OUR LENTEN JOURNEY…
As we continue our journey during this Great Lent, let us consider the following reflection given to us by Thomas Hopko in his book “The Lenten Spring”:
“From beginning to end, the Lenten services of the Church call us to return to God our Father. …We have gone off on our own, following our own ideas, enacting our own plans…. People feel unhappy and they don’t know why. They feel that something is wrong, but they can’t put their finger on what. They feel uneasy in the world, confused and frustrated, alienated and estranged, and they can’t explain it. They have everything, and yet they want more. And when they get it, they are still left empty and unsatisfied. They want happiness and peace, and nothing seems to bring it…. Everything is fine, and yet everything is wrong. In America this is almost the national disease…. Why is this so? Because the Church tells us, we are not really at home. We are in exile. The Lenten Season is the time for our conscious return to our true home. It is the time set aside for us to come to ourselves and to get up and go to the Divine reality to which we truly belong.”
As we reflect upon this passage, let us ask ourselves:
– Do I feel this sense of unhappiness, frustration, dissatisfied, emptiness?
– If so, how do these feelings affect my relationships within my family?
– During this Great Lent, how can I intensify my personal relationship with God?
– As I grow in this relationship with God, how will this improve my relationship in my
family life?
