St. Ignatius Church – Confessions
The religious season of Lent for Roman Catholics is the period between Ash Wednesday and Easter Sunday. It symbolizes the 40 days Jesus spent in the desert as Satan unsuccessfully tempted Him to forsake God. It is a beautiful story of humility and discipline. It is an encouraging story of the perseverance of good when confronted with evil. It is why Lent is a time of abstinence, repentance, and introspection.
Years ago, my practice of Lent was very robotic. Of course, I knew the story, but the significance of it remained just another Bible parable to me, never making the necessary imprint on my heart. I was merely going through the motions. In hindsight, I was truly missing out on strengthening my faith and having a deeper relationship with God.
My awakening began when a new priest was assigned to my parish. His homilies were spoken with such sincerity that I quickly became a captive audience. I could sense some of his homilies were from personal struggles and these stories humanized him, making him completely relatable and connecting with me on an emotional level.
I enjoyed going to Mass more with this priest. Unfortunately, my religious fervor was interrupted by a man trying to set me up with his son. When he realized I was not interested, he continued talking to me anyway. He had no shame, kneeling next to my aisle seat before Mass and talking to me about nothing in particular. Another time, he asked that I pose in a picture with his son. Super awkward! Whenever I find myself in these situations, I attend a neighboring church for a few months.
Eventually, I returned to church looking forward to hearing my priest’s homily. It was very much fire and brimstone about the consequences of missing weekly Mass and all the while he stared directly at me! I had to avert my eyes which I’m sure made me look guilty!
This priest’s impact on my life is significant. My faith is stronger because of him, but I am certainly not perfect. I notice my piousness declines in good times and the opposite occurs when I am facing obstacles. Perhaps it is human nature, but my hope is to be more consistent in my devotion to God.
Lent is an important part of my journey in discovering that deeper relationship with God. I have given up shopping for shoes and clothes. Instead, I am using that “shopping time” to pray more and reflect on my life. These 40 days are a reset for me to get back to basics. Removing the materialistic clutter from my life makes it easier for God’s will to guide me. The hard part is maintaining this level of faith all year which is why my life is still a work in progress.
Have a wonderful week. 🙂
Lizzy’s Latest for this week is the Carlos Santana Larisa booties. I will give my review of these boots on Wednesday. For now, enjoy the pictures! 🙂
March 8, 2016 @ 6:57 pm
The earth tones and simplicity of this photoset is fitting for the Season of Lent. It’s worth noting too that your pleasant attitude and cheery appearance is truly in keeping with the way we’re supposed to keep the season.
Strange how years ago a priest peered down on you as he admonished the congregation. What did he know that your Carlos Santana booties don’t.
I never seem to garner that much attention from alter unless I fall asleep and start snoring. Like I did at St Ignatius the same day we took these pictures.
March 8, 2016 @ 7:10 pm
Thanks, Dad! I guess to the priest’s defense, I did disappear for several months with no explanation. Perhaps, I should have disclosed my whereabouts during my absence, but I didn’t want to get into the reasons for leaving. So, I stayed mum. You definitely were starting to snore during Mass at St. Ignatius. 😉 The priest did take notice and was the reason why I had to wake you. 😉