For this Lent, one of the things I have decided to do is to learn a new language, a love language. Not the usual romance languages of Italy or Spain, but one whose origin goes even further back in human history. I’m talking about the love Jesus spoke of in Matthew 22:37-41. “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.” Jesus is speaking here of agape love. Putting love of God and neighbor…

“As for me and my house we will serve the Lord” Joshua 25:15. Service, a word we are very familiar with, and I daresay find so commonplace that we may not think much about it’s meaning. The Oxford English dictionary defines service as “the action of helping or doing work for someone.” In the scriptural passage from Joshua, he was referring to the later portion of the definition, ‘doing work for someone.’ Of course the work he did was evangelical as he spread the message of God to all the people. Joshua was one of MANY such individuals all throughout scripture who heard God’s call to a life of service…

Forgiveness. There’s nothing quite like it. It can soothe the soul giving wings to a heavy heart, and yet it can be one of the most challenging things to do. We know how important it is to forgive one another. It’s so important Jesus made sure to speak of it often in the Gospels. Take MT 6: 7-15 for example. Jesus tells the disciples to forgive others that offend them either in word or deed. He goes on to state the importance of this practice as it relates to God. “If you forgive men their transgressions, your heavenly Father will forgive you. But if you do not forgive men, neither will…

I am not good enough. I am not smart enough. I am too fat. I am ugly. I will never be as successful as they are. I am unlovable. God doesn’t care about me, etc., etc. Has the Devil ever spoken one of these lies to you? Did you believe him? My guess is that at one time or another you did. I have. Maybe you are dwelling on one of these falsehoods right now. I’m here to invite you to let go of these lies this lent. While we are busy fasting from other things (chocolate, television, sugar, fast food, etc.) let us also fast from these self-destructive lies…

Free play, free time, free parking. Generally anything beginning with the word ‘free’ gets people excited. Just 2 days ago, we received a ‘free day’ in the way of an additional day added to the month of February. Every 4 years we are gifted this additional day (Leap Year) to ensure our calendar days align with the seasons of the year, i.e. Spring. How did you spend your extra day this year? What did you do? Was it time well spent? Time seems to be the one thing we never have enough of and yet can be so careless with. How many of us find ourselves over-extended by all our…

First Sunday of Lent. Today our gospel selection tells the story of Jesus being tempted by the devil. Jesus dismissed each of the three temptations and was able to refute the devil by using direct quotations from the scriptures. This encounter between Jesus and the devil culminates with the famous line uttered by Jesus, “Get behind me Satan.” There is so much to be observed in this gospel. Jesus had been in the desert, fasting and praying for 40 days. As He was in the midst of a personal retreat, spending time in prayer, when He receives his visit from the devil. How often do we find ourselves dealing with…

Do you pray everyday? Every other day? Once a week? Do you pray only in moments of struggle or fear? Prayer is the simplest way of inviting God into our lives, but prayer is so often misunderstood. How do we pray? Are there words I’m supposed to say? What if I don’t know what to say? Prayer is a language, a conversation, and a conversation consists of two people sharing in the task of actively speaking AND actively listening. It’s not enough to just talk to God, we also have to take the time to listen. Prayer never was meant to be one-sided, but rather a dialogue.CHALLENGE: Allow yourself a few…

Be the light of Christ in the world today. Your kind word, gesture, smile, simple ‘thank you’ May be the exact thing needed to dispel the darkness of another and inspire them to bring goodness to another.CHALLENGE: Along with bringing Christ’s light to someone today, allow yourself to be open to encountering the Lord through another. Someone saying hello as you step into the elevator, a phone call from a friend you haven’t heard from in awhile, a smile and nod from a fellow mother wrangling her rowdy children in the checkout line. These experiences are more than coincidences. They are encounters with our God who wants to encourage, reassure…

Lent is an old English word meaning spring. It is during this season of the year that we are given the opportunity to “spring clean” our souls. Removing from them anything that has made them dirty or untidy. We have an opportunity to “deep clean” ourselves and “refresh” our spirits to really transform them anew.CHALLENGE: As we begin day 2 of Lent, take a moment to search interiorly to see if you can identify 1 area in your life that could really benefit from a spring cleaning. One addiction or vice you can let go of, or a daily practice that will renew you’re spirit and bring you closer to…

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