Father, our source of life, your know our weakness. May we reach out with joy to grasp your hand and walk more readily in your ways.
Psalm 86 various
The promises of the Lord I will sing forever;through all generations my mouth shall proclaim your faithfulness,For you have said, “My kindness is established forever”;in heaven you have confirmed your faithfulness.
“I have made a covenant with my chosen one,I have sworn to David my servant:Forever will I confirm your posterityand establish your throne for all generations.”
“He shall say of me, ‘You are my father,my God, the Rock, my savior.’Forever I will maintain my kindness toward him,and my covenant with him stands firm.”
Even if it hasn't been easy to get really engaged with Lent so far, we can still make a beginning, even now. The key is openness and desire. If we can feel any attraction, any sign that the Lord is possibly drawing us, then the Lord can work with us - no matter what resistance or fear we might also be experiencing. All we have to do is act out of these desires and simply ask the Lord for the grace to help us be more honest and more open to what he is offering us. For example, we can ask for the grace to examine our consciences more thoroughly. We could try a different approach to facing any resistance we might have to the Lord's working in us. We might not commit the big sins, but we may not have examined what we fail to do. Who am I failing to love, to forgive, to be generous to? From whom am I withholding affection, care, reconciliation? Where can I live more honestly, with more integrity? How might I proactively change patterns of escape with patterns of care for others? It is a time of grace if we can experience moments of "recognition," or self-understanding. It is grace to feel grateful to the Lord for showing us obstacles to the life he is offering us. It is grace to feel our spirits lighten as we feel drawn to greater freedom and peace.This week, let us give thanks to the Lord who deeply desires our greater freedom and joy. As we go to bed each night, let us thank the Lord for what we saw that day and renew our desires for the next day of grace.
Loving God of forgiveness, we come before you humbled and sad in the face of our own repeated failings. We hold out our hands as a petitioner would, asking for mercy. It is then that we feel you reach out and take our hands in your loving grasp. Thank you for the love you pour out on us so lavishly. Help us to follow more closely in the path you have set for us, the path of your Son.
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