Wow is all I can say.
Many of us Christians are immersed in the period of Lent, leading up to Easter, and so far it has packed a punch as far as I'm concerned.
No sooner did I resolve to practice a little self-denial, towards manifesting love on Earth, than all manner of difficulties sprung up, seemingly from nowhere!
The period of Lent began on Ash Wednesday, with the cross of ashes drawn on my forehead at Mass, I felt so reduced to myself, stripped of my worldly pretensions and endless strivings.
As I looked around at all of us, walking out of the church into the late summer evening, with dirty marks on our foreheads, I felt my place in the one body that is the Church, and our estrangement from the way the world sees things..where humility is a sign of low self-esteem and church is an out-dated institution at best, and the culprit for all the world's evils, at worst.
"The Holy Father stressed that conversion of the heart is the main characteristic of Lent.
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That is a very challenging question Pope Francis! Like most, I guess I've associated holiness with something far more religious and good than I am, or could be, and yes, even as a quality that belongs to the past.
Yet, we are all called to it. Since the love of my Lord is real, my only response can ever be 'yes' to him.
So - Yes, Pope Francis, I do want to become holy, even if my spirit is willing but my flesh is weak.
Many of us Christians are immersed in the period of Lent, leading up to Easter, and so far it has packed a punch as far as I'm concerned.
No sooner did I resolve to practice a little self-denial, towards manifesting love on Earth, than all manner of difficulties sprung up, seemingly from nowhere!
The period of Lent began on Ash Wednesday, with the cross of ashes drawn on my forehead at Mass, I felt so reduced to myself, stripped of my worldly pretensions and endless strivings.
As I looked around at all of us, walking out of the church into the late summer evening, with dirty marks on our foreheads, I felt my place in the one body that is the Church, and our estrangement from the way the world sees things..where humility is a sign of low self-esteem and church is an out-dated institution at best, and the culprit for all the world's evils, at worst.
"The Holy Father stressed that conversion of the heart is the main characteristic of Lent.
That is a very challenging question Pope Francis! Like most, I guess I've associated holiness with something far more religious and good than I am, or could be, and yes, even as a quality that belongs to the past.
Yet, we are all called to it. Since the love of my Lord is real, my only response can ever be 'yes' to him.
So - Yes, Pope Francis, I do want to become holy, even if my spirit is willing but my flesh is weak.
The pumpkins competing with the grass, obviously my garden needs some weeding!
I have to admit that I'm not very good at self-mortification, saying 'no' to the pleasures, even the excesses of life.
Lent gave me an opportunity to challenge myself on this, excess is greed, and so I blithely set out on a Lenten inner adventure, and thought about what I should give up for the following six weeks.
I decided on chocolate, deserts, and tobacco.
None are things I have everyday, but love to indulge in periodically, so I was trying to be realistic about my fortitude but also giving myself a good chance to practice self-denial.
No sooner promised, than challenged, lol.
I went to stay at my daughter Leesey's house to look after a calf and the dogs while they went to a wedding in Margaret River, and she had left me a box of chocolates.
All alone for a whole weekend with a box of chocies.....ouch.
I resisted, though late at night I found some smarties in the pantry and had a handful of those, excusing myself with the idea that they weren't really chocolate.
And that was the beginning, and it didn't ease off, almost daily a temptation to indulge in what I'd promised to give up, came my way, like a chocolate cake at Turdie's I had to 'forget' to eat, I wanted to be quiet about my adventure, so my family did not spare me, lol!
I went to Mass, and my priest spoke about the Lenten journey, and gave good advice -
if you think you can beat the devil on your own, it is foolish, he was the brightest angel, and will trick you here on Earth, having disobeyed God and coming here instead of Hell, where he was sent.
One day, one amazing and wonderful day, Mary will send him back there, she is depicted in the last chapter of the Bible as crushing the head of the serpent, and I have no doubt she will do this, though how, I do not know.
Will she come back as a physically present person on Earth, and do something we all will hear about?
Will she act in spirit form, to crush evil in some way, that we don't see yet?
For now, she is here for us to call on, for help in defeating the devil, and she will hold our hand :)
And so, I began to tend my garden some more.
I have to admit that I'm not very good at self-mortification, saying 'no' to the pleasures, even the excesses of life.
Lent gave me an opportunity to challenge myself on this, excess is greed, and so I blithely set out on a Lenten inner adventure, and thought about what I should give up for the following six weeks.
I decided on chocolate, deserts, and tobacco.
None are things I have everyday, but love to indulge in periodically, so I was trying to be realistic about my fortitude but also giving myself a good chance to practice self-denial.
No sooner promised, than challenged, lol.
I went to stay at my daughter Leesey's house to look after a calf and the dogs while they went to a wedding in Margaret River, and she had left me a box of chocolates.
All alone for a whole weekend with a box of chocies.....ouch.
I resisted, though late at night I found some smarties in the pantry and had a handful of those, excusing myself with the idea that they weren't really chocolate.
And that was the beginning, and it didn't ease off, almost daily a temptation to indulge in what I'd promised to give up, came my way, like a chocolate cake at Turdie's I had to 'forget' to eat, I wanted to be quiet about my adventure, so my family did not spare me, lol!
if you think you can beat the devil on your own, it is foolish, he was the brightest angel, and will trick you here on Earth, having disobeyed God and coming here instead of Hell, where he was sent.
One day, one amazing and wonderful day, Mary will send him back there, she is depicted in the last chapter of the Bible as crushing the head of the serpent, and I have no doubt she will do this, though how, I do not know.
Will she come back as a physically present person on Earth, and do something we all will hear about?
Will she act in spirit form, to crush evil in some way, that we don't see yet?
For now, she is here for us to call on, for help in defeating the devil, and she will hold our hand :)
And so, I began to tend my garden some more.
like seaweed for mulch
spring onions, rhubarb, sage, thyme, parsley
cherry tomatoes
chilies
And then, it all went deeper than chocolate.
[stay tuned for part 2]
XXKK
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