Journeying to Grace

I had great plans for this Lent: go to daily Mass at least once per week; go to Adoration at least once per week; attend Stations of the Cross multiple times. Well, three strikes so far. Now that we’re about halfway through Lent, I haven’t done any of them yet, which made me very disappointed in myself. After all, there is no one else to blame but me. And what’s hard to understand is these are fulfilling practices I typically do each Lent. What happened?

Recently, I discovered that maybe not doing these things quite yet is okay. 1) There is still time for them. 2) Maybe I didn’t need to ‘plan’ Lent. I could just let it happen and be open to what came my way to work in my heart.

This past weekend, several of us gathered as a community of faith at a morning retreat to pray, to share, and to seek life in the light of Christ. Though a retreat is another typical and welcome practice for Lent, the special gift I was given from our time together was prayer. Not just the power of prayer, but the privilege of sharing in another’s specific prayer. Each attendee was encouraged to submit an anonymous Lenten prayer request and was asked to take one. I was blessed to take the prayer requests of three others home with me. As I continue to read them and pray to the Lord about them, I am, well, honored. I’ve been entrusted with these beautiful, courageous prayers from the heart. True needs and longings for God’s continued love, strength, and mercy. Though I know the retreat attendees, I do not know who among them authored these prayers. But I am moved by their spiritual aching, their desire for hope, and their need for healing. By joining in their prayers for God to work in them, I feel we are on this Lenten journey together.

These three attendees, as well as the others, also gave me the gifts of strength and hope. Their prayers reflect significant struggle and challenge, and in faith, they chose to attend this retreat. Despite certain hurts and losses, they still have the strength to seek God, His grace, and His endless love. What an example and comfort to me as offer my own prayers for grace and mercy.

I will likely do some of the items on my original ‘Lent’ list, and I am sure they will be fruitful. But this particular Lenten journey is, so far, proving to be one of openness, companionship, and simply – prayer.