In a curious twist, a friend bought me coffee on the first day of my Lenten generosity practice! My first reaction was disappointment that I wasn’t able to be generous and treat her. But on the way home, I thought about this more and saw a different perspective. Perhaps the ability to graciously receive what… Continue reading The Generosity in Receiving
Tag: Lent
What Exactly IS Generosity?
As I began my Lenten practice of generosity, I first realized that I need to define precisely what generosity actually is. My initial thought was that generosity was all about charitable financial giving. But as I started to think about it more, I saw that this is a very narrow definition and a limiting way… Continue reading What Exactly IS Generosity?
A Practice for Lent 2024
Ash Wednesday and Valentine’s Day coincide this year, and this gives me a unique perspective on choosing a Lenten practice.
Lent Wrap-Up
Lent is now over and we’re in the extended season of Easter. Here’s a final thought along with a review of the topics I’ve written about during Lent.
Darkness Into Light
Each year, the celebration of Easter reminds us of the triumph of light over darkness, of good over evil. On Holy Saturday, the Church keeps watch, marking the passage of Christ’s death to life and celebrating the resurrection. The common metaphor of light representing goodness (or enlightenment) and darkness representing evil (or ignorance) is powerful… Continue reading Darkness Into Light
Staying Awake with Suffering?
How do we stay awake to the suffering that is an integral part of the final week of Lent?
Trust
Once we get good at listening to God, the next step in staying awake is trusting what we hear.
Listening to Your Life
A practice closely related to listening to God is listening to our own life. Last week I wrote about the need to be attentive so we can hear when God “speaks” to us. Today I’ll examine the corresponding need to be attentive and listen to what our life tells us. The gospel reading for the… Continue reading Listening to Your Life
Listening To God
One facet of staying awake is being present enough to what is happening so that we can hear what God is saying to us. In the gospels, the phrase “Let anyone with ears to hear listen!” is repeated by Jesus multiple times (Mk 4:9, Mk 4:23, Mt 11:15, Mt 13:9, Lk 14:35). This phrase always… Continue reading Listening To God
Savoring Our Moments
Savoring is a specific practice I’m cultivating in my Lenten journey to stay awake and present. Very often, our days become routine – we do the same things repeatedly and even think the same way. This makes time appear to pass very quickly. Savoring is a way to break out of the dullness of too… Continue reading Savoring Our Moments
Falling Up After 50 