Giving Your Life Away

 

Today’s Sonshine photo is an image of Death Valley. As an amateur landscaper photographer, I had contacted a motel outside the park who offered free lodging if I would take photos of their motel for a new brochure. That adventure reminded me of this Sunday’s Lenten gospel where Jesus is tempted by the devil in the desert.

Temptation's not a fun place to visit? Temptation's a lonely place, a difficult place, a place of testing. But that's where Jesus is in the gospel reading today. He's already been tempted for 40 days, and then Satan goes straight for his soul. He plays hardball. Satan comes back with three final temptation doozies after 40 days of temptation. If Jesus - think about it - if Jesus, the Son of God, is opposed by the strong forces of evil, if he's not exempt from them, who is? 

Satan's message is clear. "Get all you can, Jesus. Look at the splendor, look at the sparkle. It's all yours. Don't worry about God, don't worry about pleasing Him. Please yourself, Jesus. That'll make you happy. Simply worship me." Because the devil is all about getting. He's about getting because the more we focus on getting, what we think life should be, the less and less life we actually have. You can call it acquisition; you can call it purchasing; you can call it consuming. Call it what you want, but you and I live in a culture of getting. It is we. Getting, getting even, getting my way, getting what's mine, getting while the getting's good, getting all I can, getting what I want out of life, getting, getting, getting. And no matter how much we get, we still want more. We get what we want, and life's still not right. Our soul's not settled, our heart's not satisfied. We want more revenge, we want more assets, we want to get more pleasure. We are a culture of getters.

Plenty is just never enough. There's just something in our souls that always wants to get more. The devil is about getting. Jesus is about giving. "Don't try to get life," Jesus says. "Give your life away, and when you do then you'll find it." Because life is not about us. It's about God. As long as we focus on ourselves, our needs, our wants, our passion, our spirit, our desires, we'll never actually find what life is about. That's the irony, isn't it?

So when Satan offers the world, Jesus replies, "Worship the Lord your God and serve only Him." Because Jesus understood you can only have one master. You can serve whatever you choose, your passion, your desires, all the world's stuff, or you can serve God. "Just know," Jesus says, "that to serve anything other than God is to choose Satan." To serve Jesus, God, is life itself. In other words, do you want life? Give it away. That's why Lent's just so powerful. It's about these simple habits: pray, fast, give. Habits that help you give your life away to God. When you invest your heart, when you invest your money, when you invest your life in God, then you will find life.

It's funny who understands that. I had stopped by the Death Valley Visitor Center to get directions to the best photo sites in the park. The young ranger pointed out several locations like Artists Pallette, Zabriskie Point and Great Salt Basin. That evening, the hotel manager shared that his wife was going to the hospital in the morning for tests because she was diagnosed with cancer. I offered to give her a blessing and anoint her with the Sacrament of the Sick. Her husband cried when I prayed over her and most  grateful that someone would pray with her for comfort, courage and strength. Yes, life is about giving. The following morning I took pictures of their motel for the brochure. The devil is about getting. Jesus is about giving.

 

Lord, I pray for all my Sonshine Friends that during Lent a lot can happen. How are you going to use yours? What are you going to do with your 40 days? Jesus is inviting you to give your life away, and when you do, you just might find that you have more life than you ever had before.

 

 

Rededicate Yourself in Prayer

 

What do we do when we’re facing an upcoming big event, celebration, or special occasion in our lives? We prepare for it. Holy Week and Easter are “big events” in the liturgical year of the Church and in the spiritual life of a Christian. So, as Christians, we prepare spiritually for these through the forty days of Lent. This means that, during Lent, we rededicate ourselves to prayer.

There are as many ways to pray as there are pray-ers in this world, but a few prayer methods can help us in particular to spiritually prepare ourselves during Lent:

1. Make your abstinence a prayer-in-action.

On Ash Wednesday, I suggested that you give up something for Lent. Chocolate, coffee, that snack before bedtime, one less hour of video games or steaming the news networks—whatever it is, you can make what you’re giving up for Lent a prayer as well: a prayer-in-action. Whenever you encounter the thing you are abstaining from or the time of day that you would normally enjoy it, take a moment to say a prayer in recognition of your wholeness in God even without the thing you have given up. Thank God for the freedom to be wholly yourself without this and, at the same time, acknowledge the gift of its existence in the world.

2. Renew yourself through personal reflective prayer.

Take a moment and click to review the following online resources. Lent is a time of spiritual renewal. One easy step you can take is to use the many free online resources to jump-start or reinvigorate your prayer life. A few such resources are Loyola Press’s popular 3-Minute Retreats and Seven Last Words of Christ guided meditation, or try the prayer reflections offered by the Irish Jesuit site Sacred Space. If you’re seeking more traditional support for your personal reflective prayer, consider a book specially designed to nourish you during Lent, such as Praying Lent.

Lord, I pray for all my Sonshine Friends, especially the following family and prayers:Mary Z in hospice in San Antonia, TX (Robert G. grandma), Pope Francis in Rome, Ted in Farmington for successful medical procedure, Baby Rhett recovering at home and improving daily-dad thankful for all your prayers, Stacey & newborn Merlin in Las Vegas, Luz L in hospice Las Vegas, Tim in Nashua, NH cancer in remission, Tina in Strykersville cancer in remission, Patty’s parents Madeline & George W in Buffalo, Sandy in North Java, Patti in Florida, Beau in Spain, Sister Ann Marie and Sister Miriam in IL. Monastery, John in North Java, Mary Hills in Toronto, Jane in NC, Ricki & Marina in Brockport, Jerry in Lancaster, Fr. Donald F in Florida, Shelia in Webster. Bob in Buffalo, Matt in Batavia, Melanie in Attica, Cheryl in Florida, Alivia and her dad Art, Bob & Kathy in Macedon, Beth in Massachusetts, Stan In Greece NY, Steve in North Java, Will in Canandaigua, Ruth in Rochester, ospital, Fr. Don & Yvonne in Batavia, Sherri in Lancaster, Mary Jane in Rochester, Brad in Akron, Tony in Greece, Diane in Virginia, little Henry in Ohio, Paul in Lancaster, O B in North Carolina, Jane in Lockport, Maggie in East Bethany, Kathy in Farmington, Nelson in Buffalo, Joe & Carol in Rochester Bob G. in Lancaster waiting for kidney transplant donor.

 

 

What Should I Give Up for Lent?

 

When was the last time you had a really memorable Lent? Or even a life-changing Lent? So often we just give up something like chocolate like we always have, without giving it much thought. And we don’t really stick to it. Or if we do manage to get to Easter without eating said chocolate, we realize we haven’t really grown spiritually since the beginning of Lent. And isn’t that actually the point?

The point of giving something up, of fasting, is to cultivate the inner life. When we fast, we realize how truly dependent on God we are. We open our hearts, our minds, and our bodies to God’s love in our lives. We look at the ways that we need to grow, and dedicate ourselves to becoming a-better-version-of-ourselves. And when we make ourselves available to God, incredible things can happen. That’s what can make Lent so powerful.

But you can take it one step further. Don’t just give something up. There is also great value in doing something for Lent. It’s the perfect time not only to abandon self-destructive habits, but also to form new life-giving habits, habits that can extend beyond the 40 days of Lent. Give something up, eliminate a bad habit from your life, and then fill that gap intentionally.

I invite you this Lent to pick one thing from the following to give up for Lent.  Give something up, then fill the gap.

Give something away—every day

It doesn't need to be money or material things—though giving these away can be a powerful experience. Try complimenting a stranger, teaching someone how to do something, spreading a positive message, helping someone who is in a hurry, or simply smiling at someone generously. You don't need money or material possessions to live a life of staggering generosity! Give something away—every day.

 

Don’t interrupt people

We could probably all do well to spend more time listening, and less time interjecting.

 

Stop complaining

Have you ever stopped to think about how many times a day you complain about something? What if, instead, you find constructive ways to talk about your difficulties? What if you look for the good in people instead of focusing on any inconvenience we experience?

 

Don’t waste downtime

You don’t have to give up social media or the like entirely, but you can be intentional about not using it during specific times. Take that time instead to pray, to breathe, to reach out to someone around you. You’ll be amazed at the difference it can make in your day.

Lord, I pray for all my Sonshine Friends that we focus this Lent on being generous and give something away. I am grateful to Michael who taught me floral design many decades ago. Yesterday, I decorated our home to bring the promise of Spring inside and share online for you to enjoy. Go ahead and use as a screen saver or forward to your friends and family to bathe in the love and comfort of Our Lord.

Blessings for a wonderful Lent. Fr. Matt