Lenten reflection often stirs up in me this kind of eager anticipation, even while I feel the lingering bite of a cold wind. Lent holds death and life for us. Nasty ashes on our foreheads, hunger pains and giving up treats, and at church the doom, gloom and boom, boom, boom of nails through flesh into wood, alongside with: candles in darkness, bright colours discovered in the grass, and a new tomb, with the rock rolled back for us to see its emptiness. We smash up our attachments to creature comforts during Lent, only because we are so close to the brilliant and sustaining reality of the Resurrection – the definitive answer to sin and death. Even at our worst, we can’t keep God’s love from coming back to us at Easter time. Even the worst we’ve seen, comes back as the best there is.
This past week, we sensed something new in the air. Warmer weather seemed to knock a crack in winter’s grip. We saw ice melt, breathed the scent of wet earth, felt sun warm on our faces. We might still have a ways to go, but we are headed for Spring. For us as Christians, also, we have a ways to go, and we are headed to the excitement and celebration of new life. We do this often, finding in the Created world the rhythms and blessings of life with the Creator. And so it is with our present season, Lent, in which we hold on to hope as we journey up to and through the cold darkness of Christ’s Cross to the warmth and light of Easter morning.
Lenten reflection often stirs up in me this kind of eager anticipation, even while I feel the lingering bite of a cold wind. Lent holds death and life for us. Nasty ashes on our foreheads, hunger pains and giving up treats, and at church the doom, gloom and boom, boom, boom of nails through flesh into wood, alongside with: candles in darkness, bright colours discovered in the grass, and a new tomb, with the rock rolled back for us to see its emptiness. We smash up our attachments to creature comforts during Lent, only because we are so close to the brilliant and sustaining reality of the Resurrection – the definitive answer to sin and death. Even at our worst, we can’t keep God’s love from coming back to us at Easter time. Even the worst we’ve seen, comes back as the best there is.
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Having fully accepted the Christian faith, even to the point of leaving her family and people, Kateri lived in a small community called Sault Mission. Today, let’s think about what the life of St. Kateri Tekakwitha means to us? How can we understand the tensions she faced, and especially, the conflict between her and her people? And how can this person who lived three centuries ago be a part of our lives today? What we last learned about St. Kateri Tekakwitha was that she grew up in a time of upheaval and tragedy, displaced by disease and war. Today we hear about her character and her struggles as a girl growing up.
Today we begin to look at our patron saint, St. Kateri Tekakwitha, to learn more about what wisdom her life and her example have to offer us, as well as to understand the power of her prayers and protection. Try to imagine this young woman as she lived her life in her own family and community. Imagine her thoughts and feelings, her daily routine and the defining moments. A buddy of mine called me up the other day, and he has a question. He's been meeting for Bible study for a while, and this past week a story of King David pops up. Here's my friend's observation: David's a jerk. Specifically, there's this moment when David knows God will take his child because he sinned a double-whammy: adultery with Bathsheba, and then the murder of her husband Uriah. So David goes before God and pleads and weeps for his son, repenting of his sins. We find his repentance in Psalm 51: create a new heart in me. But when his child dies, David picks himself up, cleans his face, and gets back to business as usual. His home team is all, like, Dave you grieved while your child lived and now he's dead you're fine. David's response: what's the point of praying now that my son is dead? David seems to see prayer in terms of what he gets out of it. For God's chosen king, the ancestor of Jesus and general hero of Judaism, this kind of attitude is rather unimpressive, isn't it? It's worth our time to reflect on what this story teaches us about prayer. Here's what I said. |
AuthorRyan LeBlanc, B.A., B.Ed., M.A, is a career classroom teacher, learning leader, and workshop facilitator. Now, his cutting-edge educational methods and years of practical experience with thousands of learners are available through his comprehensive online courses. Categories
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