Centered on Christ: Inviting God into Your Lenten Plans
This Lent, Sarah Damm shares four simple steps to invite the Lord into our Lenten plans and keep Him at the center of the season.
Lenten Inspiration: Heart, Home and Family
Lent begins tomorrow! Ready or not, the season of prayer, fasting, and almsgiving is upon us. Are you ready? Or not? I am mostly ready. God has given me a very personal invitation to spend more time in prayer, so that is going to be my focus. And with my ongoing struggle with Hashimoto’s (an autoimmune disease that attacks my Thyroid) and the various symptoms that accompany it, I am also going to pay closer attention to my diet by…
Four Spiritual Books Invite Us to Pray With Scripture This Lent
With Lent less than one week away, many of us are taking time to decide how we want to spend this prayerful and penitential season. What prayers will we say? How will we fast or sacrifice? Where will we give alms? One of my favorite Lenten practices is finding a new spiritual book to read. When we read spiritual books, we are inspired to grow in holiness, and our insights into the Catholic faith are deepened. Spiritual books can include…
Thirsting For Souls: Jesus, the Samaritan Woman, and the Sacrament of Confession
Last Sunday’s Gospel about the Woman at the Well (John 4:5-42) is very common during the season of Lent, and over the years, it has become one of my favorites. Several years ago, I attended a women’s retreat, and an image of the Woman at the Well was the focal point. A small holy card was taped onto our retreat journals. Large posters with the image on it surrounded our meeting room. And every time I gazed upon it, I saw myself….
Lenten Weariness: How to Avoid the Temptation to Quit
It was January 1, and I was gung-ho to begin my New Year’s resolution. My plan was to start a rigorous elimination diet in the hope of feeling better. I purchased ingredients to make healthy meals, and I set aside time to cook for the week. I knew it was going to be hard, but I reached a tipping point in my chronic illness and knew I had to try more drastic measures. After a week, I started to regain…
How I Lent: Giving Up the Swirl and Shoulds
The swirl of thoughts left me weary. What should my focus be? What should my days look like? What is my purpose? The lack of answers, or my fear of failure, left me paralyzed. My present brokenness was all I seemed to know, and despite the pain, it was surprisingly comfortable. And yet, the small flicker of hope deep within my heart convinced me there is a better way. “The wilderness and the dry land shall be glad, the desert shall…
Lent Around My Home: Reclaiming My Joy
When my children were quite young, in fact when I only had half of the children I have today, I felt compelled to find ways to make the Catholic faith come alive for my children. More than simply attending Mass with them each Sunday, I wanted to teach them to pray, introduce them to the saints, and celebrate the liturgical seasons within our domestic church. I wanted to bridge what they saw and experienced at church and how we lived…
Experiencing Lent Through Our Five Senses
As a mom, I try hard to make spiritual experiences as tangible as possible for my children. I do not want them to think of God as a far-away being but rather Someone who is near, next to, within and all around. I know that it is not always necessary to feel close to God in order to be close to God, but having some tangible experiences can help our overall relationship with the Lord. I think that’s one reason God gave…
The Lord’s Gaze
Today’s Gospel reading (John 4:5-42) is one of my favorites. I didn’t realize it was, until I heard our pastor read it today at Mass. Many emotions and memories flooded me, as I heard of gentle Jesus meeting this Woman at the Well. I remembered how this Bible story reminds me of the sacrament of Confession. Jesus meets the woman where she’s at, and He loves her, even with all her failings and shortcomings. Like the Woman at the Well,…