In the meantime, I would like to share a set of meditations that I wrote nine years ago during Lent: “48 Steps to Easter.” I hope they will help you on your own Lenten Journey. Sometimes, I may add some current comments. Other days, I will just share what I wrote back in 2009 because it still applies today.
I am giving up Facebook this Lent, though, so this will be the last day that I share my blog through Facebook. If you want to walk the Easter Journey with me, you will need to go directly to my blog:
christysmeditations.blogspot.com
You can also sign up to receive the meditations by email by inputting your email address on my blog homepage and hitting “submit.”
Fat Tuesday (February 24, 2009)
This morning, I had what I would call "holy inspiration." Rafael and I have gotten into the habit of walking first thing in the morning and while we walk, we pray and meditate the daily gospel reading. I call it our daily walk with the Lord. These past two days we have been thinking about what to give up for Lent. In the past, it has been pretty simple. One year, I gave up ice cream (which I used to eat twice a day). It was hard at first, but now, I don't crave ice cream as much as I used to. Another year, I gave up chocolate chip muffins (my daily healthy breakfast). This year, however, both of us have been on a diet, so giving up food would be hypocritical since we pretty much have given up all the good things. What are we going to give up, salads? Not much sacrifice there. Anyway, I told Rafael, “I'll pray about it.” I'm sure God will come up with something good.
Little did I know, He was going to ask of me what I consider a huge sacrifice. You see, I love to read, and even though I read what I call my good dose of inspirational reading, I also love what I call my "unwind" literature. I particularly seem to get hooked on this type of reading during tax season, when I'm exhausted at the end of the day, and I just want to unwind before I go to sleep with a good book. One of my favorite authors is Nora Roberts, and currently, I am reading her latest trilogy "Blood Brothers." I was commenting to Rafael this morning that it's really not the most appropriate book to be reading during Lent since it has to do with the devil, and some other very intense and intimate relationships. However, I'm only half way through the first book and it's soooo good, that I was not willing to give it up... that is, until about an hour ago.
This past Sunday, after mass, they were giving out in St. Louis this little black book. I glanced at it on my way home, and I noticed they were six-minute reflections on the Weekly Gospels of Lent. I was very excited, so this morning, I grabbed the book and brought it with me to the office, where I like to pray and meditate before I start my day. The six-minute reflections actually began on Sunday, so I read the three before Ash Wednesday today. The one for Monday, titled "A good beginning" talked about "using the six minutes to ask God's help in making some course corrections in our lives." It talked about the fact that "we all have a file of resolutions in the back of our mind." As I was reading this, I was thinking about the resolutions I made for this year that I have not followed. Maybe I should pick one of those to commit to during Lent... But I kept reading, and it said "maybe we'd do better to put those aside for a moment and find out what God has in mind. It may be something we've never thought of, something that surprises us." As I meditated and pondered on this thought, I prayed to God to tell me what He wanted me to do or give up for Lent. Boy, did He surprise me. I can tell you that never, not even during the Spiritual Exercises that I have attended twice, have I heard His voice more clearly. I heard Him loud within my heart: "Give up Nora Roberts. Stop reading those books." (I would like to think that He also said "just for Lent.” And since today is “Fat Tuesday” or “Mardi Gras,” today I will read, read, and read) :) :).
However, He also went further, and this is the part that I call "holy inspiration." He asked me to use the time I would normally spend reading Nora Roberts to get ready for Easter, one step at a time, and not to do it alone, but to do it in community. Of course, at this point, I fought Him. "Oh no, You cannot ask this of me now. Don't forget, this is tax season. I can't stretch myself any further. I will meditate, journal, write... do all those things on my own, before I go to sleep... but in community? Are You out of your mind? What do You want me to do, start a prayer group? No way, I can't do that, ask somebody else." His answer, though, once again, came loud and clear: "email, Christy, email." As you can see, I've had a very busy mental hour with our Lord, until we finally reached a compromise and here it is:
Every night, before I go to sleep, instead of reading Nora Roberts, I will read the little black book. I will open up my heart to allow Him to talk to me through the "six-minute reflection". I will sleep on it and the following morning, when I get to the office, I will "journal" in the form of an email whatever God moves me to write. I will keep it to "five-minutes" and send it to those of you that are interested in walking these 48 steps to Easter with our Lord. The only thing that I ask of you is that you pray about this, and join this walk only if God moved you to do so.
I look forward to sharing this journey with you, and I am very excited, because I know in my heart that it will be much more rewarding for me than reaching the conclusion of "Blood Brothers."
God bless you and your family during this Lent and always.
Little did I know, He was going to ask of me what I consider a huge sacrifice. You see, I love to read, and even though I read what I call my good dose of inspirational reading, I also love what I call my "unwind" literature. I particularly seem to get hooked on this type of reading during tax season, when I'm exhausted at the end of the day, and I just want to unwind before I go to sleep with a good book. One of my favorite authors is Nora Roberts, and currently, I am reading her latest trilogy "Blood Brothers." I was commenting to Rafael this morning that it's really not the most appropriate book to be reading during Lent since it has to do with the devil, and some other very intense and intimate relationships. However, I'm only half way through the first book and it's soooo good, that I was not willing to give it up... that is, until about an hour ago.
This past Sunday, after mass, they were giving out in St. Louis this little black book. I glanced at it on my way home, and I noticed they were six-minute reflections on the Weekly Gospels of Lent. I was very excited, so this morning, I grabbed the book and brought it with me to the office, where I like to pray and meditate before I start my day. The six-minute reflections actually began on Sunday, so I read the three before Ash Wednesday today. The one for Monday, titled "A good beginning" talked about "using the six minutes to ask God's help in making some course corrections in our lives." It talked about the fact that "we all have a file of resolutions in the back of our mind." As I was reading this, I was thinking about the resolutions I made for this year that I have not followed. Maybe I should pick one of those to commit to during Lent... But I kept reading, and it said "maybe we'd do better to put those aside for a moment and find out what God has in mind. It may be something we've never thought of, something that surprises us." As I meditated and pondered on this thought, I prayed to God to tell me what He wanted me to do or give up for Lent. Boy, did He surprise me. I can tell you that never, not even during the Spiritual Exercises that I have attended twice, have I heard His voice more clearly. I heard Him loud within my heart: "Give up Nora Roberts. Stop reading those books." (I would like to think that He also said "just for Lent.” And since today is “Fat Tuesday” or “Mardi Gras,” today I will read, read, and read) :) :).
However, He also went further, and this is the part that I call "holy inspiration." He asked me to use the time I would normally spend reading Nora Roberts to get ready for Easter, one step at a time, and not to do it alone, but to do it in community. Of course, at this point, I fought Him. "Oh no, You cannot ask this of me now. Don't forget, this is tax season. I can't stretch myself any further. I will meditate, journal, write... do all those things on my own, before I go to sleep... but in community? Are You out of your mind? What do You want me to do, start a prayer group? No way, I can't do that, ask somebody else." His answer, though, once again, came loud and clear: "email, Christy, email." As you can see, I've had a very busy mental hour with our Lord, until we finally reached a compromise and here it is:
Every night, before I go to sleep, instead of reading Nora Roberts, I will read the little black book. I will open up my heart to allow Him to talk to me through the "six-minute reflection". I will sleep on it and the following morning, when I get to the office, I will "journal" in the form of an email whatever God moves me to write. I will keep it to "five-minutes" and send it to those of you that are interested in walking these 48 steps to Easter with our Lord. The only thing that I ask of you is that you pray about this, and join this walk only if God moved you to do so.
I look forward to sharing this journey with you, and I am very excited, because I know in my heart that it will be much more rewarding for me than reaching the conclusion of "Blood Brothers."
God bless you and your family during this Lent and always.
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