MAKAYLA

Do you want to fast this Lent?

·       Fast from hurting words and say kind words

·       Fast from sadness and be filled with gratitude

·       Fast from anger and be filled with patience

·       Fast from pessimism and be filled with hope

·       Fast from worries and trust in God

·       Fast from complaints and contemplate simplicity

·       Fast from pressures and be prayerful

·       Fast from bitterness and fill your heart with joy

·       Fast from selfishness and be compassionate

·       Fast from grudges and be reconciled

·       Fast from words and be silent so you can listen

~  Pope Francis

 

What if?  What if, in this time of division in our country, each one of us chose kindness, gratitude, patience and hope to begin bringing reconciliation to the communities we live in?

What if we chose simplicity, prayerfulness, joy, and holy listening to our families, our neighbors, and our God/Higher Power to be able to offer a more compassionate response as we interact with them in our day-to-day life? 

Recently a young girl, whose job it is to restock and clean the bathrooms at the grocery store where I shop, spoke kindly to me.  I think of Makayla as I write today.

I doesn’t matter where we are or how our day happens to be going.  If we choose to walk in the footsteps of the One who went before us, striving to imitate Christ in how we treat others, we will be in step with the awareness that we do not walk alone.  We, like Makayla, will sense that our God is very much alive and within us asking that we be his presence in the world.

Both Pope Francis and Isaiah 58: 9b-14 gives us important stepping stones for our Lenten fast. 

God bless you, Makayla.

The journey continues.   

Thanks for reading.

#popefrancisfasting  #isaiahfasting #lent2021w #Whatif  #carmodystateofmind