A Chance

Here I am, Lord,
ready for your grace.
Come and help me
become the person
you want me to be.

Today is Ash Wednesday. Ash Wednesday marks the beginning of Lent. Lent is the 40 days before Easter where we Catholics prepare ourselves for the Resurrection. We do this by prayer, fasting and almsgiving. I know these are things that we should be doing all year long, but Lent is a time to emphasize these things.

I myself since a young girl have always felt something special for Lent. Why? That is what I was asking myself this morning in Mass. I often go to daily Mass and usually there are not many people in the pews, but today was different. Ash Wednesday is not even a Holy Day of Obligation, so why so many people? Maybe, people feel the same way about Lent as I do. A Chance. Lent seems like a do over. The priest summed it up this morning . . . he said "Lent is the time to repent and live the gospel." A chance to repent, a chance to live the gospel more fully. Lent is a time for me to consider who I am and what I need to let go of. I guess it seems even greater because the whole church is doing it with me.

It may seem confusing to hear today's gospel (Matthew 6:1-18) "When you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, who love to stand and pray in the synagogues and on street corners so that others may see them. . . . . pray to your Father in secret . . . when you fast, do not look gloomy like the hypocrites. They neglect their appearance, so that they may appear to others to be fasting. . . . but when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face, so that you may not appear to be fasting." So are we Catholics, hypocrites running around with ash crosses on our foreheads? Should we run home and wash the ash off? No, we are not hypocrites. One day a year we are wearing our hearts on our sleeves, or should I say crosses on our heads. It is a testament of who we are and who we are trying to be. It may even remind others who have fallen away from the faith to come back. It will call in a gentle whisper not a loud yell.

Our ash crosses is mostly a reminder to ourselves of the coming days of lent and of our coming day of death. It reminds us that if we continue to be steadfast we receive our reward of Easter Sunday with all it's beautiful feasting and celebration and then more importantly our reward of everlasting glory with the Resurrected Christ.

What mostly matters is how we wear our crosses. How we sacrifice, pray and fast during the next 40 days only matters if we do it out of deep humility and love. I know I am no where near to being the saint that God wants me to be. But each lent with my efforts beside Jesus, I follow Him closely up the hill to Calvary. This is the time for me to renew my efforts and take special care to soften my heart to my God. For it is only then that I can truly experience what He has in store for me.

2 Corinthians 5:20-6:2 
"Brothers and sisters: We are ambassadors for Christ, as if God were appealing through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. For our sake he made him to be sin who did not know sin, so that we might become the righteousness of God in him. 
Working together, then, we appeal to you not to receive the grace of God in vain. For he says: In an acceptable time I heard you, and on the day of salvation I helped you. 
Behold, now is a very acceptable time; behold now is the day of salvation."

Dear Father, may my heart
be open to all you have
in store for me. 

As we enter the next 40 days I pray you too will open your heart to the Lord. I pray for your efforts just as I implore your prayers for my family and myself as well. And by Easter I hope that we all get to feel and know Gods transforming power.

Go forth and set the World on Fire

"Go forth and set the world on fire" St. Ignatius of Loyola

It is amazing to me how watching the glow of a fire makes for easy meditation. Fire is one of those great things that is so dangerous and so useful at the same time. Just like our souls; our actions can be so  useful or so dangerous to others. That is probably why so many saints and in the bible they compare the soul and fire so often. Let our souls be on fire with love for this is the time it is so needed.

One of our many campfires at Sanctae Familiae Villa

"If God causes you to suffer much, it is a sign that He has great designs for you, and He certainly intends to make you a saint. And if you wish to become a great saint, entreat Him yourself to give you much opportunity for suffering; for there is no wood better to kindle the fire of holy love than the wood of the cross, which Christ used for His own great sacrifice of boundless charity." St. Ignatius of Loyola

Potato Eater!

Today is the feast day of one of my favorite saints. I have to say "one of" because I have many favorites. But this simple country boy turned priest holds a special place in my heart.  This young boy who worked hard with his family on a farm, while hoping one day to become a priest. It sort of looked hopeless for him, his family had no money and he was not very smart. But he became a priest and an amazing one at that. I am writing about St. John Vianney or the Cure of Ars. 

 

St. John-Baptiste-Marie Vianney (1786-1859),
popularly known as the Cure of Ars. He was
a paster (cure) at Ars, a small farmers' village
about 20 miles north of Lyons, France from
1818 till his death in 1859. His incorrupt
body reposes over one of the altars in the
Basilica at Ars. 

As I was reflecting this morning on some aspects of his life; I thought about how the devil would torment this poor little priest. He worked closely with Jesus to save many souls. He lived as a humble servant of God and gave much.  The devil did not like this. He called him "Potato eater" and would taunt him with that name for that is all the poor little priest would eat. 

Potato eater. . . a funny thing to reflect on I know. Why did I find myself reflecting on this insult from satan? Because what was an insult from satan, in my mind has turned into a term of endearment for my saint friend. I am proud of him. He was so  holy and simple he would just enjoy the plainness of the potato. I suddenly appreciated not only all the great things he did, or all the souls he saved, but his simplicity. 

Me standing next to one of our potato towers.

I have read many books about him and his sermons, but I still have much to learn from him. "Another bad habit which is very common in homes and among working people is impatience, grumbling, and swearing. . . . what is even worse, you lose all the merit which you might have gained for Heaven." excerpt from The Sermons of The Cure of Ars.

That is just it! I spend so much time complaining about things gone wrong on this little homestead. . . I forget the simple things about it that can make me grow closer to God. With all these thoughts I decided to check on my sad little potato plants out in the garden. No matter what they faired St. John Vianney and God would be with me. 

In the past we have not had much success with potatoes. The plants would grow beautifully and then the mice or other creatures would eat and run. This year we made potato towers with chicken wire on the bottom. The plants have been looking great. The potatoes are not fully ready to harvest, but I just had to take a look. What a surprise I beheld with some great looking potatoes. It looks like we will have a wonderful potato harvest this year! 

Our little tribute to our favorite saint.

As I eat the potatoes from our labor I will think about all the lessons I have learned from my saint friend. I will ask for his intercessions for this homestead. I will pray, work hard and try to live more simple knowing that God loves Potato eaters!