process and can dedicate our actions to God. Whether it’s doing service, praying a bit more or even reaching out with love; it’s all a part of Lent when it’s done for God.

            So think about what you’re doing for Lent and how that will draw you closer to Him.

- Lauren