Life-Changing Moments

Life is full of moments.  This is made all the more obvious to us in today’s culture.  Social media gives us myriad opportunities to share even the most mundane occurrences in our lives using “Stories” on Facebook or Instagram, or through the use of dedicated video clip apps like Snapchat and Tik Tok.  With the proliferation of these services, sometimes it can seem like even small events in our lives become big moments.

It is important for us to take a step back and realize that some events really are bigger than others.  Some are truly life-changing.  Getting a first job (or a dream job), getting married, starting a family, etc. are all bigger, potentially life-changing events. 

Working with the catechumens and candidates in RCIA this year, I have been, and will continue to be, witness to several of these moments in their lives.  This past Sunday, we celebrated the Rite of Sending.  This means that we as the faith community of Saint Ambrose are sending the catechumens and candidates to Bishop Solis to become the Elect.  As the Elect, they will be received into the full communion of the Catholic faith at the Easter Vigil.  The Rite of Election will be this Saturday at the Cathedral of the Madeleine.

For the catechumens and candidates, this Saturday is one of the bigger moments in their lives.  It is something they will remember for the rest of their lives.  We in the RCIA team are here to support them during this time, but they need the support of the entire community of Saint Ambrose.  Please pray for them this Saturday as they enter the final stages of their process of Christian initiation.

The Deserts of Our Lives

The Gospel reading for this coming Sunday is Luke’s account of the devil tempting Jesus after he had spent forty days in the desert.  Having spent forty days and nights without physical sustenance, one might expect Jesus to be particularly susceptible to the devil’s temptations.  Fortunately, Jesus is wise to the devil’s designs.  He knows that the devil tries to twist even the words of sacred scripture to his benefit.  The devil wasn’t counting on that!

We too can be in a figurative desert during our lives, particularly if we are feeling as though we are not being heard in some aspect of our day-to-day experience.  We can feel as if it doesn’t really matter if we “give in” to something or someone because it isn’t a big deal or it won’t matter in the long run.  We can sometimes feel as if there is little point in trying our best or exerting some amount of self-control in tempting situations.

When Jesus was confronted by the devil and presented with scripture passages that seemed to encourage him into temptation, he quoted other scripture passages to support a position of following God’s will.  When you find yourself in a difficult situation, try to think of ways in which God can support you through the difficulty.

At my house, my mom makes a “crown of thorns” every Lent out of braided bread and toothpicks, and when we make a sacrifice, give something up, or offer something up for someone else’s suffering, we take out a toothpick.  The aim is to remove all the thorns by Easter.

This Lent, look for opportunities to “de-thorn” Jesus’ crown of thorns.