In the very first sentences of his very first encyclical, delivered on Christmas Day 2005, Pope Benedict XVI wrote:
“Being Christian is not the result of an ethical choice or a lofty idea, but the encounter with a person.”
Later in the encyclical (20), he wrote:
For 46 weeks a year, before the gospel, we sing “Alleluia!”. One of my favorite small Lenten traditions is the slight adjustment to the gospel acclamation for the six Sundays of Lent.
There are variations, but most are close to: “Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ, king of endless glory.”
After Jesus resurrected from the dead and came back to the world…
The Fifth Station of the Cross
Simon Helps Jesus Carry His Cross
How lucky are we to have friends on this journey, who willingly stand along side us, pick up our cross, and help us carry it. Sometimes those 'friends' are even strangers.
Reach out to a friend today, a fellow traveler, and express gratitude for someone who has helped you carry the cross.
“It’s just a little voice. But if you’re listening, sometimes a little voice can say the biggest things.”
This song by Sara Bareilles (linked below - it’s beautiful) is reminiscent of 1 Kings 19:12, when Elijah does not hear God’s voice in the violent wind, the earthquake, or the fire - but in the silence.
Thursdays are particularly busy for me, and weekdays are busy for all of us.
Today - take a moment and see if you can hear that ‘little voice’ in your life. Sometimes it says the biggest things.
I am often discouraged by the state of our world.
I tell myself: I cannot ever do enough. I can’t end wars. I can’t stop violence. I can’t solve world hunger. I can’t reverse climate degradation. It’s too easy to slip down the road of despair.
But Jesus was abundantly clear. In a time when the world was even more violent, even more hungry, and far more sickly than our world today, Jesus said: Do not despair. Have hope.
How, in the face of all this?!?
Reading the lives of the saints can be inspiring. But it can also be scary - I am not good enough for that! I’ll never be good enough for that!
In Pope Francis’s Gaudete et Exsultate (“Rejoice and Be Glad”) he assures us that it’s not about copying the saints. It’s not about being exactly like the saints. It’s about becoming who we are called to be.
Monday Resource
Today’s resource is a collection of landing pages from Papal Messages for Lent. In particular, let us reflect on the consistent themes in the 27 Lenten Messages of Pope St. John Paul II - the poor, the hungry, the marginalized, and a reminder that Lent is a time to serve and pray in solidarity.
Pope John Paul II’s Lenten Messages (1979-2005)
Bonus resources:
For the second week in a row, this weekend’s Gospels (Saturday and Sunday) are both broaden our vision, move our hearts, and increase our hope.
