Lent Day 7 - How to Pray

 How to pray - possibly one of the hardest questions to answer. Many people will go to great lengths to tell you there is only one way to pray.  Read the Bible - pray - meditate on individual scriptures.  Pray  the Rosary - ten - fifteen times each day.  Go to an Adoration chapel at a local church - sit in adoration of the exposed Blessed Sacrament - only in total silence - or - only with meditative instrumental music. Go into a totally darkened room - pray in silence.  Only pray in a Church - never just in your home.  Sit on your back yard porch - immerse yourself in nature - pray while looking at the wonders God has created.  So many options - so many - "perfect" ideas.  That is only "where" to pray.  I haven't even mentioned which prayers to pray. That is another whole subject. 

Bottom line - prayer is conversation between God - His people - as community - as an individual. There are so many options available to all who wish to pray. Amount of time devoted to prayer - location - method - words to pray - rote - free form - learned - spoken from the heart. All are correct - none are wrong when spoken in faith. Prayers to God - to Jesus - to the Holy Spirit - to angels - saints - in honest open conversation - all are good. From the simplest to the most complex. Where - when to pray - your choice. What format - your choice. Which prays to use - your choice. All prayer is good - rewarding - when directed to Our Lord. Remember your prayers are your prayers - so do it now - your way. That is the only correct way to talk with God.

Deacon Dale 

Lent Day 6 - Lent Tools

 In Lent there are some tools that we should have on hand to help us on this journey.  A bible - some meditative music - candle - schedule - food - drink.  In our schedule - daily reminders - 10 or 15 minutes set aside each day - time for prayer - time for meditation.  Although we fast - not necessary to starve - important to maintain basic nutrition.  Sitting in a quiet space - dim light - eliminating outside distractions - a simple candle to help one focus - all useful tools.  For those who are new to Lenten practices - these tools may be beneficial.

Even those who are veterans of Lent - quite often may benefit from suggestions - new ideas - concepts on the methods of prayer - meditation.  As we enter our private time - important that we may proceed uninterrupted.  Even religious - priests - deacons - sisters - often experience moments when it is hard to pray - daily concerns - other distractions - often make seeking quiet prayer time very difficult.  Even when the time is found - often minds find it hard to stay focused on prayer - meditation.  For those times I suggest entering a private space - dimmed lighting - soft meditative instrumental music - a single candle to focus ones eyes on.  In time - a minute or two - focusing intently on the candle - looking past the white - yellow - blue - flames that make up that larger flame - looking into the darkness inside the very small blue flame - in that darkness one will find themselves alone in Divine space.  Divine space where we can be alone with God - in that space - peace - quiet - the Holy Spirit draws us closer to God where the two of us can communicate.

Deacon Dale 

Lent Day 5 - First Sunday

 Today we observe the First Sunday of Lent - The Scriptures read at Holy Mass today - very interesting.  Most will focus on the Gospel  - Jesus going into the desert for 40  days after being baptized by John in the Jordan - the basis for spending 40 days in Lent - walking in the personal desert of our lives. Many will completely overlook the First reading - the commentary that says - "My father was a wandering Aramean who went down to Egypt with a small household and lived there as an alien" - a homiletic side bar - perhaps encouraging us to consider the current concern about immigrants. The Second reading likewise leans towards this also - "For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; the same Lord is Lord of all, enriching all who call upon him.

As we spend these 40 days in Lent - wandering in the desert of our minds - hearts - we need to not just consider ourselves - also others - who live near us - who walk similar paths - cope with similar issues.  As we head into our prayer closest to meditate this Lent - we need to speak to God in our prayers - give voice to what we should be doing - for ourselves - our community - that we may grow in all the ways God is calling us.

Deacon Dale 

Lent Day 4 - The Plan

 As we begin our Lenten experience many will create a plan for how they will experience Lent - when to Fast - Prayer time - Almsgiving - how much - how long.  Some will actually write their plans down - follow them very scrupulously - others - will approach these in a more casual way - observing them - with less stress. 

Which ever way you observe these 40 days of Lent - perfectly fine.  The basic suggestions of prayer - fasting - almsgiving are the basis for your personal method.  There is no specific time line - no specific - mandatory prayers - no defined amount of alms to share.  Lent is YOUR Lent.  The important goal - that in these days you do something.  Stuck on how to proceed - go to your prayer closet - ask God.  He will give you the answer.

Deacon Dale  

Lent Day #3 - No Meat

 Our first Friday this Lent - reminders everywhere - NO MEAT!  Yes - as Catholics we are asked to not only fast on Fridays - also to avoid consumption of meat products.  First choice - Fish - great for those who eat fish - not so for others.  Perhaps a serious bread and water day - maybe. Rather than looking at meatless Fridays as some sort of punishment - turn the table - spend that time normally focused over eating into time with others.  Instead of MEAT - how about we think of MEET - as in meeting with others.  Gathering together for community prayer time - bible study - group projects helping those in need. 

As we gather together and meet with others - many benefits to share. Gathered prayer - in multiple languages - shared reading of Holy Scripture - vocalizing our different thoughts - mulling over options - opportunities. Where many see Lent as a vacant desert filled with a lot of nothing - I prefer to see a sea of opportunities - each of us in our personal space - alone but together - emptying ourselves of worldly concerns - ignoring the fog that blurs our vision - looking deeper into what might be - what can be when we join our mind - hearts - with the Divine.

Deacon Dale 

Lent Day #2 - Dust Bunnies

 Yesterday many of us had dust fragments imposed on our foreheads - today most likely those particles have been removed - washed off in the morning shower - for some removed during the night on their pillow.  The realty - none of us is ever totally free of those fragments - signs of  the sins that we carry with us constantly in our minds - hearts. For the majority - sins that are minor - small missteps done as we rush through our daily lives.  These I call sin dust bunnies - tiny fuzzy fragments - no major things committed by any of us - just little things we should not have done - imperfections in our daily lives.  

In Lent - we are asked to focus on prayer - fasting - almsgiving - emptying our lives of that which is unnecessary - creating room - time - space - to look deeper into that invisible existence we tend to ignore.  Today we identify those remnants - the dust bunnies of our sins - not terrible creatures inside - some like cute baby bunnies we all love to pet and cuddle - but ones we need to remove completely - to make room for the light of the Son - the light of Jesus who seeks to enter into that private space inside each of us where we may become cleansed - clean.  Today that task has begun.

Deacon Dale

Lent - Day #1 Dust Storm

 As we begin this Season of Lent with our annual Ash Wednesday observances so many of us attending Holy Mass or special liturgical services with the distribution of ashes - we are encouraged to come to a halt - stop in our tracks - consider where we are going in our personal lives.  Simple but profound message - did we listen - has it made an impact on you - in other words - what has happened?  Is this really only about - the chocolate - the cigarettes - the superficial things that you will give up?

So - you got some ash smudged on your forehead - do you think that really means anything?  Does that make you any better than the person next to you who has no ash on their forehead - are you holier - kinder - more considerate of others - more charitable - more tolerant - more accepting - really - think about that.  Does God love you more than the other one - because of those ashes?  Maybe it is time to quit thinking only about yourself - start thinking about the person next to you - the person who has not bathed  in a week - a month - the one who would love to eat the scraps off your table - be offered a ride - offered a hand up - perhaps receive a hug.  In this Lenten period when we consider those without - do something about it - just perhaps the ashes in your heart will fall away - then you may be able to love everyone no matter what.  In Lent all of us need to fast - pray - consider not just ourselves - others and their needs.  Only then will the ash - the dust of our sins be cleansed.

Deacon Dale