Reflection for Feb. 17, 2013
posted on: Thursday, February 14, 2013 by: renaebauer
Lent -- A time to give up, give over, give
back or receive again?
by Sister Annette Koss
When I was a child, Lent was not something I looked forward to;
my attitude toward Lent was on the gloomy side. It meant giving up,
especially candy, and giving over more time to church. I remember,
four weeks into Lent, biting into a chocolate in the back of the
car. I instantly felt that I had blown it for this Lenten season; I
didn't give it to God.
Now I believe that I can receive the gift of God's presence
again and again through Word, Cross and Eucharist in Community. I
find it is more about receiving again the gift of the Spirit,
actually every moment of every day.
Where did I receive the Spirit? Where will I encounter the
Spirit again?
Before going to sleep, I rewind the day and ask, "Where did I
receive again the love of the Spirit?" I usually fall asleep and
resume the rewind somewhere in the middle of the night. I ask
forgiveness for the times I let the presence of Jesus pass through
my midst, for the times when the temptations of materialism, status
and power cast shadows on the presence of the Risen Jesus. Before
rising, I fast forward the day and ask, "Where might I receive and
share the Spirit of Love again?"
For many years I have prepared RCIA people (adults preparing for
baptism or confirmation through the Rite of Christian Initiation
for Adults) to break open word in life and scripture. It is all
about waking up and staying awake to receive again and again the
abiding active presence of the Spirit of the Risen Jesus.
Celebrating the
'Year of Faith'
The Creed -- The Church: Reflecting the Light
of Christ
chapter 10
, US Catholic Catechism for Adults
by Sister Lynne Marie Simonich
"The word 'Church' originally meant a gathering or
assembly. In Christian usage, the word 'church' refers to the
worshipping community, the local community (parish), and the entire
universal community of believers ... In the Church, God now calls
together all people into one community of faith, hope and
love. God calls us and forms us into a community of love,
sharing faith in Christ Jesus in the common hope of eternal
salvation.
"The Church possesses both divine and human elements, a visible
society and a spiritual society. The Church is a holy
mystery, because her origin is in the community of
the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit ... The Church is the
sacrament of our salvation, the sign and
instrument of our communion and relationship with God. The
Church is the People of God ... the Body
of Christ ... and the Temple of the Holy
Spirit. The Church is a communion that
begins with our union with Christ Jesus ... We are given a share in
the communion of the Trinity and drawn into a community of faith,
hope, and love with all men and women."
(from the Catechism of the Catholic Church: #751-752,
758-769, 770-780, 781-786, 813)