A Perfect Time to Sort Our Priorities

My younger sister is a fantastic skier. We have both skied since a very young age. However, once upon a time, she fell down and hurt her knee badly. It turned out that she needed a complicated and painful surgery, followed by even more painful rehabilitation. Unfortunately, the surgery didn’t go very well, and there was a risk that she’d need another one. At that point, she started praying really hard to avoid another painful surgery and rehabilitation. She was praying for days. That’s when she got this thought – she claims it was not hers but came somewhere from beyond her, and I believe her – which was: “It would be so nice if you were as worried about your salvation as you are about your knee.” Very inspiring indeed.

So today, I challenge everybody who is reading this to reflect for a moment and to ask: When was the last time I was actually more worried about my salvation than I am about whatever temporary issue I’m facing right now?

We are now in the season of Lent, a blessed time given to us by God. I highly encourage all of us not to waste it, not to let it slip through our fingers. Time flies, and before we know it, Easter will be here. For many of us, resolutions are an integral part of Lent. But aren’t we so used to them that we don’t really pay much attention to what we do as a penance? Or maybe we gave up penances of any kind long ago, not seeing any sense in them? One of my brothers says that Lent is like rehab with the company of the Holy Spirit. I like this metaphor because, after rehab, one is clean, just as we should be after Lent.

I’d like to invite us to sacrifice a certain amount of time to pray and think about how we can, with God’s grace, significantly upgrade our spiritual life during this Lent. Our resolutions shouldn’t be too many, and they also need to be realistic. Our self-reflection and God’s hints will show us what we need most right now. Also, the sooner the better, but it’s never too late.

However, when our consideration is done and the resolutions made, let’s stand firm and obey them.

Hopefully, spiritual exercises like these will help us to be well-prepared for the upcoming solemnity of the Death and Resurrection of our Lord, as well as, from a wider perspective, for the day (which might even be tomorrow or today) when He’ll call us to leave this world.

Br. Julian Stolarczyk, O.P. | Member of the Province of Poland | Meet the Brothers in Formation HERE