Made for Another World

"If I discover within myself a desire which no experience in this world can satisfy, the most probable explanation is that I was made for another world."  C.S. Lewis

I have this as a "sticky note" on the background of my computer, so I read it just about every day.  Today, I felt the need to share.

Stations

This afternoon, I took the opportunity to attend stations of the cross. While I'd love to say that this was an choice, it was one of those "requirements" for school. Check!

Well...God surely spoke to me in the repetition of a few phrases: Jesus Died on the cross to save us from our sins. Jesus rose from the dead to give us new life. Jesus, thank you for loving us so much.

It's as simple as that...Jesus did all of this: this journey, this fast, this death...for us. My Lenten promise is to work on my word choice. Am I always speaking as Jesus would? Am I always representing Christianity through my words? While it's difficult at times, it is okay to fall. Jesus, thank you for loving us so much that you can forgive me even in a time of repentance. Thank you for giving us new life. Thank you for saving me from my sins. Please continue to watch over me and give me opportunities to strengthen.

Family

A few days ago my future mother-in-law emailed me this paragraph from her scripture study.  I have read the words over quite a few times now and I find such amazing comfort within them.  Right now, I live two and a half hours away from my parents and sister, even farther from both of my brothers, and two hours from my soon-to-be husband.  While I have an amazing community in Harrisonburg, I can't help but miss my family.  But this paragraph is about our unchanging, heavenly family.  No matter where I am, in the presence of my earthly family or not, I can feel my heavenly family's arms around me.  As I walked to work this afternoon, the sun was so bright and warm for the first time in a while.  I couldn't help but feel the arms of my Father, Brother, and Mother reaching down to hold me.  As I journey, I need to remember my family that always was, always is, and always will be.


"We learn from this first lesson that trials are meant for something greater than the angst they cause, and temptations cannot only be met head on but also overcome.  Whatever obstacles may come our way, be assured that you have a glorious family support network to meet you in the midst of your challenges and cheer you on: your loving heavenly Father; your older brother, Jesus; the power of the Holy Spirit; Mary; and all your spiritual siblings, the Saints."  (Came from the Catholic Scripture Study, Epistle of St. James, Chapter One Introduction)

The Leader of the Pack

Little heirs of the Kingdom of Love,
You come to earth to acquire virtues that enable you to
be happy in eternal life.
Each of you is so much more than your corporeal substance.
That you will rejoice for all eternity in my presence 
As we praise and thank our Father for His great love for each of us.


Allow me to take you to Jesus now dear little children.
He has much to teach you in these final days.
Find him in the quiet of your hearts.
He is everywhere that you go.
The cosmos cannot contain Him.
Jesus is Heaven.
Peace little children.
Come with me now in peace to Jesus.
He awaits you...


-Excerpt from: The Secrets of Mary...

I love this, she is calling to us for Him. This excerpt is from The Secrets of Mary: Gifts from the Blessed Mother, it is a much longer prayer and just as beautiful, but these parts resonated in me.  The Lenten Season is such a complex and passionate journey-there is so much emotion and growth to embody. In fact, it is such a paradox to our Human Condition. Here we are faced with a time that encompasses such great sadness with such great joy. Our brains are not equipped to understand that battle. We all sit so scared of death, yet, we all know the triumph that comes forth. We are here to LIVE to DIE and it is only in DEATH that we understand what it means to LIVE. This humbles me during this time of sacrifice.  Mary said "Yes" to the most significant creation of human life (talk about a loaded question). Mary said "yes" to the birth of our Savior, but don't disregard her "yes" to the death of her son. I am encouraged this season to walk with our Mother Mary, I have so much to learn from her. For she truly understands the paradox of life and death. 

The Psalms

Hey y'all,

I hope these past few days have been fruitful for you.

I don't want to make a new post everyday for the Psalms if any of you are praying them with me so I will edit this post throughout Lent to update you on the Psalm you are to be praying. I'm almost positive Daniel is following the lectionary but I'm not sure which one, and I think he makes changes to it.

Also if anyone is praying the psalms and wants to discuss maybe something that came up while praying either write a post, comment on this, or write your reflection directly in here :)

Date:    2/23/12  

Psalm: 1

Reflection:   I was struck by the imagery of the stream, and water. I try to remember my baptism, as it is so important, so this Psalm really reminded me of this.  Also it reminded me of how thirsty we get during this lenten season for Jesus.  We can get thirsty waiting. - Heather - 

Date: 2/24/12

Psalm: 8

Reflection:  A few years ago I went on a cross country road trip with some of my friends.  We were camping near Arches National Park in Utah, and we had crawled into our tent, ready to settle in for the night.  For some reason or another, one of us needed something out of the car, and proceeded to get out of the tent.  At the beckoning of the other, the 2 of us still in the tent came out and saw the most beautiful night sky I have ever seen.  The air was crisp, and the sky was blanketed in the brightest stars.  Psalm 8 reminds me of these moments when I am in complete awe of Creation.  - Elizabeth - 

Date: 2/26/12
Psalm: 25:1-10
Reflection:                                                       

Date: 2/28/12
Psalm:
Reflection:       

Ash Wednesday

Yesterday I had the opportunity to go to Ash Wednesday mass at the cathedral here in Richmond. It was kind of a crazy day: I had an interview at 9a, I had to work at 10a, I had a theatre showcase at 7p. The only real time that I had to be able to go to mass was the middle of the day: 12:15p mass at the cathedral. Check! It was hectic getting there, and as I walked in and found my seat, I mentally planned how I was going to leave early [after communion] so I could get back to work on time. 12:15 rolled around an good old Nick Stein walks up to the podium:

Our hearts are with the VCU community this day. As many of you probably saw/read in the news, there was a car accident last night involving 3 VCU students, who also happened to be members of the Cathedral of the Sacred Heart/VCU CCM community. 2 of the three students are at MCV and are doing alright, but last night during surgery, Carolina Perez passed away. She was a member of the Leadership Council here at CCM and an important part of this community. Tonight there will be a rosary service said in her honor after the 7p mass. She was the leader of the Rosary ministry here at VCU. There are counselors available.....

Shhhhuuuuooooccckkkmmmmm. All thoughts in my mind stopped. I was struck with utter sadness. There were students throughout the cathedral softly crying, and a few people who were having difficulty catching their breath; a lump rose in my throat. How short life is. For whatever reason, I've always thought that a certain amount of time is guaranteed. I've never had a definite number, but there's some threshold that exists. Even as I've grown older, this notion that these children that I love dearly have so much time, my parents, my sisters, my friends---we're all in the midst, not close to the end. To my credit, I have sought to live with purpose each day, but not enough [to be frank]. On this pilgrimage, every single breath is a gift. I don't think I've ever conceptualized what that means to the extent that this moment propelled me to do. I make no promises to never need to re-learn/re-realize this Truth, but it has sufficiently woken me up.
As Emily in Thornton Wilder's brilliant Our Town wisely says,

"Does any human ever realize life while they live it? --every, every minute?" 

I think in the perspective of the pilgrimage, each moment on the journey [or contemplating about the journey] is a bestowal, filled with intricacies, nuggets of sagacity, opportunities for growth and expansion and change and challenge. Who would have thought?
My heart and prayers continue to go out to the VCU community. May her memory be eternal!

What are you worth?

I have $20 I would like to give you.  Do you want it?  Before you take it, I have to tell you that it is crumpled up and torn in a few places. People have written on it and it is missing a corner.  Do you still want it?  Of course you do!! It's 20 bucks!  It doesn't matter what it looks like, it is still worth $20.  The paper and ink that make up the substance of that bill are actually quite worthless. The only reason that money has value is because of the gold that the U.S. treasury backs it up with. 

It is the same with us.  The collection of cells that we are made up of have very little value without the backing of God.  He is who gives us our worth.  And some days we are pretty crumpled. Torn. Missing pieces. Be we still have value. Because we are His.  He created us in his image and our value and worth is a reflection of Him.  Our value does not come from ourselves. It comes from Him who created us.

We are not worthy; but we are priceless.

Not So Crazy Days

Today has been a very long day for me, and I have not stopped moving from class to work since very early this morning.  Last night I told my fiancee that it was going to be a "Crazy Day."  However, I have felt so loved and blessed today as I made the journey into Lent.  The homily I heard this morning reminded me that this time of repentance and sacrifice in Lent is not about me.  It is not about me focusing on my sins and begging for pity while I am fasting.  This is a time to recognize the ABUNDANT GRACE of God, our Almighty Father.  God is ready to forgive and move past our faults, so that we can take clearer, more precise steps toward our Heavenly destination.  Wow.  As I reflect on the prayer this line: "in the way of holiness" is jumping off the page at me.  Probably because Refiners Fire was sung at Mass this morning.  All day long I have been singing these few lines in my head:

"My heart's one desire

is to be holy.

Set apart for you, Lord.

I choose to be holy."

I will choose to accept the abundant Grace my Father is offering and I will choose to be holy, set apart, this Lent.  While today may have been a "Crazy Day" on the surface, my heart was so peaceful and calm because of the message God sent.  When I leave work tonight and crawl into bed I will ask God to "Purify my heart, Cleanse me from within, and make me HOLY."

Praying the Psalms

I'm almost postive only like 3 people reading this blog know me so let me do a quick intro to say I'm a first year Duke Divinity Student. I'm studying to become a Deacon in the United Methodist Church and feel specifically called to disabilities ministry. Th

Praying through the Psalms is a spiritual discipline that I had started after Thanksgiving for my Old Testament class. It was a graded assignment to begin with since we had to keep a journal discussing literary imagery, allusions to OT and NT blah blah blah. (It is interesting but not important) SOOO for Lent my fiancee (so strange to say because we got engaged this past weekend) are praying through the Psalms together and I'd like to invite you ladies to take on this spiritual discipline if you are still looking to start a new one.

Praying the Psalms sounds WAY more intimidating than it is, you can do it I promise. Everyday I will pray the prayer that we're all praying together. I'll read through the Psalm once and reflect. I keep a journal when praying so I will scribble words or images that jump out at me. I will read it again and then go where the Spirit leads. Somedays I find hymns to sing that relate to the Psalm, other days I pray for people who relate to the Psalm, and other times I journal about the Psalm and how it has affected me. One thing I was confronted with when reading the Psalms was the anger found in them, I encourage you to read Psalms from another persons perspective when you encounter Psalms that are not clicking for you. (as in reading the psalm as a marginalized individual, country, sexual identity)

Todays Psalm is Psalm 51 and a hymn to go along with it is my favorite hymn Wash me Throughly by Charles Wesley:

Love in Him,
Heather Hincher

Lenten Ideas for Kids

The Religious Education Coordinator at my church (Blessed Sacrament in Harrisonburg) gave these calendars out this past weekend for the children. There are 42 ideas of things to do during Lent. Some of them involve giving something up for the day, some of them are Bible readings or prayers and some of them are kind gestures toward others.  They are not necessarily meant to be done chronologically and they will not last you all the way through Lent (because some of them are meant to be done on Sundays and Sundays are not counted in the 40 days of Lent).
You can see a copy of the PDF here.  I will also list the activities so you can make you own for your family.  I made a photocopy of the calendar and then will cut it up and let my kids pick out of the jar every morning. Then we will glue it back onto the original and try to fill up the calendar.
Here are the activities:

• Help your Mom or Dad with something without being told.
• Sit quietly for a few minutes and talk to God. Listen to God too
• Give up something you like today (TV, dessert)
• Add some of your own money to your Rice Bowl to help those who have little
• Say a prayer or World Peace
• Attend Stations of the Cross at your chuch
• Read KLuke 4:1-13
• Participate at Mass. Sing the songs and pray the prayers
• Say something nice about each family member at the dinner table
• Pray for all the people who may need a job
• Read Mark 1:12-15
• Call your Grandparents just to say "hello"
• Make a special treat and share it with someone else
• Say a family rosary together
• Read Matthew 18:21-35
• Tell family members you love them...out loud
• Write a letter to your Mom and Dad to thank them for their love for you
• Give up watching TV today
• Attend your parish's reconciliation service
• Forgive someone who had hurt you
• Play a game with your fmaily
• Shake hands with the priest or deacon after Mass
• Hug someone today
• Read a story about a Saint today
• Do not complain todya
• Help clean up after dinner
• Read John 8: 31-42
• Skip a favorite treat today
• Take a walk with your family
• Thank God for your family and your life
• Read John 5:1-18
• Draw a picture of Jesus and hang it on the refrigerator
• Do not yell or raise your voice in anger or frustration today
• Pray for the homeless
• Take out the trash without being told
• Attend Palm Sunday Mass. Talk with your family about what will happen to Jesus this week
• Smile at everyone you meet today...make a new friend
• Pray before you eat and ask God to take care of hungry people too. How can you help them?
• Take cookies to a neighbor
• Sleep without your pillow tonight. Pray for those who have no bed to sleep in or pillow to use
• Read Psalm 23 with your family-remember the Lord is your shepherd
• Make Easter cards to share with family and friends

 Any other ideas?  Share them in the comments.

Good questions

I came across these questions today and thought they were really helpful in focusing my discernment for what to "give up" for Lent.  I thought perhaps they might benefit you ladies as well! 

10 Questions to Ask Yourself
1. When I wake up on Resurrection Sunday morning, how will I be different?
2. From what do I need to repent?
3. Is there one particular sin in my life that repeatedly gets in the way of loving God with my whole heart or loving my neighbor as myself? How do I address that sin over the next 40 days?
4. Is there anyone in my life from whom I need to ask forgiveness or pursue reconciliation?
5. What distractions most commonly interfere with my time in prayer/Scripture?
6. What spiritual discipline do I need to improve upon or want to try?
7. What are some things in my life that I tell myself I need but I don’t?
8. Why am I giving this particular thing up? How does giving it up draw me closer to God and prepare me for Easter?
9. What am I going to tell myself when self-denial gets hard?
10. Is it necessary/helpful for me to share the nature my fast with others or should I keep it private? 



 They were found on this blog.

Welcome

We made not be geographically close this Lent, but we can journey together united in prayer.  As we pray this Pilgrim's Prayer for the entirety of Lent, let us share how the Spirit moves and works in us and those around us.  Let us make our steps purposeful on our journey.

Teach us, O God ,

to view our life here on earth

as a pilgrim’s path to heaven,

and give us grace to tread it courageously

in the company of your faithful people.

Help us to set our affections

on things above,

not on the passing vanities of this world,

and grant that as we journey on

in the way of holiness

we may bear a good witness to our Lord,

and serve all who need our help

along the way,

for the glory of your name. 

Amen