Lent begins. The Church observes Lent as a time for spiritual renewal. What does that mean? Spiritual renewal means that you and I recommit
ourselves to seeking God, to obeying God, to doing His will lovingly in our
service of one another. The traditional
three foremost means for spiritual renewal during Lent are prayer, fasting, and
giving of charity to the needy. On
fasting you either know and understand by now, or choose not to take it
seriously. Almsgiving or charity to
neighbor includes not only financial contributions, but looking for ways to
help the needy, and offering acts of kindness to all—especially towards those
whom we naturally may not like. They are
our brothers and sisters, too.
On
prayer, practices include attentively sharing in the Eucharist (Mass);
listening to God and speaking heart to heart; praying various devotions (such
as the rosary or the stations of the cross); sitting still in the presence of
God; and spiritual reading. This Lent, I
have chosen to emphasize the importance of spiritual reading (lectio
divina, divine reading) in the everyday lives of the faithful. Why do spiritual reading? To nourish your mind; to increase your
appreciation for the truth, goodness, and beauty of God; to move you to love
God more as the Beginning and End of all things; to increase your faith in God
as your Lord and Savior; and to help you to know more truly and to walk more
faithfully on the path of life.
What
should you read this Lent to nourish you in God? First, I am asking all parishioners to read
selected chapters from the book of Exodus, the work that for many centuries has
been the foremost book for spiritual reading in the Church during Lent. To these I add some chapters from
Deuteronomy. And with each week I add
one or several short Psalms for your prayerful reading. Remember that the Psalms are the foremost
prayerbook of Israel, and of the Church.
Be attentive! Here are your
assigned readings for the 6 weeks of Lent:
In
addition, for those attending our adult faith class that meets Sundays at Holy
Trinity, Centerville, immediately after Mass (and includes a pot-luck meal), I
request that each of us choose an additional book to read closely during
Lent. Some recommendations would
include: the Confessions of St.Augustine; the Proslogion of St. Anselm; Introduction to the DevoutLife by St. Francis de Sales; the Story of a Soul by St. Thérèse of
Lisieux (St. Theresa, the “Little Flower”).
Each of these 4 books is a masterpiece of the human spirit, each written
by a faithful, loving, gifted Catholic saint.
Or, you may find another book which interests you and turns your
thoughts and attention towards God. That
is the point of spiritual reading: to
immerse oneself more fully in the Presence of the living God.
May
this Lent be a season of grace for you.
Make good the gift.
