Vocations Newsletter

“If today you hear his voice, harden not your hearts.”~ Psalm 95:7Friend,This is hard work. It’s the third week of Lent and what we started with every good intention is starting to feel weighty—maybe even burdensome. What exactly did we start anyway?Listen to the reading today from Exodus. The Israelites said the same thing to Moses when they left Egypt: “Why did you make us leave, only to die of thirst in the desert?” Worried for his people, Moses prayed with all his might; then he followed God’s command. He struck a rock and water flowed.How does that apply to me, you ask?We know what God wants for us: joy in giving witness to the compassion of Our Lord and, one day, a welcome home with the gift of eternal life. I understand… sometimes we feel like we’re stuck in a personal desert without a lifeline. This is where prayer helps—and sharing our feelings with people we know who are on the same journey.The halfway mark of Lent is a good time to ask ourselves what really matters. If we want change and transformation, what are we willing to do to deepen our relationship with God? Only you can answer…
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The second week of Lent… and transformation is definitely the message of today’s Gospel. Are you up to the challenge?In the company of his disciples—Peter, James and John his brother—Jesus revealed his divinity. At that moment, Matthew says “his face shone like the sun and his clothes became white as light.” What Jesus is telling us by example is that we can be changed, too.Lent is the time for a quiet transformation of our spiritual lives, a time to shine our light and proclaim through prayer and good works salvation in Christ. The best way I know to be transformed is to give ourselves over to God so that each day we are a new creation, reflecting in some way an expression of infinite love and endless compassion.With the words of a humble missioner, let’s ask God to transform us today. Here’s a suggestion: Stop for a moment and think about the things in your life that may be going in the wrong direction. Pick just one thing you want to change, and place your intentions in God’s hands. Pray over it. Then be open to the Spirit and let yourself be transformed.Friend, we can be comforted knowing that the…
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“Have mercy on me, O God, in your goodness; in the greatness of your compassion wipe out my offense. Thoroughly wash me from my guilt and of my sin cleanse me.”Psalm Chapter 51, verses 3-4Friend,Today is the first Sunday of Lent… and as some poets might say, the first day of the rest of our lives. Time to get on with the work of personal reckoning—acknowledging our sins and shortcomings, and seeking forgiveness. But it’s work of the most rewarding kind.Because we are missioners, each of us has a great desire to connect with God and be renewed in the compassion of Our Lord. So the first thing we can do in our Lenten journey is acknowledge our limitations. Even our flaws. And definitely our sins. Lent gives us the mental space to do that—and the comfort of knowing that the faithful person next door—and believers all over the world—are seeking a deeper relationship with God, too.When we take these first few steps toward renewal, the world changes. We change! We don’t just seek forgiveness. We give it as well and that’s when healing replaces pain. Take a minute now to think how it would feel to be free of…
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Reaching the fullness of life… isn’t that what we all want? Not in a material sense but in a deeply spiritual way—by relieving a hurt, eliminating some past guilt, or just finding a new direction that’s centered on doing good and witnessing God’s love. Fortunately, we have a way. It’s called Lent and the possibility of second chances.This Wednesday we observe the ritual of the ashes and the beginning of Lent. We know the ashes are a reminder of our mortality, and Lent a time of denial. But I prefer to think of these sacred traditions as something more… a chance to start over and realize our full potential as sons and daughters of the Lord destined for eternal life.So rather than focus on giving something up, how about focusing on something you can affirm—perhaps a relationship that means a lot to you but needs a little work. Is there some small thing you can say or do? An act of kindness that could help?Lent is an opportunity to witness the Gospel with conviction because we are preparing to spend all eternity with our God. It’s a time to lighten our burdens and find comfort in our faith.Friend, I will…
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