40 Ways We Fail

Once again one of my Deacons put a great reflection in last Sunday’s bulletin. I thought I would share it with you. Reflect on each. If you see yourself, if you’re like me, we have some work to do.

40 WAYS WE FAIL...

During these 40 days of Lent, oftentimes we should look at ways we fail and take steps to correct them during Lent. I've come across a list of 40 ways we often fail; see how many you are guilty of and make an effort to correct them before Easter.

1. Focus on all the reasons why it won't work.
2. Don't bother praying.
3. Intend to begin, but don't start.
4. Stop proceeding at the first speed bump.
5. Facing backwards, tried to re-create the past.
6. Whine and complain often.
7. Fear making an investment.
8. Put in only what is required.
9. Be a self-centered person.
10. Find someone to blame.
11. List a dozen good excuses, and use them all.
12. Absorb and reflect negativity.
13. Ignore wise counsel.
14. Hoard.
15. Manipulate people for personal gain.
16. Belittle yourself and others.
17. Fail to write down your goals and dreams.
18. Major on the minors and minor on the majors.
19. Don't prioritize your use of time.
20. Don't budget your money.
21. Live humorlessly.
22. Overreact when someone disappoints you.
23. Carry grudges and bear resentments.
24. Fail to plan ahead.
25. Never learn from mistakes.
26. Make mountains out of mole hills.
27. Maintain an overinflated opinion of yourself.
28. Strive to win every argument.
29. Refuse to grow.
30. Shrink back from committing yourself, saying "no" to everything.
31. Overcommit yourself saying "yes" to everything.
32. Be a fault finder and gossip.
33. Be less than truthful.
34. Expect to fail.
35. Keep waiting for your ship to come in.
36. Disregard integrity and morality.
37. Always play it safe.
38. Throw temper tantrums.
39. Don't finish the work.
40. Forget to say “thank you.”

Yes, it's an extensive list and hopefully, you don't have many to correct, but we still have time to work on it. Happy Lent.

The Pietà

I prayed the Way of the Cross tonight, St. Alphonsus’ method (the best Way, in my opinion).  I was amazed my focus fell on Jesus being taken down from the cross into His mother’s arms, the thirteenth station. Usually this station does not get any more attention than the others. But tonight it hit me. You have to read between the Gospel lines; we know Mary was there and the Gospel accounts say that she followed Joseph of Arimathaea and Nicodemus to the sepulcher, it is only the station that tells us Jesus was placed in His mother’s arms.

And so my visualization expanded. We don’t like to think about it, but Jesus was naked. Some will insist that Jesus was covered by a cloth, but this is not the way the Romans worked. A crucifixion took away every ounce of dignity. I’m sure He was immediately covered as Mary’s arms received Him. And what her anguish must have been holding her son’s lifeless, torn and bloody body. She had witnessed the torment helplessly. I can hear her moan of anguish. I can see the expression on her face. She is not aware of those who surround her, Mary Magdalene, the other Mary, Salome, and others in feeble attempt to comfort. She trembles as her love emanates from her to her son.

After a while He was taken from her, carried/carted to the sepulcher as she followed. How could she even walk supported by the other women, though not far, as Calvary and the holy sepulcher are both within the Church of the Holy Sepulcher? And we know that Mary, assisted by the others anointed Jesus’s body, placed his arms, and arranged the shroud. She left, the tomb was closed.

 And once again, as at the Nativity, I’m sure she pondered these things in her heart.

Still He Walked

Still He Walked

He could hear the crowds screaming crucify! crucify!...

He could hear the hatred in their voices,

These were his chosen people.

He loved them,

And they were going to crucify him.

He was beaten, bleeding and weakened... his heart was broken,

But still He walked.

He could see the crowd as he came from the palace.

He knew each of the faces so well.

He had created them.

He knew every smile, laugh, and shed tear,

But now they were contorted with rage and anger...his heart broke,

But still He walked.

Was he scared?

You and I would have been

So his humanness would have mandated that he was. He felt alone.

His disciples had left, denied, and even betrayed him.

He searched the crowd for a loving face and he saw very few.

Then he turned his eyes to the only one that mattered

And he knew that he would never be alone.

He looked back at the crowd, at the people who were spitting

At him, throwing rocks at him and mocking him and he knew

That because of him, they would never be alone.

So for them, He walked.

The sounds of the hammer striking the spikes echoed through

The crowd. The sounds of his cries echoed even louder,

The cheers of the crowd, as his hands and feet

Were nailed to the cross, intensified with each blow.

Loudest of all was the still small voice inside his

Heart that whispered I am with you, my son,

And God's heart broke.

He had let his son walk.

Jesus could have asked God to end his suffering,

But instead he asked God to forgive.

Not to forgive him, but to forgive the ones who were persecuting him.

As he hung on that cross, dying an unimaginable death,

He looked out and saw, not only the faces in the crowd,

But also, the face of every person yet to be,

And his heart filled with love.

As his body was dying, his heart was alive.

Alive with the limitless, unconditional love he feels for each of us.

That is why He walked.

When I forget how much My God loves me,

I remember his walk.

When I wonder if I can be forgiven,

I remember his walk.

When I need reminded of how to live like Christ,

I think of his walk.

And to show him how much I love him,

I wake up each morning, turn my eyes to him,

And I walk.

"The LORD bless you and keep you; the LORD make his face shine upon you and be gracious to you; the LORD turn his face toward you and give you peace." Numbers 6:24-26

The Stations of the Cross

Stabat Mater: Meditations for the Stations of the Cross

Lent

Prodigal Daughter's blog "Journey of a Soul" has a good lenten reflection. It starts:

What better time to talk about freedom than the start of Lent. Many sincere Christians question the practices of Lent. "Why" they wonder, "do you deny yourself everyday pleasures? What can possibly be gained from spending 40 days tying yourself to some outdated and irrelevant Catholic ritual? It's a throwback to the middle ages of extreme asceticism and monastic flagellation. After all, it's for freedom that Christ has set us free! When you gave your heart to Jesus, you were set free from bondage to the law. Anyone in Christ is a new creation right, so why continue denying yourself since you're already made new?"

Read the rest here.