How We as Catholics Can Seek God through Opposition

How We as Catholics Can Seek God through Opposition

"Be merciful, O Lord, for we have sinned." (Psalm 51)
 

In Psalm 51, we hear something that I'm sure all of us have cried out to the Lord many times; I know I have.

Based on the times we're living in, the influence of the enemy, and even things we might tell ourselves or others might tell us, the battle against sin in our world and in our hearts is getting stronger every day.

So, I thought I might share some battle tips that I think could really help us during Lent. A few things that we could reflect on that might help give us perspective when faced with sinful temptations and tendencies. Especially those sinful things we may have struggled with our entire life.

So, when we are on the brink of falling into sin, and when the world, our culture, and everything inside of us tells us, 'Follow your heart,' we should remember that Jesus said, 'Follow Me.'

The world says, 'Be true to yourself,' but Jesus said, 'Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny himself.'

The world says, 'Believe in yourself; you can do it.' Jesus said, 'Believe in Me.'

The world says, 'Live your Truth,' Jesus said, 'I am the Truth.'

The world says, 'Do whatever you want as long as it makes you happy,' Jesus said, 'What will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and yet loses his soul?'

As we enter the season of Lent today, let us all ask the Holy Spirit to give us the resolve to spend this time drawing closer to the Lord as we prepare for His Passion, Death, and Glorious Resurrection.

Let us truly surrender ourselves to His love—body, mind, and soul—and strive to live a life of discernment, seeking to do God’s will in all that we do. Especially in those times when our zeal, both positive and negative, may lead us to stray from His plan, not because we actively wanted to go against Him, but because, in our lack of discernment, we may have been misled, or believed our way was God’s way, even though we had not taken the matter to Him in prayer.

And when we do go to the Lord in prayer, the key to knowing the path He wants us to follow is found by sitting quietly and listening for God's response. We can't do all the talking. A conversation, even with God, doesn’t work that way.

Brothers and Sisters, let us use the time God is giving us during this penitential season of Lent to honestly discern the life He is calling us to live. We can do this in many ways: by fasting; by praying more, including praying the rosary and praying over scripture; by participating in the sacrifice of the Mass—which is the perfect prayer—as often as possible, not just on Sunday; by examining our conscience daily; and frequently receiving God’s mercy and grace in the Sacrament of Confession, especially during Lent.

You might call me a Jesus freak, but my plan is to go to Confession at the beginning, middle, and end of Lent.

Why would I want to go to Confession that much, I honestly can't do that much sinning in just a couple of weeks? The more important thing to consider is that through the Sacrament of Confession we receive the grace to actually live our Act of Contrition to "sin no more and avoid the near occasion of sin," because our soul is staying cleaner, all the time.

Now, while we are doing all these things to grow in our relationship with Jesus during Lent, we need to remember, as Jesus said in the gospel, that we should, 'Take care not to perform righteous deeds in order that people may see them; otherwise, you will have no recompense with your heavenly Father.'

Anything we do to draw closer to Jesus should not be done to make others think we are 'all holy,' but should be offered up as a worthy sacrifice to the Lord.

Speaking of sacrifice, Lent is a great time to offer small self-sacrifices to the Lord daily, not just those occasional sacrifices the Church asks of us, like when we are asked to fast and abstain from meat.

We can also draw closer to the Lord by being aware of, and helping, our brothers and sisters in need—be it physical, mental, or spiritual need—while also searching for ways to bring them the joy that only God can provide.

It’s also very beneficial to go to daily Mass or Adoration at least once a week to sit quietly with Jesus, listening to what He has to say to you! He’s there, all the time, in the tabernacle, just waiting for us to come and seek His guidance.

As I mentioned earlier, sitting quietly, listening to God's response to our prayer is an essential part of our faith, but doing it in a Catholic Church is especially powerful. If you haven’t done it in a while, give it a try. You will be amazed at how the Holy Spirit will speak to your heart when you sit quietly there with Jesus.

Let us take advantage of all the blessings and gifts God has given us through His Church to grow closer to Him, so that we can avoid turning to ourselves or any other person except Jesus for answers, especially when we are suffering or in pain.

Let us take the opportunity given to us, now, during this time of Lent to draw closer to the Lord and reconcile with Him any offenses we have committed against Him. Remember, as St. Paul said in our second reading, 'Behold, now is a very acceptable time; behold, now is the time of salvation.'

My Friends, growing closer to the Lord and seeking to do His will in our life is not easy. There is, and always will be, opposition, but it’s our choice.

Let's choose God!

Amen.