week 8/15

As We Journey, We Do Our Best

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I’ve been very lucky that G-d led me to the parish I’m in. When I began attending Mass, the parish priest was in Rome. When he returned, I was hesitant; he wasn’t who I was used to, but it didn’t take long for me to love his way of expressing things. He spoke to me, seemingly out of the blue, but clearly with G-d’s hand on his choices, ones that would stand out to my ears.

One of those apparently innocuous statements was at the end of my first summer.

As we journey, we do our best.

It was simple. Straightforward. Easy to remember and easy to follow; a new mantra for me to take on my new journey.

As we journey, we do our best.

Lent is one of those times of the year that we try to do our best. We give something up, we take something in. We attend Mass more faithfully.

I’ve been struggling with what to give up, but in remembering that Lent is between me and G-d, I’ve decided to keep it to myself for now, maybe for the entirety of the forty days.

Sometimes it’s easier to do my best without eyes looking over my shoulder for if and when I falter.

Lenten Reflection – Lifelong Conversion

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The story of Lydia in Acts “…shows that conversion is not just a one-time event but a lifelong process.”

I read this in the May 26th meditation from The Word Among Us, and coming then so close to my sacraments in joining the Catholic Church it really stood out to me. For me personally, I had been attending daily Mass for over two years before my baptism. Without the holy water, I still felt a member of the church and my fellow parishioners treated me that way as well. I was welcomed as one of them from the very beginning; no strings attached.

Now, as my first full year as a Catholic comes to a close, it is less a closing than it is an opening into my lifelong conversion. There are still so many things to learn and to discern that one lifetime may not be enough.

I think of Christ every day and throughout the day, whether I go to a Mass or not. He is in my heart and in my life, and I have no doubts that He always will be.

My conversion will never be complete, and knowing that lets me know that there is always something else to strive for; whether it be continued enlightenment and spiritual desires or a deeper understanding of Jesus’ and Christianity’s history and my ongoing commitment to become a better person, more compassionate, more kind, more giving, not to please anyone else but in being the me I venture to be.

Lenten Recs

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These are some of my Lenten resources:

The Word Among Us

Give Us This Day

The Little Black Book for Lent 2015

Father James Martin, SJ

There Will Be Bread – my friend, sponsor and godmother

Zealot: The Life and Times of Jesus of Nazareth by Reza Aslan

Jesus: A Pilgrimage by James Martin, SJ

Lenten Quotations

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Lent comes providentially to reawaken us, to shake us from our lethargy

.– Pope Francis

You can do more than pray after you have prayed; but you can never do more than pray until you have prayed.

— A.J. Gordon

Remember that lent and ash Wednesday is not just about putting away the bad things. It is about creating good things and helping the poor and the needy, being kind to people and much more.

— Jacob Winters

It is not just about giving up our favorite food but its about going further and giving up things like hatred and unforgiveness. You need to clean your heart and prepare yourself for purity.

— Amanda Jobs

For 36 more quotes about Lent, and for the source of these for, go here.

Prompt – Pack a Bag

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I’ve been going to town reading a ton of library books. Most recently I finished Eighty Days: Nellie Bly and Elizabeth Bisland’s History-Making Race Around the World by Matthew Goodman.

I’m sorry to say that I had never heard of Elizabeth Bisland, whose birthday was a few days ago. It sounds like, as unexpected as her voyage was, she had a much better time.

One of the jabs against Nellie Bly going around the world was that it was impossible for a woman to travel lightly, carrying all kinds of steamer trunks and hat boxes. However Nellie Bly did it, in not only less than eight days, but carrying ONE BAG, a sturdy gripsack (pictured below).

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Photo of Nellie Bly, public domain

Today’s prompt is just that:

you’re traveling around the world, and can only carry one bag*. What would you bring?

*I’ll be as generous as the airlines: one bag (any size but you have to be able to carry and lift it for storage) and one personal bag.