Gifts of the Trinity – Adventure of Faith – Our Lenten Journey – Tap into our Youth

Vincentian Day of Fast and Prayer – Tuesday March 17, 2015

March is the Month of Saint Joseph, the foster father of Jesus Christ. March 19 is his feast day. We pray to Saint Joseph as the foster father of Christ, he is in a very real sense, the foster father of all Christians. We turn to him, then, in prayer, asking him to pray for us to the Son of God, whom he protected and reared. It is also the month of Saint Patrick. Patrick used the shamrock to explain the Trinity, which has been associated with him and the conversion of the Irish since that time. He walked in our Lord’s footsteps. Patrick was a humble, pious, gentle man, whose love and total devotion to and trust in God should be a shining example to each of us. He feared nothing, not even death, so complete was his trust in God, and of the importance of his mission.

Gifts of the Trinity – Salvation can be described in the following way: The Father saves us by sending us the Son; the Son saves us by sacrificing His life on the cross; the Holy Spirit saves us by sanctifying us with the gift of divine life. All forgave those who trespassed against them. Forgive, forgive, forgive and forgive again. Use the gifts of the Trinity to achieve forgiveness which will bring peace and joy for you and those around you. Pray for everyone who causes you pain and ask the Trinity to help you forgive. You will be so much better for it. We rise above rejection and pain as we bathe and surround ourselves in the Trinity. Connect the suffering to Christ’s suffering and live in peace with the Trinity. Forgive yourself for everything and anything that you don’t like about yourself. Make a list and nail it to the door of God’s kingdom. The Father will interpret that as a good, loud, resounding knock, and he will open the door wide. Now enter into his love by choosing to love yourself without limits or conditions.

ADVENTURE OF FAITH   When we understand what Jesus did for us on the cross, we realize that the door to God’s love is already open. We just have to step over the threshold. He is always with us on our journey, if we are open. Discovering and building our faith is an amazing adventure. We may not have the faith of Abraham or the apostles, but our faith will grow as we journey with Our Lord on this adventure of Faith. God can be trusted, even when He is leading us through the deepest darkness. This means great faith is justified. Jesus loves us so much that He took the punishment we deserve! God is not on the other side of the door blocking it until we start behaving perfectly. He is waiting patiently for us to follow Jesus and do good things for others. On our adventure we seek Christ in the poor, the afflicted and everyone we encounter. It is not a “pick and choose”. We love each person. They may not be our best friends, but we still see Jesus in them and we treat them as we would Jesus. Each person deserves this. It is why we are called.

Our Lenten Journey – Prayer keeps our sights focused on God, so that the more prayerful one’s life is, the more one is aware of God’s call, His plan, and His promise. A life rooted in prayer is a life lived in the context of God’s grace. The journey of Lent provides an opportunity to walk more closely with Jesus, who desires our presence, sometimes more than we desire His. May we be vigilant in our sacrifices and strong in resisting temptation, and so get all the more “caught up” in the love of God through His Son’s cross and resurrection. We need to take up our crosses, but we also need to be gentle with them and with ourselves. If we sit holding our own crosses too tightly we will not be able to put our arms around anyone else, nor will they be able to put their arms around us. That includes God. Don’t shut anyone out, leave room to embrace and be embraced.

Tap into our Youth – We sometimes dismiss our youth and wonder when they will grow up. Sometimes we just see the piercings, the strange hair and the tattoos. When we take the time to get to know what is on the inside we will be amazed. I’ve had two experiences; one was a few years ago in RCIA. There was a young fellow who had many piercings and tattoos and he confided in me that people only look him from the outside. I knew I was guilty. He had such a love for God and truly wanted to be a Catholic and became one. He became engaged and brought his new bride into the Church. They were the most amazing faith filled young people who truly cared for others. My second experience was with my granddaughter who just turned 18. She went through many trials. She lives with us part time and she asked for help with her homework. I panicked! What did I remember? She was doing a social programme and she had it all down. She told me it wasn’t about religion or God, but God was in every statement. She had to create a perfect world, identifying and describing her people, their ideals and rules for the world. It was perfect and ideal. Boy Tony and I were so impressed with her insight. She has a pure heart and it came out in her words. Open yourself to our youth and learn from them.

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.