Christ’s Seven Last Words: Another Side

By Gabe Garnica

As we make that powerful turn into Holy Week and Beyond, we reflect on Our Lord’s Seven Last Words as Seven Balances we each must make on our own journey toward our crosses.

First Word

“Father, forgive them , for they know not what they do.” Luke 23: 34

We understandably take Our Lord’s first word as reflecting his Divine Mercy and compassion. Who among us could ever pray for, much less forgive, those who hate and hurt us? Yet this is yet another clear indication that Christ is the ultimate paradox to this temporary, superficial, secular world. He asks us to love so much that we can forgive so much and forgive so much that we reflect only love for the other regardless of how the other has treated us. However, there is another side, a balancing aspect, to this First Word.

Christ asks that his Father forgive his murderers due to their ignorance. They are teeming with hatred for him precisely because they are confused and misguided. In a word, they are lost. The balancing side to Christ’s compassion and Divine Mercy then, is our duty to seek, to search out truth, clarification, reality, and a better understanding of ourselves, others, and the situations we face. Ignorance may be bliss to some, but it is not so for the true follower of Christ. As such followers, we are called to relentless responsibility grounded in love and service. Cowards and fools find comfort in ignorance, but courageous followers of Christ have an unflinching passion for truth because they have a relentless thirst for Christ, who alone is truth.

Let us seek, then, to embrace Our Lord’s Divine Mercy with a wrap of personal responsibility and relentless pursuit of truth. Let us welcome the mission of destroying ignorance and bringing light to others so that they may seek Christ as well. Let us reject the excuse of ignorance for such tactics do not work with God. The ultimate responsibility of being a christian is that we look to Christ and not to excuses.

Second Word

“Amen I say to thee, this day thou shalt be with me in paradise.” Luke 23: 43

Again, we see Our Lord’s transcendent Divine Mercy which has no clock and only shows relentless love and compassion. Here, he forgives a sinner with two strikes, two outs in the bottom of the ninth inning using baseball terms. How often do we measure contrition, compassion, and forgiveness as if doing our taxes? Our Lord’s mercy once again points to the paradox of his love for us. He is truth and justice personified and embodied, yet he is also mercy and compassion epitomized as well. However, yet again, there is another, balancing side to this Second Word as well.

Our Lord practices what he so often preached regarding the importance and joy of finding the lost sheep. Yet, this second word challenges us to pursue Christ consistently and not be content for last minute reprieves. If we do our best to be Christ to others, we will be able to love and serve those others throughout our lives and not be mired in simply saving ourselves. Yes, Christ’s promises are as good as gold. However, this second word invites and challenges us to be humble and shun overconfidence that Our Lord will save us. Confession and Our Lord’s Divine Mercy are not some mere get-out-of-jail cards on Monopoly or a Free Spin on Wheel of Fortune. The challenge of this second word is to follow Christ because we love him and not merely because it is nearly twelve midnight and our carriage is about to become a pumpkin.

Third Word

“When Jesus therefore had seen his mother and the disciple standing whom he loved, he said to his mother: Woman, behold thy son. After that, he said to the disciple: Behold thy mother.” John 19: 26-27

Many see this Third Word as a call to take The Blessed Mother as our own, loving and following her example of humility, faith, and obedience. However, once again we need to see the balancing aspect of this Third Word as well.

Every Christian should see Christ as the ultimate GPS to the ultimate destination of salvation in heaven. Beyond this, however, we are challenged here to see Mary as the GPS to Christ himself. In order to do this, we need to embrace and embody her example of loving and serving God even when we do not fully understand what God wants us to do. Mary combines faith and trust in God’s Will in a beautiful and humble way that we all should follow.

It is clear and true that This Third Word invites us to love and honor Mary as our mother and see ourselves as her children. However, the second, balancing side of this Third Word is that, like Mary, we are called to bring Christ to a world which desperately needs him. Following Mary’s example is not a spectator sport lined with rosaries. Rather, it is an active, participant mission calling us to be ministers delivering Christ to everyone we meet.

Fourth Word

“And about the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, saying: Eli, Eli, lamma sabacthani? that is, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?” Matt 27:46

Jesus is both fully human and fully divine, and his divinity allowed him to know that his suffering would achieve its purpose. However, his humanity allowed him to feel the despair that we can all feel when things seem hopeless. Many take this Fourth Word as a representation of that difficult situation, and of the idea that following God’s Will can often not be an easy thing to do. We all can certainly relate to feeling abandoned, betrayed, or forgotten by those around us, especially by those we assume love and care for us. Beyond these ideas, however, we can find two other, balancing sides to this Fourth Word as well.

First, despair and hopelessness is a normal part of being human we can all and will feel from time to time. Following Christ means falling on the way to our mission as he physically did three times. The key, however, is that following Christ does not truly begin when we merely fall, despair, or feel hopeless on our journey toward salvation. Rather, following Christ most truly begins when we get up from those falls that come our way as Christ got up.

Second, when God is our goal, all despair and hopelessness will yield to hope, faith, and anticipation. We all experience fear, regret, sorrow, despair, hopelessness, and even a temptation to give up, to surrender and throw our hands up. However, if we keep Christ in our sights and hearts, all such feelings will fade before the majesty of Christ’s relentless and transcendent love for us. Despair is followed by hope and faith when Christ is involved.

Fifth Word

“Afterwards, Jesus knowing that all things were now accomplished, that the scripture might be fulfilled, said: I thirst.” John 19:28

A few years ago, I read for the first time how this Fifth Word represents not only Our Lord’s physical thirst but also his third for souls to save. I thought that this idea was such a beautiful and touching representation of t his Fifth Word. However, here too one can see a second, balancing aspect to this Fifth Word.

God has prepared a cup for each of us. Our mission and purpose in life is to drink fully and lovingly from that cup. The cup will contain happiness and joy as well as sorrow, pain, and disappointment. Many of us either refuse to drink the cup altogether or merely try to drink the cup partially, sipping from what seems like good things and avoiding the tough stuff. If we truly love God and seek to serve Him and follow His Divine Will for our lives, we need to fully and lovingly drink all the His cup for us means. It is not enough for us to be willing to drink of that cup as if it were some homework assignment or chore. In fact, it is not even enough for each of us to welcome that cup and all it brings. Rather, we must actively thirst to drink that cup, to serve and love Our Lord, and to please God Almighty despite our many faults.

Ultimately, our lives must reflect that thirst. We must see our journey as a continuous struggle to satisfy the thirst of loving God and following Our Lord and helping others do so as well. Christ expressed this thirst for souls when he had accomplished his mission. We are called to embody this thirst for serving and loving God and others in order to accomplish our mission.

Sixth Word

“Jesus therefore, when he had taken the vinegar, said: It is consummated.” John 19:30

We all understand this Sixth Word to show that Christ was nearing the end of his earthly mission to enable our salvation. However, perhaps we can also see the other, balancing side of this Sixth Word to mean that following Christ and fulfilling God’s purpose and mission for our lives is something we must fully accomplish to the best of our ability. We are each an investment of God’s wonderful gifts, blessings, and graces. The true question is whether or not we will each yield the interest and gain of that investment as God intended us to be. Regardless of how large our pool of resources is to fulfill our life mission and purpose, we are each called upon to fully actualize whatever potential for love and service God has given each of us.

In a way, fully following Christ means we are never finished by the standards of this world. This is so because our measure and standard is found in heaven and follows different quotas that this world’s merely superficial and temporal standards represent.

Seventh Word

“And Jesus crying with a loud voice, said: Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit. And saying this, he gave up the ghost.” Luke 23:46

Certainly, we will see this Seventh Word as Christ willingly and obediently giving up his spirit to his Father. It is a reminder that we begin service of God with obedience, faith, trust, and a willingness to wrap our will with the Holy Will of God. However, yet again and in a final balancing perspective, we may see this Seventh Word as confirmation of the idea that all we are, do, say, think, and achieve in this world is of no consequence if it is not done for the glory of God and serves God’s Will and purpose for our lives.

Regardless of how this world sees us, what ultimately matters is how God sees us. We can find no better satisfaction that satisfying our Heavenly Father with what we have done in this world. Let us see each season of Lent as a reminder that our lives are lent to us by God and we will each be called to give an account of what we have done with this gift of life we have been given. In the end, we must each return this gift back to the Creator Who alone gives life and Who alone should take it.

Conclusion

Each Lent we each struggle to stumble behind Our Lord’s example of loving service and obedience to God and loving service to others. With varying success, we each try to carry some sort of cross or consider that crosses we may carry in this effort to justify our designation as so-called followers of Christ.

Ultimately, however, it will be how sincerely, humbly, lovingly, and purely we carried out that struggle that will determine if that label of follower of Christ is justified. Let us see these powerful Seven Words as further guides in that effort.

2019 Gabriel Garnica

How Lenten is Your Parish Lenten Mission?

By Gabe Garnica

As we make that final turn toward the culmination of our Lenten journey, many of us have attended or heard about parish Lenten missions. Such events are often either a series of talks by different speakers or the same speaker(s) on different topics. Supposedly, the main purpose of such missions or talks are to invite the members of the parish to a deeper meditation or reflection on their Lenten journey. If we are honest, these various missions achieve that goal with varying degrees of success. Some instances will leave members of the audience deeply moved to a much greater and personal reflection on their Lent. Other instances, however, will often leave audience members scratching their heads wondering what the topics particularly had to do with Lent or how what was presented would help their Lenten journey.

Examples of Excellent and Not So Excellent Missions

A series of talks regarding Christ’s Seven Last Words, the Stations of the Cross, Our Lord’s Passion, or particularly characters in the Passion narrative can often be powerful and fulfilling invitations and reminders of what Lent is all about. Even discussions on the above in the context of our present society can be wonderful experiences for the audience.

In contrast, presentations by therapists, social workers, lawyers, and other professionals regarding topics only marginally, or even totally independent, of Lent are very questionable topics for Parish Lenten Missions. A recent example I know of involved two wonderfully talented and faithful psychologists who discussed how to raise good Catholic children in today’s society presented to an audience of mostly older, 40 years of age and above, parishioners. Anyone who can explain to me how these presentations provide us with a deeper Lenten journey will be much appreciated. The fact that most audience members had already raised kids weakened the presentation a bit, bit what some did not get is what the topic really had to do with Lent.

Difference Between a Good Parish Mission and a Good Lenten Parish Mission

At this point it is important to clarify the difference between a good parish mission and a good Lenten parish mission. Most efforts I have ever seen are competently presented and provide useful and valuable information for the faithful to use in their lives. The question is to what degree that given presentation or series of presentations brings the audience to a deeper meditation on Lent itself. A presentation by a medical doctor on the physical suffering the Christ endured in his Passion can be a powerful and poignant Lenten presentation. On the other hand, a presentation by that same doctor on allergies can negatively impact our Easter celebration is not exactly deep thought personified.

Ultimately, the difference between a merely good presentation and a good Lenten effort is how that presentation impacts the listeners’ appreciation and reflection on their Lent at this time in their lives living in this particular world and society. To this degree, a wonderful presentation on how Lent practices have changed over the last century may or may not hit the mark depending on how the topic is handled and approached. If the tone is to show how things were so much better in the old days and no everything is pathetic or, conversely, now things are so much more enlightened now and how foolish people were way back when one can argue that this historical Lent presentation will do more harm than good. If, however, the presenter compares and explains previous practices, how they have changed, what their meaning was, and how present practices may represent the same or similar themes, that could be an enlightening experience indeed.

A pastor at a nearby parish recently explained in the bulletin why statues are covered during Lent. Not only does this topic bring back memories from my childhood, but it was really educational and made me feel closer to my Lenten journey.

Choice of Speakers/Presenters

Often the speakers or presenters will be priests, deacons, other religious, theologians, or experts in some field chosen because of their ability to make their presentation meaningful to an audience. Presenters should be chosen because of their ability to convey relevant Lenten messages and not because of their friendship or familiarity to the Pastor. The best speakers will leave the audience thinking more about their Lenten journey and remembering key themes or messages from the presentation. If I leave a Lenten presentation knowing five ways to make my teenager go to Mass I am not completely sure that presentation was a Lenten presentation.

The Ultimate Test

At the end of the day, I believe that whether or not a particular Lenten presentation, retreat, or mission should have been a Lenten presentation, retreat, or mission is Could this event have been conducted at any other time of the year with as effective or even a more effective result? In other words, how dependent or connected was this presentation or retreat to Lent?

Can parents in June or September benefit from a presentation on how to raise good Catholic kids? Of course ! Can grandparents in October or February benefit from ways to connect with their grandchildren about being Catholic? Certainly! How about a discussion of Christ’s Last Seven Words, The Stations of the Cross, the role of Veronica in the Passion, or the Good vs. Bad Thief go in August or May? Not such a good fit it seems to me. That last group represents what a good Lenten mission or retreat should be about because their themes and topics most effectively fit in Lent itself.

Conclusion

Parish Lenten retreats, missions, presentations, and talks should be about Lent or how Lent integrates with some aspect of our lives. They should not be about how to raise kids as good Catholics or bake Easter cookies. At the next level, I am not sure that presentations on how to pray the Rosary or prepare for Confirmation are good Lenten topics either. While this next level does touch on our faith and would make wonderful topics in general throughout the year, the question is why have them in Lent?

Would you put up a Christmas tree in April to celebrate Easter? Would you ask an eye doctor to give a talk on how caring for your kids’ eyes makes for a better observance of Holy Week? There is a time and place for every parish presentation as long as one an relate the topic to our faith. For Lenten presentations, however, the central question is what does this particular topic have to do with Lent or Christ’s ultimate example of loving sacrifice. Many Christmas and religious hymns are very beautiful. That does not make them Lenten hymns.

2019 Gabriel Garnica

Lent Should Be a Moving Experience

By Gabe Garnica

I find it powerful and transcendent that Lent is a moving journey toward the Cross and beyond. This “moving” however, comes in three distinct contexts. Each context has its place in the Lenten message.

Powerful Emotion

The first context of moving evoked by Lent may certainly be the strong, somber emotion of following a friend through great suffering. The closer that friend, of course, the more intimate and proximate to ourselves that suffering should be. While we may be moved by attending the funeral of a friend’s relative we never met, we would expect to be even more moved in attending the actual friend’s funeral. In the first instance, our love for our friend moves us to feel compassion and sympathy for that friend’s suffering. In the second instance, that same love moves us to suffer at the loss of a loved one. The more something touches us, the more it moves our emotions.

As followers of Christ, therefore, we should be moved by Our Lord’s great suffering leading up to and through his ultimate loving sacrifice for us. We should be moved by being so loved while falling so short loving in return. We should be moved by the way we have contributed and continue to contribute to the suffering of a such a loving Lord every time we offend him.

The Crucifix as the Proactive Cross

Our image of the cross is as static and fixed as to be a mirage. We barely discern a difference between a cross and a crucifix. The cross is love promised and the crucifix is love proven. Christ accepted his cross out of love for us and proved his love by turning that cross into the ultimate sacrificial altar. As Catholics, we should see the cross as the setting for love and the crucifix as that love actualized.

The cross sets the table and the crucifix provides us with the meal of Our Lord’s body and blood. Without the corpus on the crucifix, the cross remains a passive symbol. It may evoke our reaction in some way, but that reaction pales in the face of what happens when we add the corpus of Christ.

The crucifix, on the other hand, turns the passivity of the cross into the action of loving sacrifice opening our path to salvation. Through the cross, our reactive passivity is transformed into proactive love. The symbol becomes the signpost. Our Savior on the cross redefines love from simply emotion or reaction into action. It is fine and good to love, but true love demands we act on that love. If we truly love Christ, then we will want to authentically follow him in actions and not merely words.

In this second context, then, Lent implies moving out of our comfort zones and acting on the love we have for Christ and others. Ash Wednesday reminds us that we are made of dust but Lent calls on us to turn that dust into a windstorm of love and sacrifice.

Calendar Dates

A friend recently lamented that this year Ash Wednesday and Valentine’s Day fall on the same day, as do Easter and April Fool’s Day. His concern was that people might forget to receive ashes in their haste to buy flowers and candy. In fact, his teenage daughter who usually proudly wears her ashes to school was going to get them after school because she did not want to “mess up” her Valentine’s celebration in school !

Likewise, many may fear that Easter will receive a greater dose of secular mockery since it falls on the day when fools are celebrated. The irony is that Lent truly should begin with love and call us to be fools for Christ in the eyes of this world. In a way, this year’s odd coincidences merely parallel how we should view Lent when confronting this world’s values and priorities.

It is fitting that Lent varies from year to year because following Christ is not about comfortable and predictable routines. The true follower of Christ is like a bride or groom promising love in the face of an uncertain path to a treasured goal. While Christ should be our fixed target, the world around us often provides a moving context which we must overcome. The ultimate message is that Christ is our fixed GPS through the changing contexts of this world.

As we move through Lent this year, let us be moved to move out of our comfort zones and help move others toward Christ.

2018 Gabriel Garnica

Faith and Gym Memberships

By Gabe Garnica

The other day I was working out at my local gym when I began to notice the various types of participants around me. One man was sitting at his weight station looking at his cell phone. Another was shooting the breeze with two other guys who were standing near his exercise machine. A few folks took longer to wipe down and wipe off their station than to exercise, lifting the weight three of four times and getting up. A guy nearby lifted far more weight than he could handle, judging by the look of death on his tomato red face. After a few lifts he had to stop. A lady behind me lifted a very light weight something like 40 times and left. There were a few folks who clearly knew what they were doing, applying proper weights and technique and the right reps and sets. However, for each effective exerciser there were ten who were clueless, oblivious, lazy, creative, or any combination of those latter traits.

Suddenly, it occurred to me that I have been each of those exercisers when it comes to practicing and applying my faith. Sometimes I am more interested in my cell phone than in praying. I can think of numerous times when it was distracted in church speaking to someone, or when I dropped into church seemingly as a drive by visitor. There have been times when I lifted more commitment than I could handle and gave up soon thereafter. Other times, I have been quite proud of myself for lifting the lightest burden possible a million times, as if I had accomplished anything by the process. For every time I have been focused and effective in prayer or meditation, there have been two where I was going through the motions.

We may ask why people sign up for gym memberships and then go through the motions or do not even show up to the gym. We may wonder in awe at how folks can attend mass once a month or less and think that they are good Catholics just for doing that. Truth be told, we are all guilty of doing such things with our faith. We act as if the beautiful faith that we have been gifted is a permanent tattoo that we can just wear and that is all.

Like it or not, we have to actually practice what we believe and preach. We have to make our faith a real meaningful part of our life, sort of a routine on steroids that we do because we feel it, not out of some mindless habit. We have to help anyone who asks us to explain things, or who is reaching out in general to see if the Good Samaritan story is just a myth. Perhaps we can use this Lent to make our faith more than a glorified gym membership. I think we can if we try.

2017 Gabriel Garnica

Lenten Lessons Learned

By Mary Lou Rosien

Vlad Rosien
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What a long, strange Lent it’s been. It started so dry and ended with quite a bit of suffering and growing. The Lord taught me a lot through my small sacrifices and works of mercy.

1/ Just because you give up chocolate doesn’t mean you’ll lose weight. The trick for me this Lent, was in not replacing the thing I gave up with something else. A true sacrifice should be a little uncomfortable. If you skip meat on Fridays, then go out for lobster, the sacrifice has actually become a treat.

2/ When you spend time in quiet prayer and reflection new insights are revealed. I’m often busy (my hubby would say too busy for my own good). Frequently on the move, caring for others and working several jobs doesn’t give me much time for reflection. This Lent, I made a conscious effort to spend more time in adoration. It may sound a little pretentious, but I found myself in those moments. I recognized that God works in my life in little ways I hadn’t noticed before. For example, I don’t write beautiful novels or long works of literary knowledge and…that’s okay. I write concise, short books and articles for busy people to read on the run. I’m not particularly prolific, however, I am practical and spiritual and God can use that too. It took me a long time to be okay with being the writer I am, not the one I thought I should be.

3/ Giving up some social media taught me that I like people more when I don’t know who they are voting for, what vacations they have been on and what wonderful successes they are currently enjoying. I don’t think I was even aware how much social media was coloring how I viewed others or how judgmental/envious I become while scrolling! Once I recognized this shortcoming in myself, I also realized that to, “Avoid the near occasion of sin,” I must decrease my use of social media permanently. I now check, post, scroll and comment much less frequently than I used to and life is better for it.

I am so grateful for the seasons of the Church Liturgical Year. Each one gives us a different focus and a chance to reflect and learn new things. God bless.

10 Ways to Keep Holy Week Holy when You Work in a Parish

By Deanna Bartalini

Holy Week is upon us. And you, like most Catholics, want to enter into the passion, death and resurrection of Jesus.

But you’re not like most Catholics. You belong to that special group who have chosen to serve the Church by working in a parish. And sometimes this week is difficult to enter into because you have so much work to do. I’ve been there; actually, I am there. But I’ve learned a few things on how to have a holy Holy Week.

The best way would be to go on retreat or leave town. That is usually not possible, if you work with the RCIA group, direct the choir, serve as the lone sacristan, or are the liturgical coordinator.

Here are ten tips that can help and are doable!

1. Plan ahead as much as possible. This means not only for the parish but for yourself and family. Have all your clothes chosen and ready for each liturgy. Keep the calendar as up to date as possible, noting the time you need to be at church–not when an event or liturgy begins. Line up any childcare ahead of time. And ladies, wear comfortable shoes. Smiling is hard if your feet hurt!

2. Spend extra time in prayer. But probably not at your parish: outdoors, at home, at another parish church–where you can be there and no one will need you to help with “just one thing for just a minute.” If possible, go to a neighboring parish for Mass that week. Allow yourself to be in the presence of God without worrying if everything is getting done.

3. Buy your favorite spring flowers, the ones that say “Easter” to you and put them on your desk and in your home.

4. Make sure you sleep and eat. Don’t rely on caffeine to get you through a non-stop Easter morning. By the noon Mass you’ll be a jittery mess and, like shoes that hurt, it makes it more difficult to be welcoming and calm.

5. Don’t host Easter dinner at your house, unless your spouse and children are willing to do it without your help–or you are serving Chinese takeout.

6. Something will go wrong and you just need to roll with it. One year, the lector for Holy Thursday forgot he was the lector. I saw him sitting in his usual pew and wondered why he was getting up. I couldn’t get his attention, so I had to read. At the same mass, the usher started taking up the collection while the priests were getting ready to wash feet. Lessons learned: Be prepared to do whatever is needed; remind people of the plan before you begin because no matter how many times we’ve done it, we are only human. That was also the year the altar server never took up the bowl of soapy water so the priests could wash their hands after washing feet.

7. If it is not absolutely necessary for you to be at church, don’t go unless you have the time and energy and your family will not suffer. While it may be nice to be present, ask yourself who it serves before you go.

8. Attend Mass with your family. If you are “working” at the Mass, have your family sit where you need to sit or as nearby as possible. If you are the choir director, try to sit with your family during the homily–if you can do so without calling attention to yourself.

9. Make time for your family traditions. You may need to arrange your family egg hunt on Easter Monday, but better on Monday than with a tired parent on Sunday.

10. And remember, we serve in the parish; but it’s Jesus who saves us all.

May you have a Blessed Holy Week!

Fasting: The Solution to Many Problems

By Ellen Gable Hrkach

Footprints_in_the_sand_(1) Wars, persecutions, terrorism, famine, greed, abortion, oppression, immorality, human trafficking, indifference, addictions, suicide, divorce: one need only look at the state of our world and at our own lives to know that there is a spiritual war going on, a battle between good and evil.

Many of us feel helpless. Some may even feel hopeless. We might ask, “What could an insignificant person like me do to combat the evil atrocities and immorality of the world today?”

There is something we can do! It’s a solution that might seem simple, but it’s an extremely powerful weapon against evil. That solution is fasting. Prayer and fasting as a team are very powerful weapons in own our spiritual battles as well as the spiritual warfare happening in the world. Jesus, the apostles, the saints, popes and many clerics have fasted and have urged others to do so.

Fasting opens our hearts to conversion and gives weight to our prayer intentions. Fasting strengthens us in resisting temptations and frees us from addictive behavior. Fasting promotes peace in our hearts and peace with one another. Fasting teaches us the difference between wanting and needing and reminds us of the plight of the poor. Fasting invites the Holy Spirit in to heal our hearts, our relationship with God and our relationship with others. The late Fr. Slavko Barbaric said, “Fasting will lead us to a new freedom of heart and mind.”

St. Jean Vianney said, “The devil is not greatly afraid of the discipline and other instruments of penance. That which beats him is the curtailment of one’s food, drink and sleep. There is nothing the devil fears more, consequently, nothing is more pleasing to God.” Satan hates fasting. Why? Because those who practice the regular self-denial of fasting increase in virtue and grow closer to Christ. Those who fast for others are generously denying themselves for others.

Lent is an ideal time to begin the penitential practice of fasting and self-denial. Scripture and Catholic tradition have always placed a great deal of emphasis on fasting and prayer. In the past 50 years, however, fasting has become less important to the modern day Catholic and many Catholics have become lazy in their faith. The self-denial of fasting is exactly the solution to the world’s problems and to our own eternal life.

Lent is a training ground, much like the 40 days fasting in the desert was training ground for Jesus, especially when He was tempted by Satan. During His time in the desert, Jesus was preparing to take up His own cross, to suffer a painful death, to redeem all mankind.

We all want to be prepared for eternal life. The penitential season of Lent with the self-denial of fasting can be our training ground and helps to prepare us for both our future crosses and for our eternal life. Fasting trains us in self-knowledge and is a key tool for mastery over one’s self.

Fasting allows us to help others, even strangers we’ve never met. It’s a generous, selfless act because when we fast and pray for someone in particular, fasting gives weight to our prayers for that person. Pope Francis said, “Fasting makes sense if it really chips away at our security and, as a consequence, benefits someone else, if it helps us cultivate the style of the good Samaritan, who bent down to his brother in need and took care of him.”

In Scripture, (Matthew 6) Jesus tells us how to pray, then immediately tells us to fast: “When you fast, do not look gloomy like the hypocrites.”

Jesus says, “When you fast,” not “if you fast.” Fasting and prayer are a team and are extremely powerful weapons against the evil one. “The disciples asked Jesus, ‘Why couldn’t we drive it (demon) out?’ He replied, ‘This kind can come out only by prayer and fasting.’” Mark 9:27-29

Fasting is responsible for many miracles throughout history. One miracle happened in Hiroshima, Japan. Eight Jesuit German priests fasted and prayed the rosary daily before the Atomic bomb hit in August 1945. Their parish house was only eight houses away from the center of the atomic bomb blast. Although most people within a one-mile radius of the blast were either killed instantly or died afterwards from radiation poisoning, none of the priests suffered more than a scratch, and none of them ever experienced any after-effects of radiation. Doctors kept track of them for years and none of the priests ever suffered any ill effects. (To read about more fasting miracles, click here.)

Cardinal Robert Sarah of Guinea recently revealed his secret weapon for spiritual warfare: prayer and fasting. When he first became an archbishop, Cardinal Sarah made a commitment to do a three-day retreat every two months. During these retreats, he completely fasts from both food and water, and takes with him only the basic supplies for Mass, the Bible, and other spiritual reading. He says this has helped him “to recharge and return to the battle.” (source: http://www.catholicherald.co.uk/issues/february-5th-2016/meet-the-cardinal-who-recharges-for-battle-by-fasting-from-food-and-water/) Of course, there’s nothing new about prayer and fasting: Jesus fasted and commanded his disciples to do the same. If an elderly cardinal can fast, then we all can fast.

Another high ranking cleric, Bishop Olmsted of the Diocese of Phoenix, has recommended fasting in his exhortation, “Into the Breach.” “Turning away from the passions of the flesh, Jesus rejected Satan’s offering of bread in the desert, and in the Sermon on the Mount, twice He instructs us to fast (Matthew 6:16). Notice that the Lord does not say “if you fast” but rather “when you fast.” Fasting is training in self-knowledge, a key weapon for mastery over oneself. If we do not have dominion over our passions, especially those for food and sex, we cannot possess ourselves and put the interests of others in front of our own.”

There are so many great reasons to fast, but prayer and fasting as tools for spiritual warfare is one of the most important. Lent is an ideal time to begin the regular practice of self-denial. For those who cannot fast from food (like the sick, pregnant and elderly), they can choose to fast from television, social networking and other pleasurable activities on fasting days.

Lent is a time of change and sacrifice. Fasting and prayer together is the solution to the spiritual warfare that is going on in the world and in our own lives. Remember that Satan, the father of lies, hates fasting.

Fasting is not an easy practice with our society’s current tendency to overindulge. However, if you can do penitential acts during Lent, if you can fast during Lent, then you can fast all year round!

For more information on how to get started with fasting, check out our website (http://livethefast.org) Always check with your physician before beginning any fasting routine.

To sign up for our free biweekly fasting newsletter, click here.

Live the Fast is a Roman Catholic Apostolate that is focused on bringing more awareness to the discipline of fasting by offering educational resources on prayer and fasting, a prayer community that will inspire one to live the fast and providing nutritious fasting breads. (Priests and religious receive fasting breads and resources free of charge.)

Strengthen Your Lenten Journey Through Fasting

By Ellen Gable Hrkach

Fasting retreat bread and water

When you hear the word ‘fasting,’ do you automatically cringe? Do you dread Ash Wednesday or Good Friday? Or do you embrace the self-denial of fasting on those days? If you’re like most people, you might not look forward to Ash Wednesday or Good Friday, the Church’s compulsory days of fasting. However, when you become accustomed to the regular practice of fasting throughout the year, these “compulsory” days are opportunities for abundant graces and spiritual growth.

Many people mistakenly believe that fasting belongs only in the Penitential Season of Lent. However, the regular self-denial of fasting is a positive and generous act that we can do all year round. After all, Jesus fasted — and He fasted before every major event in His life — and His apostles fasted. In Scripture, fasting is mentioned numerous times in both the Old Testament and the New Testament.

“When you fast, do not look gloomy like the hypocrites. They neglect their appearance, so that they may appear to others to be fasting. Amen, I say to you, they have received their reward. But when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face, so that you may not appear to be fasting, except to your Father who is hidden. And your Father who sees what is hidden will repay you.” Matthew 6:16-18

“But Jesus took him by the hand and lifted him to his feet, and he stood up. After Jesus had gone indoors, his disciples asked him privately, ‘Why couldn’t we drive it (demon) out?’ He replied, ‘This kind can come out only by prayer and fasting.’” Mark 9:27-29

Peter said to Jesus, “You have the words of eternal life.” John 6:68

Eternal life…isn’t that our goal? How do we get there? A virtuous life, one that is sacrificial, one that is obedient to God’s laws, this is the way to eternal life. Lent is an ideal time to embrace the practice of fasting. And not just on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday! Fasting can happen on every Wednesday and Friday throughout the year. The regular self-denial of fasting is definitely one of the ways to get to heaven and eternal life. Why?

Fasting opens our hearts to conversion, gives weight to our prayer intentions. Fasting strengthens us in resisting temptations, promotes peace in our hearts and peace with one another. Fasting teaches us the difference between wanting and needing. Fasting reminds us of the plight of the poor and those who are perpetually hungry. Fasting and prayer can free us from addictive behavior. Fasting invites the Holy Spirit in to heal our hearts, our relationship with God and our relationship with others. Fr. Slavko Barbaric said, “Fasting will lead us to a new freedom of heart and mind.”

St. Jean Vianney once said, “The devil is not greatly afraid of the discipline and other instruments of penance. That which beats him is the curtailment of one’s food, drink and sleep. There is nothing the devil fears more, consequently, nothing is more pleasing to God.”

There are so many great reasons to fast and Lent is an ideal time to begin this regular practice of self-denial. For the elderly and those who cannot fast from food, they can fast from TV, social networking, treats or coffee on Wednesday and Friday.

Lent is a time for change and sacrifice. If you can do penitential acts during Lent, you can do them all year round! To get started with fasting, please check out the graphic below. And always check with your physician before beginning any fasting routine.

For testimonies, prayers and more information about fasting, the Live the Fast website at www.livethefast.org or contact us at info@livethefast.org if you have any questions.

“Be with Me”

By Maureen Smith

When I was looking over the readings for Lent the phrase that grabbed me by the heart was from the Responsorial Psalm for this Sunday, “Be with me, Lord, when I am in trouble.” This phrase is one I hope to carry throughout Lent.

In the First Reading for today from the Book of Joel, we see that a fast is proclaimed. However, in the announced time of penance it is not “every man for himself.” Joel clearly instructs the congregation to come together to proclaim a fast and petition God for mercy for the whole community.

This Lent, we might take the opportunity to intentionally come together as a family, as a classroom, as a prayer group, etc. to acknowledge this Lenten Season and pray together for God’s Mercy. Together, we can talk about how we can all work to turn towards God and away from sin.

Typically, conversations around Lent tend to formulated around the question, “What are you giving up?” But my experience has been that this leads to competition and quickly takes the focus off of Christ.

Because Lent can very easily become about us and what we are doing, it might be helpful to structure our Lenten journey around those opportunities when we meet as a family, prayer group, or parish. The very act of coming together connects us with the One in whose Name we are gathered and makes us aware of the Presence of God in our midst. It is in this context that we often hear God’s voice calling us to conversion and transformation.

Gathering as a community enables us to remember our dependence upon each other and upon God as we recognize our own needs and those of others. We can so easily desensitize ourselves to our longing for God. We operate on autopilot, forgetting to call upon the Lord for help. We forget that he is always upholding our existence, always ready to come to our aid. But the Liturgy this week reminds us of our desire for God to be with us, and of the reality of His continuous presence among us each day.
With our brothers and sisters in the Lord, let us invite Him into our joys and sorrows. Let us recognize the needs of others and petition the Lord for His mercy. We do this each week at Mass during the Intercessions, but is there space for this kind of prayer at home at the dinner table or before bed? Do we pray with our neighbors, co-workers, friends, and those God puts in our lives? These experiences can be very humbling and nerve-wracking, but never once have I regretted praying with others, especially with the sick and the dying. It is less about saying the right thing and more about “being with” the person as God has promised to be with us.

By strengthening ourselves in prayer, we can make this Season of Lent a time of evangelization. Because we recognize our own need of Communion with God and others, we can see the longing in the hearts of others who may have less opportunity for connection. It is not up to us to save or fix others, but God does ask us to be His witnesses, His disciples, His conduits of grace. By being with someone, by recognizing the goodness in his or her soul, we reflect back to that person God’s presence in his or her soul.

When we pray with others we exercise our baptismal roles as priest, prophet and king. We are able to call upon the name of the Lord and invoke His intercession as we have the Spirit within us who knows how to pray, even when
we do not. We are able to testify as prophets to God’s promise of salvation and His love for all people. We who are children of God and co-heirs with Christ in God are able to ask “anything” of Him. Do we have the courage to do this? Do we ask God for the eyes to see and the ears to hear those around us who need someone to accompany them?

This Lent, I encourage you to ask yourself how the Lord might be calling you to community. Where is He asking you to be with others and where is he calling you to serve? How can you help bring God’s love and mercy into that community? How can you bring that love and mercy into your own heart in order to transform it into a version much like Christ’s own Sacred Heart?

The Releasers: An Apostolate of Prayer for the Holy Souls

By Lisa Mladinich

“I received many and great favors from the Saints but still greater favors from Holy Souls!” –St. Catherine of Bologna

In honor of the start of Lent, a penitential period of fasting, prayer, and almsgiving, to prepare our hearts for Easter, I’d like to share a fascinating interview. Meet Dr. Brian Kiczek, who–with his wife, Esmeralda–has founded a special prayer ministry for the Holy Souls in Purgatory, called The Releasers.

This discussion should be considered personal witness only, but it includes recommended resources for further inquiry into this important topic. I hope you’ll check out this inspiring apostolate!

Dr. Kiczek, please tell us a little about yourself and your faith background.

Well, the story is about a long road back to Jesus. My wife and I were both raised Catholic and then fell away from the church slowly from our teenage years onward. I fell further than my wife, becoming an atheist for about five years or more. We met in college, and by that time, I was looking for answers that there was a meaning of life besides just living and then dying and becoming dust.

We got married in the Church, so that was helpful, but I was still not ready to return. However, Father Eric, who married us, reached out to me a few months later, and by then our marriage was already in trouble due to an unexpected surprise of an unplanned pregnancy. Through his prayers and caring, we both came back to the church. Once back in the church, we did not just fill the pews but became more and more on fire for souls. Now, after 17 years back in the church, our love for Jesus is greater than ever.

(Here is the full story of How Our Lady led us back to Jesus.)

Where did your interest in the Holy Souls begin?

The Holy Souls came into my life through the reading of a couple of TAN books on the subject. One is Read Me or Rue It, by Father Sullivan and the other is Purgatory Explained, by Father Schouppe [see below for links]. Both books helped me to understand how much the souls suffer in purgatory and need our prayers. Also, I understood how much they would return the favor through prayers for me, especially when they got to heaven. The thought of how powerful one would be once in heaven amazed me–and then to realize how thankful one would be to the one who helped free you from the fires that burn as hot as in hell.*

How has this interest affected your life and spirituality?

My primary interest is to help the poor souls in purgatory to be free from their pains and sufferings; however, those same souls have helped me more than I could ever imagine. Each day I grow more in God’s grace, and I am sure it is through their prayers and intercessions that I have received those graces. God is great through His angels and saints.

What inspired you to start The Releasers and how did you get started?

Well the story is a little sad, in the fact that it involved two of my brothers passing. My foster brother lived a pretty hard life, and while God’s grace was moving in His life before he passed, it was evident when he passed that he still needed prayers to make it out of purgatory. My wife and I both prayed for him very hard for several months, or longer. However, one day we both felt in our hearts that he was released. We both told each other and that confirmed our feelings on the matter. Since then, whenever I am in trouble and need special prayers, he is one that I pray to.

A few years after that, my older brother passed as well, and he also was in need of prayers after he died to be released. My wife felt his presence, and he asked for prayers. She felt like we needed to pray 1000 St. Gertrude Prayers to effect his release, and over the next day or two, we as a family prayed them all. Afterwards, we felt peace, and soon he was sending signs from above that he was in heaven. (Here is one story of a Vacation Planned in Heaven by him.)

After this, the idea of praying 1000 St. Gertrude prayers came into my mind to release someone special. However, that idea became too difficult to keep track of, so I just thought maybe 10 St. Gertrude prayers a day. Finally, my wife agreed to a simple idea to pray the St. Gertrude prayer as much as we could, whenever the Spirit moved us, and add the intention to our Rosaries and Masses for the Release of all the souls in purgatory. Once we completed the idea, I made some pictures and added [the program] to the Power of the Rosary Website that grows every day. God is on the Move!

Are you receiving feedback on the ways people are touched by your apostolate?

Well, the ministry is only a few months old, and already we are having hundreds of people sign up to help release souls in purgatory. Just yesterday, someone’s family member passed away, and I shared with him [about] the Releasers, and he was so happy to be able to help not only his family member but all the Holy Souls in Purgatory.

What are your goals and hopes for the future?

My goal and hope is that the whole world becomes Releasers and that purgatory would be constantly kept empty; since, if any soul needs to go there, so many prayers will be effected that they would be released immediately.

What resources do you recommend for learning more about the Holy Souls?

I have two favorite books on the subject. First, Read Me or Rue It, by Father Paul O’Sullivan. Here is a quote from it:

“As there is no hunger, no thirst, no poverty, no need, no pain, no suffering to compare with what the Souls in Purgatory endure, so there is no alms more deserving, none more pleasing to God, none more meritorious for us than the alms, the prayers, the Masses we give to the Holy Souls.”

And Purgatory: Explained by the Lives and Legends of the Saints, by Father F. X. Schouppe S.J.:

“There is no doubt,” says the devout Father Rossignoli, “that on their entrance into eternal glory the first favors which they ask of the Divine Mercy are for those who have opened to them the gates of Paradise, and they will never fail to pray for their benefactors, whenever they see them in any necessity or danger.”

So I hope your readers are inspired to join the Releasers, whose mission is to “PRAY THEM OUT!” As long as even one soul remains in purgatory, that is too many for us. We pray a powerful prayer that is said to release many souls from purgatory every time it is said. [See: Prayer of St. Gertrude]

All of these souls will become our eternal friends, who–now that they are released from these fires–shall not forget the ones who “Prayed them out.” They will never cease to pray for you in heaven until you join them there.

Thank you for this personal witness, Dr. Kiczek!

To join the Releasers visit: http://www.thepoweroftherosary.com/the-releasers.html

*Notes for clarification:

The fires of purgatory are God’s burning love for our souls. This fire is a purifying, sanctifying fire, “entirely different from the punishment of the damned.” (CCC 1031)

For more information on the fires of purgatory, see also: this review of Susan Tassone’s superb resource, “Day by Day for the Holy Souls in Purgatory: 365 Reflections.” Also: pre-order Tassone’s NEW title: The St. Faustina Prayer Book for the Holy Souls, here.

See also: Catholic Answers: http://www.catholic.com/tracts/purgatory