Well, we’re almost 3 weeks into Lent now, which means it’s probably a good time to take stock of things. After all, the point of Lent isn’t just to give up something. It’s to give up something for Jesus, to help us learn to give up sin, and to be better Christians for it. If we’re the same exact people after Lent that we were before Lent, then it’s hardly been a fruitful 40 days. So, making any progress?
If you don’t feel like you have made much (if any) progress, have no fear – you are not alone! I don’t think I have either. But at least we still have time! As yesterday’s post mentioned, this takes work. And sometimes the results are not immediate. Sometimes it doesn’t seem like anything is happening/changing. But so long as we’re keeping our focus on Jesus, and actively trying to be more like Him, then progress is inevitable.
But what is progress anyway? What does it really mean to be a “better” Christian? How can you tell? For me, progress means reflecting Jesus’ love more and more in our lives. All Christians are called to witness to their faith and we all do so every second of every day by the lives we lead – we just either do it well or poorly. So the question becomes: are we radiating out Jesus’ love to everyone we come across? Are we living lives of love, mercy and forgiveness?
Lent isn’t over yet, we still have the chance to put more time and energy into becoming better Christians. We still have time to experience more of Jesus’ love, and then to share it with others. May we all live up to such a lofty, yet simple calling this Lent!
Today my pastor asked, “How big is your God?” One of the many reasons I love Lent is that it’s a reminder of just how big God is. During these 40 days of renewal and reconciliation we’re often encouraged to take a hard look at our own sinfulness. We’re encouraged to take off the blinders and really focus on not just the obvious, but all the little ways we offend God, all the ways we hurt and/or ignore His other children – basically all the ways we crucify Him again and again.
It’s painful, definitely. But there’s nothing quite like that liberation of being sorry and knowing that God forgives me. In fact, there’s nothing like the relief of knowing that God will forgive my deepest, darkest sin; of knowing that there is no sin too large for Him to forgive. God is more loving and more merciful than any of us can even imagine, and just plain bigger than all of it. He’s bigger than all of our sins and mistakes and bigger than all the evil in the world.
After listening to my pastor and then going through the Stations of the Cross I was struck by something: when Jesus hung on the cross, slowly asphyxiating and bleeding to death, He probably never seemed smaller in the eyes of the world. But in truth, He was never bigger than at that moment. Because on that cross He was big enough to take on all of the world’s sins (past and future)! On that cross he was big enough to pay for all of our sins! And on that cross He was big enough to redeem the world!
May we never forget, and always rejoice in the fact, that our God is bigger than everything – bigger than we’ll ever know!
UC5H7HNY7DB7
There’s a great post on authentic Christian love on Michael Cox’s blog Faith Plus Love.
I read it shortly after being in Penn Station, where I was approached by a homeless woman. I bought her something to eat, but felt really uncomfortable talking to her and even looking at her.
I always marvel when I read in the Gospels how comfortable Jesus was around everyone. Whether He was with people possessed by demons, prostitutes, cheating tax collectors, pharisees or his disciples, Jesus loved them all equally. This boggles my mind (and my stoney little heart).
Jesus told us to love others as He loved us (John 13:34-35). How’s that for some impossible shoes to fill? But seriously, Christian love is different because we don’t just love others as we want to be loved. We’re to love others as Christ did – to death! Today was another reminder that I have a long way to go in learning to love like Jesus (not that I had forgotten). But at least He’s always there, waiting to teach me!
Related Posts: Real Love
Second perhaps only to the Mass, Eucharistic Adoration is a crucial component in spiritual life. Sadly few parishes have perpetual adoration of the Blessed Sacrament, and some don’t expose the Host at all. But if you can work it into your schedule, it is so worth it!
When I first started going to Eucharistic Adoration (something I had not even heard of until I was 21 years old, even though I was a cradle Catholic; such a travesty!) I didn’t seem to get anything out of it. I knew intellectually that Jesus was present in the Host, but I felt disconnected from Him. But by the grace of God I kept going (and seriously, only by His grace, because I’m so particular about how I spend my time I marvel that I kept going when I look back now) and I’m so glad I did. My relationship with Jesus is so much deeper because of it, and if you go yours will be too.
Among many other benefits, spending time with the Real Presence in the Blessed Sacrament increases our:
- Prayer – most of us have trouble setting aside time to pray daily, and Adoration gives us the chance to spend time in prayer, which we might not otherwise make time for
- Love – even if you don’t feel it at the time, how could you not fall more in love with Jesus in Adoration? Jesus, God himself, comes down in the form of a little host just time spend time with you. He makes himself available in such a humble way just because He wants you to be able to talk to him face-to-face, to literally be in His presence and spend time with Him. This kind of love changes us!
- Graces – Jesus rewards those who make time for Him. Not only is there a special strength associated with petitions made directly to Jesus in Adoration, but he blesses us with so many graces just for going! We win and so does whoever we are praying for
If Jesus was physically present here and now and you could go talk to Him, or just be near Him, wouldn’t you want to do that? We all have the immense privilege of being able to do so through Eucharistic Adoration! How lucky we are to have a God who blesses us for doing something we should be doing for our own spiritual health anyway!
Christian Living | admin | 
March 6, 2010 11:38 am | 
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