All your deeds and words,

Each truth, each lie,

Die in unjudging love.

In Cynthia Bourgeault’s wonderful book, Mystical Hope, Trusting in the Mercy of God, she offers this verse from Dylan Thomas’ poem, “This Side of the Truth”. While I spent the better part of a morning meditating on just these lines, this only captures a small fragment of Ms. Bougeault’s enlightening message in this brief but very profound treatise on the “heart of the mercy of God”. Ms. Bourgeault reminds the reader that in this “Mercy all our history – our possible pasts and possible futures, our lost loved ones and children never born – is contained and fulfilled in a wholeness of love from which nothing can ever possibly be lost”. What a great meditation for the season of Lent. What a great read for someone in need of God’s loving mercy.

Lent 2008

Lent is an amazing time in the Church year. Supplementing the learned elements of fasting, praying and alms giving, Lent provides a wonderful opportunity to try again to get things right - to make changes. This year it arrived early and right on the tail end of all those New Year's resolutions that have gone by the wayside. Instead of gloom and doom, I approach Lent each year with a great joy, knowing that I can once again meet Jesus as part of the crowds that follow him, to hear the gospels with new ears, and, maybe, just maybe, this time I will experience a real metanoia. Life is a struggle. Life within the Church is a struggle - for all of us, for different reasons. Many times along my faith journey I would feel spiritually inadequate, especially when faced with charismatic individuals. I would wonder if I ever would feel faith with their intensity - maybe, I was just not good at religion. Then, one Lent, I read the Prayer Experience by Mark Link S.J., and my whole way of thinking was set on end. I just recently reread this book and I am amazed at how such a simple little book can be so profound. This books points out that God's presence is within us - all the time, whether we are aware or not. This is such an amazing "duh" moment for me every time I read this. I always was waiting for that BIG moment when I would FEEL and EXPERIENCE the presence of God in my life in very PAPARAZZI kinds of ways. I thought, "aha" when I feel God in this way I will know that I am a changed woman and that I have found the real spiritual enlightenment and my faith journey will be elevated to a new level. How wonderful for me, right? WRONG. I know now that each and every ordinary day is made extraordinary just by knowing God is within me - that his voice is there all the time speaking to me even though I am distracted, even though I am blindsided by struggles. Lent provides a time to let go of the distractions and remember who resides within. It's a time to let Him love me completely, to let him hold my hurts and joys with equal measure. It's a time to listen to his voice within. "This is my beloved son in whom I am well pleased. Listen to him!" Speak Lord, your servant is listening.