3 Powerful Gospels – Spiritual Surgery – Climb the Lenten Ladder – Holy Week – The themes of Lynn L’Heureux’s Vincentian Day of Fast and Prayer – Tuesday April 15, 2014 She also has an interesting mnemonic for H-O-L-Y-W-E-E-K

Dear Vincentian Family: We are coming to an end of our Holy walk to Easter. I hope it was an amazing renewal for you. There has been a great deal to pray for around the world. We still see so much bullying and we have to pray for our young people. Pray for each other as well. There are many adult bullies in our lives. Make a change in your own space for goodness and the love of God. Be at Peace and have the most blessed Holy Week and amazing Easter filled with hope.

3 Powerful Gospels – Will God always answer your prayers? I believe He does. Sometimes the answer is “no”. He often has plans for us. We must listen and learn. The 3rd 4th and 5th Sundays of Lent contained the most powerful Gospels ever. These are the scrutiny Sundays for RCIA. Those in RCIA reflect on these gospels in their lessons and profound changes are made in their lives. The Samaritan Woman at the well receiving “Living Water” never thirsting again. The blind man received new sight and a new beginning. Then Jesus’ dear friend Lazarus received new life. All of these people started over. This is profound in these gospels. Jesus walked the earth and he rarely told people who He was. He taught, He healed, He was present, but allowed people to make their own personal decision on whom He was. In these most powerful gospels, Jesus tells them He is the Resurrection and the life. Jesus still comes to us in our ordinary lives in 2014. He is the Resurrection and Life, but so often we do not see it. In the midst of what is happening in our lives and the world we live, it is almost impossible to encounter Jesus. I said, “Almost impossible”. Our Lord knows us and knows our world and he calls us to see the graces of our lives. God often comes to us in our service to others. He is willing to bless us if we co-operate. Receive His blessings today and receive the Resurrection, Life and drink of the living water.

Spiritual Surgery – C.S.Lewis once said: “The harshness of God is kinder than the softness of human beings and God’s compulsion is our liberation.” God is good – all the time. Our surgery requires us to rip out any evil, anger, unforgiveness, and evil thoughts. This surgery will not hurt but make a huge difference in our live and in the lives of those we love. Our spiritual surgery is in the confessional. Reconciliation will cleanse our selfish natures and give great strength to our hearts and minds. God performs the Spiritual surgery, Jesus died for it. We reach out and embrace it. If it has been years since you have tried this perfect ending to Lent, do so now. Forgive and be forgiven. The most healing surgical sacrament we have is Reconciliation. Go to be healed. “We must lay before Him what is in us, not what ought to be in us.” – C. S. Lewis

Climb the Lenten Ladder – Apart from the cross, there is no other ladder by which we may get to heaven. – Saint Rose of Lima (1586-1617). When you have a really bad day and it feels like you are going under, stop, breathe, pray and treat others with goodness. They may be going through their worst day as well. One thing is sure a smile a good happy word will make their day and yours, too. I know I say this many times. I’ve seen little miracles after a smile and I’ve received them after a smile. “No one is useless in this world, who lightens the burdens of another.” Charles Dickens. Climbing the Lenten Ladder is one rung at a time. We pray, and we trust God. So much so, we place ourselves in His hands and we climb another rung. True prayer is giving ourselves completely and trusting completely. We continue to climb. Listen to God’s Word, feel the love and know the graces you receive. Continue climbing. Know, when you talk you repeat what you already know; but if you listen, you often learn something new. Listening to God is new and fresh. Continue climbing to reach your goal. The rewards are unbelievable.

Holy Week – “How good it is to trust God! Turn to Him often, then, as children look to their father and mother in their need.” – St. Louise de Marillac. Make our Holy Week a week of living in the presence of Christ. By the Cross of our Lord, you are forgiven. Jesus, our crucified Lord, knows us better than we know ourselves. Know he is with us, bring us Living Water, Taking away our blindness and giving us new life. Holy Week letter by letter:

H – hope, hunger for Him;

0 – observe, be open, obey;

L – love one another, listen to the Word, learn and grow in faith;

Y – Yes Lord, Yearn for the love of God and share with others.

W – want the graces given freely, wish for good things for others, weep with joy, God is in your life, worship with abandonment;

E – eat of the bread of life, enjoy the climb; E – experience the cross, envelope yourself in the entire Easter Joy;

K – Kingdom and salvation await, the King has risen.

May your Holy Week be full and rich and may you always feel God’s love and share with others. Be Christ to one another.

Blessings,

Lynn

More about Lynn  L’Heureux is Special needs co-coordinator & Advisor of the Society of St Vincent de Paul Calgary Alberta Canada. 

Her newsletter is translated into 3 languages, hopefully soon to be 4.  They have a group which brings the prayer into China and it is translated into Mandarin and other Chinese dialects.

Subscribe to her weekly newsletter  Vincentian Day of Prayer and Fast (English and Spanish) by sending an email to calgaryssvpadm@gmail.com