The Paschal Mystery

I am preparing to lead a time tonight for the RCIA group at church about the Paschal Mystery. What is the Paschal Mystery you ask? Pasqua is Italian for Easter. Does that help? :) the Paschal Mystery is....

According to Wikipedia:
"One of the central concepts of Christian faith relating to the history of salvation. Its main subject is the passion, death, and Resurrection of Jesus Christ – the work God the Father sent his Son to accomplish on earth"

In essence, it is the name given by the Catholic Church to the entirety of Christ's passion, death and resurrection. And how great a mystery that Christ would die for us and that His death covers our sins and gives us the opportunity to join with God in eternity. 

RCIA is the program that a person goes through if they are interested in learning more about the Catholic Church and about joining. 

I love this program. It not only teaches the faith traditions of the Catholic Church, but it instills in the attenders the importance of knowing and being known by Jesus Christ. A relationship with God is the reason why we do everything else. Participating in Mass, crossing ourselves with the sign of the cross, going to reconciliation....these are all good things, but they mean nothing if we do not have a deepening relationship with Jesus Christ. 

I am excited to walk with the participants tonight through the Paschal Mystery. It is so VERY important for their journey. And for my journey and for your journey. Lent is a time to remember the amazing gift of love that we have been given. 

Cinderella

I am a romantic. I know it. I fully admit it. 

I just watched the trailer for the new Cinderella movie. I found myself sighing, as just about every young girl, young woman, and old woman does. It is the ultimate fairy tale of kindness and love conquering all the odds. 

I know this story so well. I know so many versions of the story.. the musicals and the non musicals and yet I want to go to the theatre and watch this version. 

Why? because I am a romantic and I love the romance of it. I love that it is the prince's pursuit of Cinderella and his goodness and kindness which draw us in. He fought to find her and once he finds her, he protects her and cherishes her. And they lived happily ever after. ....

No man is perfect. Many men try to be perfect. Some men do not try to be perfect. All men are imperfect.

for that matter...

all women are imperfect too no matter how hard we try...

In my imperfection, I desire to be romanced and to romance. The funny thing is that romance is different for everyone.

It's the little things like a smile shared across a room, or a hand on the small of my back. or a simple note that says I love you. 

It's grand gestures of words spread across the clouds, or expensive gifts, or a lingering hug. 

It's an intimate proposal of marriage, or a large scale lots of friends proposal of marriage.

It's cuddling up and watching a movie. It's watching what you want even if I don't want to. It's watching what I want even if you don't want to. 

It's dancing in the living room and/or dancing at a ball or not dancing at all. 

The common thread... is the heart. 

What we do for and with those we love is an expression of our hearts. 

and when our hearts are at rest in Christ and we are who we are designed to be,

,,,the romancing is beautiful. 

Authentic Community in Transformation

Today, I am going to the 5th of 6 times away with the A.C.T. Journey. We are almost finished with the journey together. We will continue to journey after. 

Authentic Community in Transformation

Sounds comforting and scary and challenging and delightful right?

A group of people from very different life circumstance, coming together with the desire to know more of who God is and who God is calling us to be. 

We are drawn together through authentic, vulnerable, transformative sharing, praying, learning, listening, and being together. 

I have learned so much about myself and God already through this process. These are deeply emotional times together for me, because we are processing so much. 

We journey with people in the Bible through their discoveries of who God is. 

We learn ways to listen to what God may be trying to tell us. 

So I am going on this 5th gathering today until Sunday. My phone and facebook will be neglected as I focus on what God may want to do in me this weekend. 

Your prayers for safety, physically, emotionally, mentally and spiritually are coveted. 

Lent

The season of Lent begins this Wednesday. I have been observing Lent for the past 6 years or so. It is a season that helps me intentionally prepare for the joy of Easter. When I give up something that I have come to rely on as a crutch or a pacifier... I am more aware of me need for Jesus. Giving up coffee, or gossip, or TV, or soda, or sugar or alcohol or any number of things that we as humans go to in our stress, sadness, frustration... helps us focus on what the real issues are.

40 days of doing or not doing anything changes me. I am, along with my boyfriend, giving up TV/Movies for this Lent season. Something we can do together as well as we each have something personal we will do. I find myself wondering how this will improve our relationship with each other and our relationships with the Lord. It has GREAT potential for both.

But it isn't just giving up something for  me this year. I have been putting together a journey of reflections and intentional processes for our reFresh audience as well.

If you are looking for something to help you intentionally enter into Easter this year, you can sign up here Linger in Lent 

I am looking forward to this journey with others this Lenten season. Looking forward to how God invites each of us to a closer relationship with Him during this time.

Love is...

1 Corinthians 13:1-6 (RSVCE)

If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. If I give away all I have, and if I deliver my body to be burned, but have not love, I gain nothing.

Love is patient and kind; love is not jealous or boastful; it is not arrogant or rude. 

Love does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrong, but rejoices in the right. 

Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.

I find that I do not love well very often. I am prone to put myself first, to lose hope, to being irritable, to wanting my own way, to not being patient... the list goes on. And  I have to wonder... if I loved like I am called to love...how would things be different? This chapter keeps running through my head. Thank you Mom and AWANA for pounding the memorization of Scripture into my head. :) 

It is not just in my dating relationship that I think of this, I think of family members and friends and co-workers and everyone I encounter along a day. If people could see this kind of love emanating from me, would that draw them to a deeper relationship with God himself?

In the Message, the phrasing is so poignant.... as I let it wash over me and sink into my soul... Love never gives up. Love always believes the best...

And the verses 4-6 (The Message)

Love never gives up.

Love cares more for others than for self.

Love doesn’t want what it doesn’t have.

Love doesn’t strut,

Doesn’t have a swelled head,

Doesn’t force itself on others,

Isn’t always “me first,”

Doesn’t fly off the handle,

Doesn’t keep score of the sins of others,

Doesn’t revel when others grovel,

Takes pleasure in the flowering of truth,

Puts up with anything,

Trusts God always,

Always looks for the best,

Never looks back,

But keeps going to the end.