Humbly submit your will to God (Thy Will be done) and consecrate yourself to the Sacred Heart of Jesus through Mary.

Jesus said to his disciples:
“Take care not to perform righteous deeds
in order that people may see them;
otherwise, you will have no recompense from your heavenly Father.
When you give alms,
do not blow a trumpet before you,
as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets
to win the praise of others.
Amen, I say to you,
they have received their reward.
But when you give alms,
do not let your left hand know what your right is doing,
so that your almsgiving may be secret.
And your Father who sees in secret will repay you.

“When you pray,
do not be like the hypocrites,
who love to stand and pray in the synagogues and on street corners
so that others may see them.
Amen, I say to you,
they have received their reward.
But when you pray, go to your inner room,
close the door, and pray to your Father in secret.
And your Father who sees in secret will repay you.

“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.”  MT 6:1-6, 16-18

What is the purpose of Lent?  It symbolizes the 40 days Jesus spent in the desert being tempted by the Devil.  We know that the pillars are pray, fast, give based off the readings today.  When I talk to several people about how they approach Lent, it seems like we miss the point.  Matthew Kelly will use his catch phrase, “Don’t give up chocolate for Lent”.  Do we just see it as a time where we give something up we like for 40 days so that we achieved something and then go back to having it after Lent.  Lent isn’t about us.  It’s about God.  John the Baptist came into the world preaching, “Repent and be baptized!” Repent, means to change our heart to be more like Christ’s most Sacred Heart.  A servant.  An instrument of God’s peace, love, and joy.  We are called to holiness through our baptism.  Jesus died to have a relationship with us, so that we may know Him, imitate Him, and return to the Father.  We are called to fight Satan.  In fasting, we search for the temptation in our life that is leading us the furthest from God and work on it during Lent.  We may need to “cut off our hand or pluck out our eye” if it is causing us to sin.  We may need to fast from our cell phone, computer, tablet, TV, to help us avoid the near occasion of sin.  This will help us to be more present in our relationships and communicate more which leads to peace and joy.  This may help us to not rush through our work to get to our entertainment, but concentrate on what we are made for, relationships.  Most importantly, our relationship with God, prayer and reflection on the Scriptures, silence and listening. We might feel empty the first week when we give something up, this is okay, we must walk through the desert, fall to our knees and tell God we need Him to help us.  Once we recognize that we need God, we are well on our way to growing towards Him not just for Lent, but for the rest of our lives.  Repent means to change your life and grow in holiness.  What do you need to do this Lent?

Today’s challenge: Recognize you need God through fasting from something that is keeping you away from the most important things in life, God, family, friends, and work.  Receive God’s blessings and love and share them with those in greatest need.  Love the unlovable.

Be a servant, become a saint!
​#Christian YOLO