I began this post on notes taken during a Lenten retreat but never completed it. Browsing through unfinished work I saw it and thought it sufficient to stand on its own, even after Pentecost. Thank you Father John W., and all the profound, eloquent priests whose wisdom I have benefitted from over the years.
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Sanctity is serious business. And, one is not likely to stumble upon it by happenstance. Lent is a time of conversion so that we may set out on the path with renewed vigor.
This is a time of more than the spirit of penance and desire for purification that mark it. It is a time founded in love and filled with hope.
We wish to live with God, to have him in our lives because that is where peace lies. But, committing to God is a risky business because he is a jealous lover. He wants everything from us.
It is difficult to hear, discern and apply his messages. But, if we are faithful, we shrink over time and Christ grows.
It becomes Christ who lives in us; we become other Christs. Conformity to the divine light in our souls leads each of us to identity with God.
We are talking about the fire of love, and a fire must always be fed. We feed it with the remnants of ourselves.
It is important to examine oneself regularly, to ask if one is advancing towards Christ in every aspect of life--spiritual, professional, social, etc. He tells us the way: "Then he said to them all: 'Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me.'"
He asks for this in everything we think, do and say. This is hard for beings of flesh and blood. So, we must be ready to begin again and again, in order to keep our love alive.
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