Christ’s Authority – Prayer,  Fast,  Almsgiving – Christ died for Us – Living like Christ

Vincentian Day of Prayer and Fast – Tuesday March 3, 2015

Dear Vincentian Family: Make an extra effort to pray for a holy, life giving Lent. Make your Journey life changing. Pray for our Clergy, Deacons, Pope Francis, Consecrated Life, and for Seminarians and those contemplating. Pray also for our young people and especially our young Vincentians. Pray for each other and those we serve. Amen!

Christ’s Authority – Psalms 115:3 “But our God is in the heavens; He does whatever He pleases.”

Matthew 28:18-20 And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” Matthew 12:28 “But if I cast out demons by the Spirit of God, then the kingdom of God has come upon you”. Maybe the reason evil remains with us is there is little authority on earth to rid it all. Maybe Satan is in charge. If it seems this way to you, pray more. Pray our free will becomes God’s will. Christ’s authority is superior. It is not dependent upon anyone’s conversion. Look for Jesus’ authority each day. Attend a baptism and see His authority in the small infant and parents as the child is cleaned of original sin. The child is now adopted by God and the Holy Spirit. Look at those in RCIA as adults choosing God, sometimes against their family and friend’s approval. When we pray, we should pray in the authority of Christ, instead of telling Him what we want. Let Him decide!

Pray, Fast, Almsgiving – These 3 will help us get through our journey through the desert and make us better for it. Pray always. I’m pretty sure I told you of my parish priest challenging me to pray always. I started and had a very bad day, things were going wrong; I brought a coffee to the computer something I never do, and I spilled it all over my work and the keyboard.  Pray always!!!! I stopped; looked at the mess and prayed. I calmed down and the Trinity came to my rescue. When you call on the Trinity to be in your life it is good, very good. Fast – Lenten fast does not have to be about food. I like to do something different every day or every week. My Lenten Calendar has many things each day and they mostly have to do with changing things I do or say. Things like gossip, anger, jealousy, greed, pride or envy and judgement are exchanged for pray for those who have been the result of these things and always praying for my tongue. Almsgiving is not giving of money necessarily although it can be. I like to think, we honour our Lord more by giving the alms of ourselves to others. Being present, and showing our love as Jesus did through service. Seeing Jesus in those we serve. Make your Lenten journey meaningful and fruitful for others. Always smile, it is the greatest prayer.

Christ Died for Us – Because Christ died for us, the cross calls us to responsibility. The resurrection reveals and empowers our vocation to forgive and be forgiven freely, to live in a Spirit-filled responsibility, and to call others to the “way.” Joy is in my heart. This joy is not ephemeral. I possess it forever. Like the springtime rose, it smiles at me every day. My joy is to love suffering. My joy is the Holy Will of Jesus, my only love, so I live without any fear. – St. Thérèse of Lisieux. We should make it our daily mission to pray for the souls of our young people, particularly for the young individuals He has entrusted to our care in some way. We keep all those we serve who suffer from addictions are incarcerated, suffering from mental illness, depression and all who are poor. We listen as Christ taught us and we do everything through Him. Be content with our calling; strive to be holy as it is important to our service. Contentment is not the fulfillment of what you want, but the realization of how much you already have. Your gift to others is your time and your presence which is greater than the food you bring or the gifts you bring. The best gift is your presence, your smile and the hope you leave.

Living Like Christ – In our human ways living like Christ is living the Eucharist. Those we serve must forgive us for the basket we bring. This is hard to accept, but we work for their forgiveness which is the gift of life. Listen to the children! When asked, “Why should we forgive?” The youngest child answers, “Because God forgives us.” Simple and sweet! We forgive and ask for God’s help, but we probably won’t forget right away and it is okay. God wants us to remember and every time we do, we pray for the person and forgive again. We forgive as many times as it takes and we don’t hold on to it. Reflect on the difference the Eucharist has made in your life. Be honest with yourself. What does the Eucharist mean to you? What if you could never receive the Eucharist again? How do you know you’ve had a good Liturgy? Reflect on these questions. If you leave Church and you have not changed, you should go to Mass again. Leaving the Liturgy challenges you to go forth and make a difference. Change something in your life and live the Liturgy always. This is our call to holiness and service. This is living like Christ.

Blessings,

Lynn

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.