Now Is the Acceptable Time

“Behold, now is a very acceptable time, now is the day of salvation.” 2 Cor. 6:2

It’s that time of year again. I must confess that I’ve never been a big fan of Lent. I guess I’ve always been part of that crowd that sees Lent just as a time to “give up” something, and the things that I’ve given up in years past have probably been things that I didn’t care that much about anyway.

God is showing me, though, that Lent is meant to be so much more than “giving up” something. It’s meant to be a time of refreshment and renewal, a time to take a good look at our lives and see what God wants to change.

Over the past six months I’ve been trying to work on my speech habits, particularly in the area of gossip and complaining. I’ve also been trying to be less selfish and self-centered. I thought I was making some progress, and I was feeling pretty pleased with myself. Then I went on vacation.

My husband and I left on Ash Wednesday for six days in San Antonio. Before we left, I spent a lot of time planning what we’d do while we were there. I also planned to do some genealogy research, so I was prepared with all kinds of cool things to look for at the library there. I even had a tentative itinerary worked out in my head.

God must have had a good laugh when he saw me making all those plans, for he had other plans for me. First, my phone died almost as soon as we got off the plane. Once we checked into our hotel at 3:00, my husband went right to bed and slept for the next 12 hours straight. I did not feel like going to sleep at that time, so I was left with no phone and nothing to do.

The next day, which I had planned to use for research, we spent most of the morning getting me a new phone and getting my minutes and phone number transferred from my old phone. By the time we got to the library to research, it was almost 1:00. After researching for a few hours, I noticed that my husband was falling asleep and was looking more and more miserable. I kept working for a little longer, but I knew that I had to quit, even if it meant that I didn’t accomplish nearly as much as I had hoped.

When we got back to the hotel, my husband went to bed, so I was left on my own again. As the hours passed, I became more and more agitated and angry. I could see all my plans for this vacation going out the window. I knew that it was supposed to rain on Saturday and Sunday, and I envisioned us spending the whole vacation in our hotel room. I was feeling sorry for myself, but I also felt discouraged by my sinful attitudes. I was failing miserably in the very things that I had been trying to work on.

The next day, before breakfast, I started out with an extended time of prayer. What a difference that made! I began the day with a better attitude, and that day and the rest of the weekend went really well. I was able to finish up my research at the library, and we were also able to do most of the things that I had planned. Although it did rain on Saturday, we had a wonderful visit with my daughter and son-in-law, and we got to do lots of fun things.

Now that we’re back home I’m trying to spend more time in prayer, and I’m trying to make more meaningful sacrifices. God gave me countless opportunities last week to grow in trust, and to “count it all joy” in times of stress. I’m afraid that I failed miserably, but I pray that He will have mercy on me and will not give up on me.

Incline your ear

“Incline your ear and hear my words, and apply your heart to my doctrine; for it will be well if you keep them in your bosom, if they all are ready on your lips.” Prov. 22: 17-18

I think this verse from Proverbs sums up what God has been doing in me, especially over the past few months. God has shown me that, if I want to grow as a Christian and be better at sharing my faith, I need to spend more time reading and studying God’s word and the teachings of the Church. I also need to spend more time in prayer, listening to God.

I especially like the part of this verse that talks about keeping God’s words in my bosom, so that they are ready on my lips. I’ve been trying to work on memorizing Scriptures, so that I can call them to mind when I need them. Thus, when I find myself in a stressful situation, I remind myself that “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me” (Phil. 4:13) and “My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth” (Psalm 121:2). When I become angry, I remember, “Be angry but do not sin; do not let the sun set on your anger, and do not leave room for the devil.” (Eph. 4:26)

True happiness

“He who loves pleasure will suffer want; he who loves wine and perfume will not be rich.” Prov. 21:17

One of the key themes in my Bible study on James was growing in wisdom. One of the greatest sources of wisdom is the book of Proverbs. Since there are 31 days in most months and 31 chapters in Proverbs, we were encouraged to read a chapter each day. The verse above spoke to me as I read chapter 21.

God created us to know Him and love Him and serve Him. If we seek after things that bring us pleasure, like money, fancy clothes, rich food, or the approval of others, we will never be fully satisfied. Often, the more we get, the more we want. Some of the richest people in the world are also the unhappiest.

I think that what our souls ultimately long for is to be with God, and thus the things that make us truly happy in this life are those that bring us closer to that goal (things like prayer, the love of family and friends, and helping others). As St. Augustine said, “Our hearts are restless till they rest in thee.”

My hero

I thank God for my wonderful husband. He is one of the people that I have prayed for over the years (see my last blog, on “The prayers of the righteous”), for he has suffered from clinical depression for most of his life.

Many people these days have “heroes” that they look up to: sports stars, politicians, movie stars, etc. My hero, though, is my husband and people like him. I know that it’s often difficult for him to even get out of bed, much less work an 8-hour shift stocking shelves at Walmart. Yet, every day, he does just that. He drags himself out of bed and goes to work, even when he’s feeling bad, so that he can provide for me and our family. To me, that is truly heroic.

The prayers of the righteous

“The prayer of a righteous man has great power in its effects.” James 5:16

I am a very firm believer in the power of prayer. I have seen God do many miraculous things in my life as a result of prayer.

I believe that prayer can have even more effect when many people pray together for a common cause. Last year, when our country was about to attack Syria, the pope called all the faithful to pray and fast on a particular day for the situation in that country. Shortly after that day of prayer, the crisis passed and no attack came.

I believe that God always answers our prayers, but not always in the way that we expect or according to our timetable. I have been praying for many years for several friends and family members who suffer from depression. The more I pray, the more God seems to bring people into my life who need prayer.

(The kind of depression I’m referring to is clinical depression. Most of us get down at some time in our lives, when a loved one dies or when we are out of work, etc., but that is brought on by a difficult situation. Clinical depression, though, is not a result of circumstances. It just is. A chemical imbalance in the brain causes this kind of depression.)

A few months ago, a young priest from our parish passed away suddenly. It was a shock to everyone, and many people grieved his loss. A few days after his death, our pastor explained that Father had suffered from depression for most of his life and that his death had been self-inflicted.

I was devastated and felt a real burden to pray for people, like Father, who are in such pain and who often suffer in silence. I was frustrated and felt like my prayers weren’t being answered.

As I prayed, I felt like God was telling me that this kind of problem required prayer and fasting. I also felt like he was calling me to gather a group of people who would commit to praying and fasting for this intention.

In our Bible study at this time we were focusing on putting our faith into action, so I knew I had to do something. I got up the nerve to talk to the women in my Bible study, and a number of them agreed to join me in praying and fasting (or making some other sacrifice). We also began meeting once a week to pray the Chaplet of Divine Mercy together for all those who suffer from any kind of mental illness.

We’ve been meeting for over two months now, and there is a group of ten to twenty of us that have been coming regularly. We meet at church every Thursday morning, for about 15 minutes, after daily Mass. I am very hopeful that our prayers are having an effect.

If this blog post has touched your heart, I’d ask you to consider joining me in praying for people with mental illness, either on your own, in your family, or in your faith community. Maybe offer up a small sacrifice for them. If you find yourself caught in traffic or having to shovel yet another batch of snow, rather than complaining perhaps offer up a prayer for all those who struggle just to get through the day.

Count it all joy

“Count it all joy, my brethren, when you meet various trials, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness.” James 1: 2-3

Webster’s dictionary defines joy as “the emotion evoked by well-being, success, or good fortune or by the prospect of possessing what one desires.” I don’t know about you, but I’ve never felt very joyful while in the midst of trials. I like it when things are going well. When things are not going well, I tend to complain and get depressed.

Last year I was going through some very difficult times. I was feeling overwhelmed and lonely. In my distress I turned to the Lord and He helped me to find peace.

Some of my friends from church had been involved for many years in a Bible study. I had often thought of asking them if I could join, but I could never bring myself to do it. As I said in my last blog, I’ve never been very comfortable about sharing my faith with others, so I could never get up the nerve to ask.

Last year, though, I decided to give the Bible study a try. I was feeling very lonely, and I desperately needed fellowship with other women. It ended up being one of the best decisions I've ever made, because the Bible study was a life-changing experience for me (more about that in a later blog).

The above Scripture from James was the central point of the first Bible study lesson. At the end of the ten week course, as I thought about all that the Lord had done in my life in a few short months, I had a better understanding of what James meant. I realized that if I hadn’t gone through those trials I probably never would have joined the Bible study, and I would have missed out on all that the Lord had in store for me.

I think that the joy James refers to is “the prospect of possessing what one desires.” Trials lead us to rely more on God and less on ourselves. They also help to purify us and make us stronger. If we respond to troubles in the right way they can help to make us better people, so my prayer is that my trials will always make me “better, not bitter.”

Let your light shine

“You are the light of the world. A city set on a mountain cannot be hidden. Nor do they light a lamp and then put it under a bushel basket; it is set on a lampstand, where it gives light to all in the house. Just so, your light must shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your heavenly Father.” Matthew 5: 14-16

I have never been very good about sharing my faith with others. I tend to be shy by nature, and that often keeps me from speaking out when I should. I hope, therefore, with this blog, to do a better job of letting my light shine. This is my feeble attempt at “setting my lamp on a lampstand,” rather than keeping it hidden. I hope that I can give glory to God, and maybe encouragement to others, through my words.