"The point of religion is to celebrate the unfathomable mystery of creation."...(Chet Raymo)
Through our faith we come to celebrate the inexhaustible good of all creation and the One who created it.
What a beautiful exploring and finding of all that is worthy of celebration! And when more of the good
is revealed to me, the trillion cells in my body shout in Joyful Praise.
Welcome aboard for our 2009 Lenten Journey! So many come into Lent dreading it. But, in the end, why do we dread? Lent is a time to name all that divides us from being forever caught up in the song and dance of God, his children and all creation. Remember, divide comes from the word devil/diablo and the Devil/Diablo wants nothing more than to take us away from the unfathomable mystery and inexhaustible good of God and all he has put into being. So, praise God for the gift of the church and how she offers the Holy Season of Lent to take away all that divides us from the song and dance of God, his children and all creation. Who or what else has ever made this offer to humankind? Without the church bringing us God, there is no inexhaustible song and dance to celebrate.
Each Lenten Season, the church offers us three ways to grow in the song and dance of God. Reflect with a little expose (x-pose-say) on each.
1. Prayer- "I don't know exactly what prayer is. I do know how to pay attention, how to fall down into the grass, how to kneel down in the grass, how to be idle and to be blessed." Mary Oliver- poet
2. Fasting- We fast from food or judging or swearing or TV or false idols or self-reliance over God-reliance or things to come back to the eternal truth that our greatest hunger is for the love of God to be poured out in our hearts through the Holy Spirit. (Romans 5:5)
3. Almsgiving- Do you give 10% of your gross income to those in greater need than you? This teaches us that it is all God's money and that we can trust him with what often seems to be what is most sacred to us- our money. A great indicator as to whether we are trusting God with our lives is if we are trusting him with our money.
In dread, we can let all that divides us from the celebration keep us there. Or, we can let God name and rid ourselves of all that divides us from being caught up in the song and dance of God. The church offers and we…
May every one of your trillion cells shout Joyful Praise! That is what Lent is preparing us for.
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