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You can't do it halfway.Have you spent the last four weeks growing in prayer? Spending time in silence, allowing God to work in your heart, developing a closer relationship with Him?
One piece of this conversion we can't forget is the need for commitment. Jesus doesn't want part of our hearts; He wants all of us. And He offers all of Himself first in invitation! This week, consider the ways you are not yet fully committed to changing your heart, especially anything you have realized over the course of this Lent. Then ask for the grace to commit completely. -
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Family Wisdom: Go all in.
The saints are our extended family in faith, and we have the great gift of learning from both their experiences and their mistakes. This week, consider what St. Bernadette teaches us about committing to her faith.
St. Bernadette is known for being the little girl that Our Lady appeared to at Lourdes, leading to the miraculous spring of water that draws millions of pilgrims and has been a source of physical and spiritual healing.
Before all that happened, though, Bernadette was a devout but fairly ordinary young girl. When she received the first apparitions, not knowing who the beautiful lady was that spoke to her, she was severely chastised by the adults in her life, including her parents, her priest, and members of the town's police force.
Rather than obeying these ordinary authoritative figures, Bernadette stayed faithful to Our Lady's instructions and continued to go to the grotto where they met, drawing more and more attention as time passed. On one occasion, Our Lady even told her to dig in the dirt, eat weeds, and drink the thick, muddy water that sprang up. Despite the disgust of the surrounding crowd, Bernadette obeyed, and that muddy water she dug up turned into the miraculous spring we know of today!
St. Bernadette knew the risk of disobeying those around her and faced immense pressure to withdraw her claims. Yet her commitment to what she knew to be true led to a sign for the whole world, the conversion and healing of countless souls, and the defense of Our Lady's Immaculate Conception.
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Pray
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Phrases to repeat this week
Holy Spirit, inflame us with the flame of Your love.
"Go and sin no more."
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Jesus, deliver me from refusals and reluctances in accepting your will.
From the Litany of Trust
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Read
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In Sinu Jesu: When Heart Speaks to Heart, the Journal of a Priest at Prayer.
"Do you not see how much I have been calling you to trust in Me? Trust in the key that opens all the treasures of My merciful and infinitely loving Heart. I am touched by a single act of trust in My merciful love more than by a multitude of good works. The soul who trusts in Me allows Me to work freely in her life. The soul who trusts Me, by that very fact, removes the obstacles of pride and self-determination that impede My freedom of action. There is nothing I will not do for the soul who abandons herself to Me in a simple act of trust."
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The Catechism #2709-11
Did you know that Part IV of the Catechism of the Catholic Church is all about prayer? While it continues to convey essential teachings of the faith, like the first three parts, Part IV has the feeling of spiritual reading and is an incredibly fruitful way to enter into the Catechism.
"Once committed to conversion, the heart learns to pray in faith. Faith is a filial adherence to God beyond what we feel and understand. It is possible because the beloved Son gives us access to the Father. He can ask us to 'seek' and to 'knock,' since he himself is the door and the way.
Just as Jesus prays to the Father and gives thanks before receiving his gifts, so he teaches us filial boldness: 'Whatever you ask in prayer, believe that you receive it, and you will.' Such is the power of prayer and of faith that does not doubt: 'all things are possible to him who believes.' Jesus is as saddened by the 'lack of faith' of his own neighbors and the 'little faith' of his own disciples as he is struck with admiration at the great faith of the Roman centurion and the Canaanite woman.
The prayer of faith consists not only in saying 'Lord, Lord,' but in disposing the heart to do the will of the Father. Jesus calls his disciples to bring into their prayer this concern for cooperating with the divine plan."
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Act
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Go to Confession
If you are committed to conversion, the best way to start is returning to (or continuing to frequent) the confessional. The Lord waits for us their and offers grace, not only to be forgiven but also to avoid falling back into sin! Lent is one of the best times to return to the sacrament.
Has it been a while? Check out this resource if you need a refresher.
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Check Your Lenten Promise
Whatever you committed to for Lent - prayer, fasting, almsgiving, and any other spiritual practice - take a moment to reflect. How has it gone? Do you need to double down or adjust in some way? There are still two weeks left, and remember: it is normal to fall and normal to forget at times. The real work comes from continuing to commit to the promise again and again.
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