Lent, like Christ, will find you

We need not search for Lenten practices, since they will find us. Sometimes a Lenten practice comes in the form of illness, the death of a loved one, a family dispute, or a financial setback. Trials and hardships come in the course of daily life, unexpected and unwanted. Our part is to deal with them as best we can, with faith, acceptance, trust, and peace. –Sarah Schwartzberg, OSB

Here we are, a little over a week into Lent. I was talking to someone who felt like she did not choose something “hard enough.” I was reminded of a time when I was on a pilgrimage; not the Camino, a long, long time ago. It was 1990 and I had not yet returned to church, but I was doing an imitation of a part-time, self-styled catholic-esque person. God  however had other plans for me… but that is another story for another day.

On this trip a group of us were hiking up a very steep and rocky path on a hot day. One woman decided that she should do so on her knees and it did not take long for her to start bleeding, but she pressed on for a bit. At the same time an older man with a cane could not continue; he was in tears feeling as if he were failing God.

Like a spectral figure, suddenly an old nun came along behind us, moving at a pretty good clip. Where did she come from? Anyway she surveyed the bloody knees and walked in front of the young woman, stopping her from going forth. Looking down she said

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Ash Wednesday, one week later – a guest post by Susan Grunder

Ash Wednesday was one week ago. How is it going? Did you start out Lent with the best of intentions?

Last Sunday we heard about God’s covenant with us. In the Psalm, we cry out to the Lord to teach us his paths. To remember us. In the Gospel, we see Jesus driven by the Spirit into the desert. Jesus doesn’t lead the Spirit into the desert. The Spirit drives him. Where is the Spirit driving us this Lent?

Sometimes we look at Lent as a chance to reboot our New Year’s Resolutions. We just change the names to fit the traditional “Prayer, Fasting and Almsgiving.” We might call it fasting, but, let’s be honest, we are really hoping to lose some weight while we are at it. We might set aside time for prayer so we can check that box or mark it off of our daily Lenten to-do-list, but are we really engaged in our prayer? Are we opening ourselves up for the activity of the Holy Spirit? For Inspiration in the true sense of word? Are we pausing for a moment to allow