Daily Lenten reflections to transform your family.
Challenge: Today, try and use your words for only good. Stop if you find yourself saying something negative or judgmental.
Reflection: (Bearing all things) implies limiting judgment, checking the impulse to issue a firm and ruthless condemnation: “Judge not and you will not be judged” (Lk 6:37). Although it runs contrary to the way we normally use our tongues, God’s word tells us: “Do not speak evil against one another, brothers and sisters” (Jas 4:11). Being willing to speak ill of another person is a way of asserting ourselves, venting resentment and envy without concern for the harm we may do. We often forget that slander can be quite sinful; it is a grave offense against God when it seriously harms another person’s good name and causes damage that is hard to repair. Hence God’s word forthrightly states that the tongue “is a world of iniquity” that “stains the whole body” (Jas 3:6); it is a “restless evil, full of deadly poison” (3:8). Whereas the tongue can be used to “curse those who are made in the likeness of God” (3:9), love cherishes the good name of others, even one’s enemies. In seeking to uphold God’s law we must never forget this specific requirement of love
Challenge: What are ways that I can “choose” to show love for another through my good actions and deeds today?
Reflection: Love is more than a mere feeling. Rather, it should be understood along the lines of the Hebrew verb “to love”; it is “to do good.” As St. Ignatius of Loyola said, “Love is shown more by deeds than by words.” It thus shows its fruitfulness and allows us to experience the happiness of giving, the nobility and grandeur of spending ourselves unstintingly, without asking to be repaid, purely for the pleasure of giving and serving.
Challenge: What is one corporal work of mercy you and your family can perform today?
Reflection: For their part, open and caring families find a place for the poor and build friendships with those less fortunate than themselves. In their efforts to live according to the Gospel, they are mindful of Jesus’ words: “As you did it to one of the least of these my brethren, you did it to me” (Mt 25:40). In a very real way, their lives express what is asked of us all: “When you give a dinner or a banquet, do not invite your friends or your brothers or your kinsmen or rich neighbors, lest they also invite you in return, and you be repaid. But when you give a feast, invite the poor, the maimed, the lame, the blind, and you will be blessed” (Lk 14:12-14). You will be blessed. Here is the secret to a happy family.
Challenge: Today, engage with a neighbor with whom you do not normally engage.
Reflection: No family can be fruitful if it sees itself as overly different or “set apart.” To avoid this risk, we should remember that Jesus’ own family, so full of grace and wisdom, did not appear unusual or different from others. That is why people found it hard to acknowledge Jesus’ wisdom: “Where did this man get all this? Is not this the carpenter, the son of Mary?” (Mk 6:2-3). “Is this not the carpenter’s son?” (Mt 13: 55). These questions make it clear that theirs was an ordinary family, close to others, a normal part of the community. Jesus did not grow up in a narrow and stifling relationship with Mary and Joseph, but readily interacted with the wider family, the relatives of his parents and their friends. This explains how, on returning from Jerusalem, Mary and Joseph could imagine for a whole day that the 12-year-old Jesus was somewhere in the caravan, listening to people’s stories and sharing their concerns: “Supposing him to be in the group of travelers, they went a day’s journey” (Lk 2:44). Still, some Christian families, whether because of the language they use, the way they act or treat others, or their constant harping on the same two or three issues, end up being seen as remote and not really a part of the community. Even their relatives feel looked down upon or judged by them.
#LentReset
—Simple Lenten practice to re-center your faith through self-care, reflection and prayer
—Pray with Isaiah 58:6 by reading the Scripture and reflecting on who it brings to mind in your own life.
—Put down your cell phone earlier than you usually would before bed and use that time to speak with God instead.
—Reach out to a relative or friend you haven’t talked to yet this year and genuinely listen when they speak.
—Read about a saint whose feast we celebrate today or this week.
—Declutter 10 things from your house that you no longer need and consider donating them to a charity of your choosing.
—Pray using Jeremiah 29:11 and reflect on how it applies to your life currently.
—Volunteer at a local charitable organization, and if time doesn’t allow, offer a monetary donation as your means allow.
—Look up how to pray the Examen, and give it a try this evening, focusing on your day.
Recognizing our need