grow+go

this Lent Meet Jesus in the desert

Christ in the Wilderness by Ivan Kramskoy

STARTING ASH WEDNESDAY, Catholics enter the season of Lent, where we are called to withdrawals from the distractions

fast, pray, give alms and prepare for the joyful celebration of Easter. Many of us, however, approach Lent simply as an uncomfortable time of reluctantly “giving up x” or “doing more y.” We just try to survive Lent until we can satiate our increasing hunger and noise of the world, we run the risk of missing the still small voice of God and remaining trapped in our old habits and desires. Soli

for dessert, Instagram, alcohol or the snooze button. Also, for the record, I never want tude is not necessarily the same

meat as badly as I do on Fridays in Lent.

PETE BURAK is the director of i.d.9:16. He has a master’s degree in theology, and is a frequent speaker at events for youth and young adults. Things changed for me when I started asking Jesus to transform my understanding of this liturgical season. Immediately following his baptism, the Spirit led Jesus into the wilderness, where he fasted and prayed for 40 days and 40 nights. It was a time of preparation and temptation before his earthly ministry began in earnest. Then, in one of those beautiful moments when Scripture both states the obvious and provides hope for all of us, Matthew 4:2 says, “... and afterward he was hungry.” While it’s consoling to know that Jesus had hunger pangs, I invite you to consider his time in the desert from a different perspective.

While fasting is extremely valuable, and intentional discomfort can discipline us as we grow in holiness, the Spirit led Jesus into the wilderness not just to make him hungry, but also to demonstrate the power and necessity of solitude and silence. Without intentional as isolation, but time alone with God, without noise (turn off your phone!), trains us to find ourselves in him. Henri Nouwen, a Dutch priest and theologian of the 20th century, once wrote, “Solitude is the furnace of transformation ... solitude is not a private therapeutic place. Rather, it is the place of conversion, the place where the old self dies and the new self is born, the place where the emergence of the new man and new woman occurs.” I can think of no better description of Lent; striving to cast off the old self so a new, purified and resurrected self can emerge.

Ironically, Jesus’ time without food, water and companionship didn’t weaken him, but strengthened him. He left the desert more equipped for the mission ahead because his soul had feasted on undistracted union with the Father. Let’s eagerly meet the Lord in the desert this Lent, and remember Easter is not simply the finish line of Lent but the starting line of our new life in the resurrected Christ.

SUE BRINGS THE EUCHARIST TO HOSPITAL PATIENTS GO evangelize

UE DAVIS OF ST. GERARD PARISH in Lansing has been bringing the Eucharist to patients at local hospitals for 11 years. S

INTERESTED IN THIS MINISTRY AT YOUR LOCAL HOSPITAL? CONTACT YOUR PARISH.

PRAYER: As an extraordinary minister of holy Communion, I pray at home before coming to the hospital. I ask God to put his words in my mouth, to help me give the comfort he wants me to give to those who are sick and dying. I pray for the words to encourage them and let them know they are loved. I pray with the patients, too, and I always let them know that I include them in my daily Rosary. I pray for the strength and healing that they need.

INVITATION: When giving Communion, there might be other people in the room who haven't been thinking about the Church for a long time, and I invite them to come take another look.

ACCOMPANIMENT: Sometimes, there are patients who are worried they may be passing on, and worried about what they've done in their life. They wonder: Does God really love them after all the things they've done? I feel like I am accompanying them because I'm letting them know they are loved and that God loves them unconditionally no matter what has happened in their life. Then there are people who have no visitors and I will visit with them a little bit longer. That's what I'm there for, to offer the Eucharist and to walk with them.

WITNESS: I have shared with people the struggles I went through when my father was in the hospital and the strain of that. Also, my mother-in-law passed away in hospice, so I'm able to relate to people who are experiencing loss. I talk about going to church with a lot of people, too. I let them know if they get involved in church groups, it is a good way to get to know people and they won’t feel alone.