I love Lent. I first practiced Lent 33 years ago while coming into full Communion with the Church through what was then RCIA (Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults) and is now OCIA (Order of Christian Initiation of Adults). The first time we try something it isn’t easy. There were firsts along the way. In the beginning I remember wanting to do it right, now I want to do it well or more clearly let Lent do me. I have a natural tendency to make things much more difficult than necessary. Over time I let go of the practice of giving things up for Lent and entering into a time of deeper reading. This year I did a bit of both. In order to bring more into Lent I gave something up.
Lent isn’t easy in practice, as we enter into the desert of Life with great intention. What we know about Jesus going into the desert is that He fasted and prayed and at the end was tempted by the evil one. As much as I wanted to abandon this years practice it simply wasn’t feasible as there were other people involved. That’s a good way to continue practicing. And more to the point Love is a good reason to continue. Love of God, love of neighbor and love of self.
We had our final weekend of Spiritual Direction formation. Here is a post of our cohort at the Mass where we received our certificates of completion.
As part of our final weekend we needed to write at least three pages and prepare to share up to 10 minutes. This was by far the most difficult part of the course, reflecting on where I’ve grown over the last two years, how my prayer life has changed, and the books read, experiences had and, and. While I went into that experience with four drafts, none quite fulfilling deep sense of connection with these people who I had the distinct privilege of walking with on this journey.
As we finish up this Lent and head into the great beauty of Easter I am reflecting on the great beauty of the last 33 years.
More to come soon,
Teri
A Quilter's Heart 