Allow Lent To Penetrate You

15 Mar

“Lent stimulates us to let the Word of God penetrate our life and, in this way, to know the fundamental truth: who we are, where we come from, where we must go, what path we must take in life.”  ~ Pope Benedict XVI

What do you want of me? These words can be very humbling and very profound. They can provide great direction for us as well, keeping us on the right path. I often think of these words whenever I go on a cruise. Many of you know that I really enjoy cruises. The one thing that always strikes me is the attitude of the cabin attendant. As soon as I board and have the opportunity to go to my room, I am almost immediately confronted by my attendant. The attendant asks me if I would like ice provided daily. The attendant asks me to put a simple card in the door lock when I leave so that the room can be made up. The attendant gives me the phone extension I would need in case I had to request anything.

Simple, quick, and effective. That short conversation sets up the relationship with the cabin attendant and the passenger. The attendant will find out quite quickly if the passenger is going to be demanding, laid back, boorish, entertaining, et cetera. The passenger also gets to know the attendant and what to expect.

Why can our relationship with God not be that easy? Why do we not go to God each morning before we start our day and ask His expectations of us? Would it not be more simple for us if we knew what God expected? Would we not be more motivated to meet His expectations if they were clear for us?

They can be.

The reason God’s expectations for us often are not clear is because we do not ask Him the right questions. We often are too busy telling God what we expect from Him. We do not approach our relationship with God properly.

Ask yourself the question: If you treated a friend the way you treat God, would that person remain your friend? If we did nothing but demand from our friend, be absent from our friend except when we needed something, or denied our friend over and over again, that person would not remain a friend very long. Thank God that He is infinitely more patient, understanding, loving and forgiving.

FAITH ACTION:  Spend some time in silent prayer today with the basic question in the back of your mind, “What do you want of me today, Lord?”