The days of Lent and what that means to me have arrived!

The days of Lent and what that means to me have arrived!

This must be a deep time of searching my own soul to place that statement into perspective of how I have lived.  Before confessing our sins, we need to put our need for forgiveness at the forefront of how sin relates to our knowledge of wrong.  Of course, any one of us has received the bare facts of what sin is.  As an infant, our god-parents stood and spoke in our place accepting the removal of original sin.  If we were baptized as an adult, through the RCIA, we would have been given a much deeper and thorough explanation on the catechesis of original sin.  For those of us who were infants when baptism occurred we were left with the need to delve into the real meaning.  

Recent recipients of baptism, or the fortunate candidates for the Sacraments at Easter have had the opportunity of becoming the elect in the life of Christ and the Easter Triduum as a reason for this.  This group who will become a newly accepted group of disciples for Christ may now wear the throne of forgiveness by their own release from sin and the chosen of God’s kingdom.  

As a former teacher with the RCIA the results of working with many souls who were called by Christ through his Holy Spirit, to find the why of salvation in their lives is another way to use our gifts of bringing souls to Christ.  Just looking at the expressions on most of their faces could have been a triumph itself, for each of them.  At the Easter Vigil, they were walking on a cloud of purity knowing they were about to find salvation, freedom from sin, and the reception of the one or more Sacraments of the Church, and Christ himself.  

Following the Easter celebration, I took the group on a Mystagogy retreat indoctrinating each one in a reflection of their new experience of Sacraments, life in the Church, and most of all a period to find what they now were as modern-day disciples for Christ.  

The first conference:  “Storms in our lives”  Using “Who has seen the Wind” by Lous M. Savary, SJ.  Storms, as vicious are they are  can become a perfect pattern to reach for fulfillment with God.

Second conf:  “Loving”  Relationships, Communications, and Forgiveness.  These attributes can remind all of us of the need for God and this new reception of graces through the Sacraments will open the door of understanding and reaching the unseen peace that comes only from God.   

Third conf:  “Holiness”  The ultimate realization of God’s blessings that is open to everyone and the pathway to God’s kingdom is through the suffering each one may experience.  This is a sign of the Cross we all shall carry; from baptism to the grave, and living the very exploit of Christ.

Expounding on all three conferences covered areas in everyone's lives using excerpts from various books including much from John’s Gospel.  Any one working with RCIA candidates should consider a lesson(s) on Mystagogy and continue with these neophytes to help them grow with their new life in Christ.   My time of Lent revolves around situations like this, and being a chosen disciple we all can follow the same route Jesus used to introduce the needy to God.   

Ralph B. Hathaway