Who am I? Who loves me? These are some of the questions that Sr. Janet Gildea, SC asks in “Getting a Life This Lent.” E-Voc is the electronic newsletter from the Vocation Team of the Sisters of Charity of Cincinnati for single women wondering what new thing God is calling forth in their lives. Read the full issue FebE-voc 2016

“Who am I? Who loves me? Who will I love? Where will I find meaning?” These are some of the key questions that drive discernment in the first half of life. In his book, The Holy Longing (Doubleday 1999), Fr. Ronald Rolheiser, OMI, describes the task of the first half of life as “pulling your life together.” He lays out a journey that begins with the “leaving home” of adolescence and continues as you try to find your way home as a young adult. This is the path of what Rolheiser calls Essential Discipleship.

Lent begins on Feb. 10 with the familiar call to “turn away from sin and be faithful to the Gospel.” It is our annual opportunity to renew our efforts to follow Christ through prayer, fasting and acts of charity. Fr. Rolheiser presents a way to see these traditional disciplines recommended by Jesus (Mt. 6:1-8) as the four pillars of Essential Discipleship: Prayer, Charity and Justice, Mellowness of Heart, Community.

Personal prayer as well as communal prayer, obeying the commandments, striving to live a moral life in private and in public.

Charity and Justice: Responding to the needs of our most vulnerable brothers and sisters in acts of both direct service and advocacy to change unjust structures.

Mellowness of Heart: Striving to maintain a joyful, grateful, forgiving spirit as we live our Christian commitment.

Participating in the life of the Church in sacrament and service.

These four pillars are the non-negotiables of a mature Christian discipleship. They provide the structure for a faith-filled life. As you begin Lent, which of the four pillars needs the most attention? Which is the strongest? With regard to your discernment process, how do these four pillars offer support? What is one way you can build up each pillar during this Lent? How does Lent offer you an opportunity to find a way to your true home in God?