Ash Wednesday - opening door to Lent…and our Walk With Jesus
2/6/08 Ash Wednesday. The door to Lent has opened. We are walking through a 40 day desert experience as we identify with Jesus. As we walk through Lent, what is the spiritual life discipline that is a part of your wilderness this Lenten season? For me, it’s giving up my computer game, free cell. I realize I play free cell because it’s convenient – right there on the computer. And it gives me the opportunity to “master something”, “make it work out”, “appease my need to be in control of something as mundane as a series of numbers”. But it reinforces my need for a “control”. So this season, my “power control” prop is being left in Eqypt, a BC equivalent of Microsoft and I’m in the vulnerability of a desert. Walking with Jesus …and you. We will see when we get to station V – Simon Carries the Cross for Jesus – that weakness, vulnerability and sharing are God’s tools to bringing about His purpose in our lives and on earth. How glibly we can recite the beatitudes – how difficult to live them out. So as we walk together, let us share our wilderness and our 2008 Lenten views, expectations, disciplines, goals, our Walk With Jesus. - Blessings, Jack
A note to those who are waiting for their copy of Walk With Jesus. We will be posting excerpts from the book (with the publisher’s kind permission) so that you will have some text to read and reflect on. Not as good as having the book of course, but we hope it is helpful as an interim measure. Blessings, Maureen
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February 15th, 2008 @ 9:12 pm
Dear Patty,
My thoughts and prayers are also with you and Roger. Each day is precious beyond any attempt to put it into words and finally just being part of your community and praying for God to continue strengthening you and helping Roger to sustain well the chemotherapy treatments are part of my days also. My God bring healing and wholeness and His Peace.
February 13th, 2008 @ 11:18 am
Hi Patty, my heart and prayers go out to you and your husband. I am so sad to hear of his cancer. It must be hard on everyone in the family. Take it one day at at time, that is about all the advice I can give you and of course stay close to our Blessed Mother and Jesus through praying the rosary.
God Bless you!
February 9th, 2008 @ 11:13 pm
Hi All, What an awesome group we have here!
For me, my penance and also joy is to walk with my husband on his journey to meet Jesus face to face. We now know that Roger has terminal melanoma cancer that is spreading quickly. We do not know if Chemo will help, but he is willing to give it a try and see if he can tolerate it. If it helps it may buy him as much as three months.
At this time the only answer to how much time he has is that he has months. So I need to be HIS caretaker, thus changing places with him. I also need to take on much more work which I have begun to do. Primarily I need to love him, be there for him and all of our family and to be their support through this. Prayer is my biggest key to being able to do this. I am pleased I am able to walk with him through this and able to do as much as possible to help him.
I know that soon he will be in my room with me and I alone am the one strong enough to handle the effects of Chemo and all he has to face with compassion and love. So that is what I believe is enough for me for Lent and for however long after that is needed. We are a loving family and we will come through this with the help of many dear and loving friends.
I am happy to follow this book with this group. But to be honest, when I look on the page for the schedule of readings, it comes up with one word: “DATE”. Can anyone help me out with this?
February 9th, 2008 @ 9:28 am
The advice I got from watching “Mother Angelica Classics” on EWTN was to give up something or DO something during Lent that would enhance or build up my character for Christ. Such as go to Mass more often — maybe 3x weekly, plus Sundays. Recite the rosary more often, fast one meal a day. I decided I would do these things rather than “give up” something. I mean, do we really do any good by giving up dessert - only during Lent - and then proceed to gourge ourselves on chocolate AFTER lent is over? I don’t think so. So, I’m going to build into my daily routine extra things like attending Mass before I go to work, reciting the rosary more often and doing more spiritual reading and contemplation — like doing this online study for Lent.
Brenda.
February 8th, 2008 @ 7:34 pm
Hello. I missed the first round of introductions, but am happy to be joining you from Pittsburgh. (Also just ordered my copy of the book.) This Lent, I hope to give up worrying and obsessing…or at least to do it less and cultivate thanksgiving more. Regarding Free Cell and other distractions, I sometimes see them as blessings, actually, which give us a break from the worries of “real life.” Nevertheless, I understand the desire to free up that time and to be open to what God has. (I love and find comfort in chocolate too, Julie
February 7th, 2008 @ 11:15 am
We were so fortunate that our priest made it back to Jalalabad Airfield in time to have Ash Wednesday services. I realize that giving up things for Lent is necessary for me as it concentrates my focus where it needs to be. Even more so, this Lent I will give up being so militarily focused and continually remind myself to be more person focused. I will remind myself to see soldiers as SOULdiers (just now thought of that…I love the way the Lord works) and to hopefully, with the Grace of God, begin to see others as He sees them and to learn to Love them as He loves them.
February 7th, 2008 @ 9:30 am
I am leading a study of the Walk with Jesus at my
church. I am a little nervous about this. I am asking
the questions. Any interaction with other people
I can get from this book would be appreciated.
Henri Nouwen is my favorite author of all time.
Thanks Sonja Hurley
February 6th, 2008 @ 10:52 pm
I think I finally got an e-mail through. So here goes another try. My Lenten discipline is giving up my two cups of strong coffee each morning. Giving up my not feeling I can start the day adequately on my own steam. Tonight at our Ash Wednesday service we/I repented of my self-indulgent appetites and ways. One of the things I do to keep my self-indulgent ways going is to rationalize them and think they are two trivial for anyone/God to be bothered by. I expect first it will be easy, then it will be hard, and possibly before the 40 days are over, I will be very tempted to rationalize. Lent is a good time to become more self-aware and learn that walking with Jesus is the way to lead one out of oneself. I’m looking forward to the readings and people’s contributions to the discussion.
February 6th, 2008 @ 6:47 pm
I will give up my cherished chocolate during this time. I relish it as my comfort food. May I delight in interactive presence of Jesus so MUCH more! I also offer a schedule of regular exercise. I remember my Creator as I move (with extra effort) my arms and legs and worship Him with gratitude and praise. May this be an offering more of my self to be strengthened and made more available for whatever He has for me. I want to learn how to pray for ‘persecuters’- from the perpetrators of the horrors we hear on the news to the those I hear rebukes and sharp words from.
February 6th, 2008 @ 2:41 pm
OUCH! Your comments re: Free Cell game hit me right in my “fill the time with worthless activity” consciousness. For me the game is a way to distract my thoughts and energy to something totally mindless… of course there is no “control” or “competive” issues there either, (ha!) — why I MUST play 2 games for every 1 that I lose in order to keep my “stats” high…
Well, I guess I’ll be joining you in giving it up for the next 40 days — yep, even deleting the game from my desk top.
I wonder what God will be filling my mind with instead? Thank you Lord for wanting my focus on YOU instead of this game!