Change our hearts this time,
your word says it can be,
change our minds this time,
your life could make us free!
We are the people your call set apart
Lord, this time, change our hearts!
What a beautiful lenten anthem! However, if you look closely, the author says "this time" not once, but twice! Yeah, that's kind of how it is, isn't it? We all do it -- make lenten promises and try to renew and revive ourselves and our spiritual life, but somehow we always seem to revert back to our old ways. Hopefully this lenten season finds you with renewed interest in getting rid of the bad and bringing in the good (whatever that is). May we truly change our hearts -- and minds -- this time!
If you heard Archbishop Schnurr's homily this morning (if you're in our diocese! LOL), he was making his annual appeal -- and I was struck by several things -- first, he discussed how in the first reading God asked Abraham to leave all of his belongings and follow him. What? Leave all of his belongings and follow him? Leave his stuff? Gosh, what a leap of faith that would be.
We are such a society of "stuff"......houses, cars, motorcycles, campers, tvs, computers, phones, clothes.....the list could go on......and for someone - anyone - to ask me to leave my stuff, would be huge. How would I ever do it?
But if we truly consider where all of the "stuff" comes from, it is truly from Him himself -- and to give it back should not be hard. I would love nothing more than to write today that I would easily do that.....but must tell you it would be hard.
The second interesting thing I heard him say today was to "prayerfully consider" what we can give towards his appeal. Prayerfully consider? How the heck do we do that?
I sometimes wish that there were more classes on prayer. I"ve taught a few in the high school, but certainly don't always feel that prayer is my strong suit. Sure, I pray. I pray before and after meals. I pray in the morning before my feet hit the floor (even though sometimes when I'm late getting up, it may sound something like, "Oh, God, here we go!"); I pray in the evenings. I pray when something's hard -- one of my kids is having a tough time, or I/we have a big decision to make. I certainly prayed a lot for strength the weeks of the funerals of my parents.
But how to pray? And how do we know we're doing it right? Like, in the instance of the appeal, how does prayerfully considering help us to give? I can tell you this: if you have never tried it, do it. Do it right now. Go someplace quiet. Say a very simple prayer -- "God, help me/us to determine what we can afford to give to the appeal." Then comes the hard part. Listen. Don't try to say more. Listen. I can almost guarantee you that you will hear the answer. In time. It will come to you.
We will probably discuss prayer more later....so big of a topic.
Life is good. Let's change our hearts, this time, this week -- for the better -- and for forever!
And, if you're one of my kids -- the answer to the bonus question from church is in here! (I asked them to tell me at brunch who said the homily this morning).
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