Vocations
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The Purpose of Lent
We’ve finally arrived here at Lent and hopefully our first week and a half have gone well so far. I truly believe that the key to a successful lent is the same key to living out one’s vocation in a fruitful and joyful way. What I mean by this is that both doing works of penance as well as carrying out prayerful discernment require the same focus and necessitate avoiding the very same pitfall. I think that many of us battle with a temptation during Lent to think that this is our 40 day chance to prove to God that we can become better people and that we can be who He wants for us to be. When we do this, our Lenten projects merely become an opportunity to make ourselves feel good about what is it that we are doing, which leads us to miss the whole point! The purpose of lent isn’t to prove ourselves to God, rather we let go of the things that get in the way of our receiving God’s own proofs of love for each of us! In other words Lent is a time to receive God’s love in a deeper way, and the way to do this is by mortification and penance. So too in discernment our role isn’t to try to figure out what we think would be best for us or what would make us feel good, rather we need to try to set aside our own wants and desires so that we can focus on what God has in store for us. So as you continue forward, simply strive to receive God’s love! |
Considering a call to the priesthood or religious life?
Contact Fr Jack T. Reichardt.
Contact Fr Jack T. Reichardt.
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