Lenten Joy?

A Willingness to Be Transformed

As we prepare to enter into this, the holiest of weeks, our hearts are full of all that has happened since we began this Lenten journey.  The commentary in a past Lenten missalette says: “Let us enter this week with hearts willing to be transformed again by a paschal love that has the power to lift us from the grave of sin and into the light and life that come only from God.”                     

“…hearts willing to be transformed again…”  Transformation is hard work.  All our prayers, fasting and almsgiving these past weeks have been to help open us up to our need and the world’s need for this paschal love.  We know it is God who first loved us, who calls us to open our hearts to that love and to let it transform us and others. How difficult it is to understand and believe in such a love! And yet, this week we celebrate the fact that God sent the Son to identify with each of us in an unbelievable act of love.           

Where I once celebrated weekday Eucharist, a blind man was also often present.  At communion time he needed someone’s assistance to come forward.  As I witnessed this and reflected upon it, I realized that this is what we are each called to do daily.  Our words and actions lead others closer to the love God offers and we also rely on others to reflect the love of God they hold, back to us, for us.                  

As we enter into this Holy Week and the graced time of General Chapter that will soon follow, let us rejoice in the love of our God and of those whom we call our sisters and brothers.

Blessings this Holy Week!

Growing Awareness as Holy Week Begins

I have been trying to be more aware of all that happens around me and within me. Both are challenging. I have been living a lot in the future. To live today, knowing it has value for what it holds and not just for what I can accomplish for tomorrow, is my growing awareness. It is today that I must enjoy the ride. If I do not radiate hope today, there will be none for tomorrow. If there is no incarnating or deepening or living with passion today, there will be none tomorrow. Being aware, aware, aware is the only guarantee of recognizing God’s dream today or tomorrow.

Awareness within is even more challenging as life swirls around me. If I look deep within, can I see hope in my own heart? Is there a great love for my calling or treasured relationships? Do I see myself as one that I encounter with passion each day? How real is the self-respect? Being aware, aware, aware is the only guarantee of recognizing a growing reflection of a loving God within my very self.

Please continue to journey with me as we walk toward Calvary knowing that there is an empty tomb just over the horizon.

Sr. Joyce Shanabarger

Lent: A Season of Hope

The strange thing about the season of Lent is that we often interpret it to be a season of doom and gloom. Yet for us, it is more authentically the season of preparation for the death and resurrection of Jesus. We are invited to think about how we to prepare for these events.

How can we empty ourselves to find space to love and bring hope to others? We may have to think about how to love others in a new way.

How can I empty myself of some of my anxiety to find hope? There have been stories of hope all over: the blue skies in Wuhan, the clear water in the Venice canals, the healthcare workers caring tirelessly even with great personal risk, and the creative ways people are avoiding isolation. Reminding myself of these moments helps fill some of my mental space with hope and encourages me to find ways to bring hope to others through new forms of digital ministry as we are learning from our many Zoom experiences.

This season invites us all into finding hope and working towards love in new and significant ways as we prepare for the coming Easter season. My prayer is that you have a hope-filled Lent.