Our celebration of Catholic Schools Week included moments of reflection, gratitude, prayer, and inspiration. We took a walk back in history, had an opportunity to be generous and several chances to express creativity. We enjoyed some friendly competition and a healthy dose of silliness and celebration. We will follow all of this on Monday with a little extra celebration as we mark the 100th school day in our 100th birthday year. Many will celebrate Mardi Gras on Tuesday. Then, on Wednesday, we will radically shift our focus as we begin the 40 days journey of Lent.
Some quiet ritual will be surely be a welcome shift and provide restorative balance. These contrasts also highlight the challenges our children face in living their faith amidst the noisy realities of contemporary life. It can be difficult even for adults to right-order our days when there is so much on the agenda; when Lent calls us to a rich interior life and the Padre Serra basketball tournament calls us to a pep rally; when our Holy Father calls us to corporal and spiritual works of mercy and we can scarcely find the time to eat dinner with our own families. This would be a great weekend to carve out a little time to think about how we can teach our children to live their faith in the busy, gritty, noisy, messy real world. It's the only way we can hope to feed their souls and keep the faith secure for another generation.
Some years ago, I participated in a workshop in which the presenter demonstrated the challenge and the solution to fitting God into our impossibly-busy lives. Using natural elements like sand and stone and water, she gradually filled a jar with items representing our everyday responsibilities. The jar was filled to the top before she came to the last item - a smooth white stone intended to represent God. There was no room. This did, indeed, look a lot like real life. Then she emptied the jar and started again. This time, the God-stone went in first. Remarkably, all the other items fit easily around it. I will never forget this powerful reminder that when we right-order our days, God will always fit. It doesn't work when he waits in line as an after-thought, a leftover, a wish. He has to be first. Always. And first takes planning. It takes intentionality. It takes commitment.
Can you commit to five minutes of prayer or scripture reading in the morning or before bed? How about a simple prayer that reconnects you to God throughout the day? We'll be learning some of these short "connector prayers" during our school Lenten journey. Using these consciously during moments of work and play can be a powerful way to shift your orientation back into proper balance. The Jesus prayer is a good place to start. Jesus, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner. Inhale the Spirit of God. Exhale your sins and failings. Jesus. Mercy. Let it become part of your breathing and it can weave God into your day in a way that becomes an easy fit and a powerful force.
May this Lenten season bring you a healthy rhythm, a peaceful contentment, a solid connection to your life source.
No comments:
Post a Comment