Have You Heard?

There are a few things I want to share with you today, but first let me stress that the way Lent started for me was a test, I know that. I have such big plans for my relationship with God this Lent that I should have expected to be knocked off my opening stride. It didn't work. Like with many trials, we as a people undergo, the challenges galvanizes us, especially when our hearts are turned toward God. So this Lent will be even better than I hoped for, BECAUSE of how we started.

Yesterday was a very motivating day. I got up early and started my day with prayer, bible reflection and meditation as is my morning habit these past 348 days. (Briefly I will share that last year, two weeks into Lent, my world turned upside-down. You can read about that in other posts, but I mention it now because if something was going to break my spirit, then last year was a contender. Instead, I turned fully to God and my morning habits are BECAUSE of my trials last year, and still going very strong. I am able to function everyday because I wake up and start with God.) I usually start by calling on the Holy Spirit. (I should also mention that I use the Hallow app a lot! It's the only app I have ever subscribed to and I'm stronger for it.) So Fr Dave Pivonka has a 90 session meditation on all aspects of the Holy Spirit, I am now in my third time through it and yesterday was about the Powerful Love of God. About half way through he says 'God is for you' and that made me pause and look at challenges I have faced and I understood even better our inclination to rise up during adversity, our courage to fight back that which seeks to diminish us. It is because God is FOR us. He is in OUR CORNER! That is POWER! So I am filled with the Spirit and if God is for me, who can be against me? This is the encouragement I needed.

Now to my bible study with Fr. Mike Schmitz, Bible in a Year on Hallow (though I think it started on YouTube and is also on the Ascension website if you don't have Hallow) So I am on day 213 and we are reading from the books of Isaiah, Ezekiel and Proverbs, but before I share that which was revealed, I need to go back a bit to a discussion I had with a group of friends 2 nights before. We were sharing a meal and talking about Fat Tuesday, Lent and Ash Wednesday and remarking on how crowded the church gets on Ash Wednesday though it is not Sunday and is not a holy day of obligation (meaning you do not have to go to church and you don't have to feel guilty for not going), but people go. lots of people go. Our parish had 6 Masses and one Liturgy of the Word. That is a lot of opportunity to come and get ashes and the church is pretty full for all of them. Someone commented that it is third only to Christmas and Easter attendance. I've seen it myself, so who am I to argue. Then someone else said, 'many come because of superstition, believing that if they don't get ashes then they will die within the year.' I had never heard that before, however, people believe all kinds of things, so I did not doubt that some may believe this, but where do people come up with such things? Ashes were used in ancient Jewish traditions to outwardly show grief, penance and fasting. But the whole story of how we came to have a season of Lent and how it began with Ash Wednesday is fascinating, there is one article from The Simple Catholic that does a good job of outlining the history and you can read it here.

So now for my bible study - in the book of Ezekiel chapter 8; God is showing the prophet all the abominations happening in and around the temple, and then in chapter 9; God shows Ezekiel what is to happen. Verses 3-6 say:

3 Now the glory of the God of Israel had gone up from the cherub on which it rested to the threshold of the house. The Lord called to the man clothed in linen, who had the writing case at his side; 4 and said to him, " Go through the city, through Jerusalem, and put a mark on the foreheads of those who sigh and groan over all the abominations that are committed in it." 5 To the others he said in my hearing, "Pass through the city after him, and kill; your eye shall not spare, and you shall show no pity. 6 Cut down old men, young men and young women, little children and women, but touch no one who has the mark. And begin at my sanctuary." So they began with the elders who were in front of the house. - NSRVCE

Coincidence or is this the bible passage that the 'superstition' was born of? I don't know, but it is always fascinating to me how things are revealed in a timeline that matches a current awareness. If I had read that in August lets say, would I have drawn any particular significance? A curiosity for sure?

A good day, no question. After being duly motivated, I came up to write the blog post which you read yesterday and then to set about many other work responsibilities I had been neglecting, however, when I finally rose from my seat to turn my attention to what soup we should have for dinner, I realized I was shockingly still in my pajamas. That behavior would not be allowed to continue, so I need a firmer plan for the morrow. I prepared a family favorite and then went to adoration. A VERY GOOD day.

Albondigas Soup

1 Chopped Onion

2 Chopped Carrots

2 Chopped Celery (Thanks to Trader Joes - Mirepoix, I did not have to chop these myself)

2 Diced Potato

3 Sliced and halved Zucchinis

3 cloves Garlic

8 cups Chicken Broth

16-20oz Tomato Sauce (I used a jar of marinara because it was open in the fridge and it worked just fine)

2lb bag frozen Albondigas meatballs

Salt

Pepper

Cilantro

Olive Oil

Heat up the pot and add the olive oil, onions carrots and celery, cook for 5-7 minutes, add the garlic, cilantro, salt and pepper and cook for 2 minutes, add the rest of the ingredients and bring to a boil. then simmer 30 minutes or until potatoes zucchini are at desired doneness.

Serves 8