catholic girls write, [too]

why wait until feb. 14 for a challenge? st. monica's sells Lenten reflections written from members of the YMA community...i, of course, chose february 14, because of the loving sap of life that i am.

forgiveness. a process that is all too fresh. i don't have much more to say about that. kinda weird how my reflection on this passage turned to that theme.

enjoy my 250 words. exactly.

-----
Wednesday, February 14, 2008

Matthew 7:7-12
Jesus said to his disciples: “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks, receives; and the one who seeks, finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened. Which one of you would hand his son a stone when he asked for a loaf of bread, or a snake when he asked for a fish? If you then, who are wicked, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give good things to those who ask him. “Do to others whatever you would have them do to you. This is the law and the prophets.”

With our hearts grounded in love, knowing that God is Love, we are reminded that we have already been empowered and entrusted to be a vessel of this everlasting grace. Having a heart aligned with faith, hope, and love, we are then able to fully serve one another. Through prayer, taking a walk with a friend, grabbing a cup of coffee, or in sharing any single moment of life’s simplicity with another, there is the opportunity to walk alongside, and support your brother or sister in Christ.

Undoubtedly, we have all had a moment where we thought to ourselves, “ I wish I could just talk to someone right now.” Unknowingly, we have also served as that person and have provided a ray of sunshine, a glimmer of hope, or even the face of Christ, in that needed situation. Whatever the case, we need one another. We need to pray for one another, we need to support one another, and ultimately, we must serve as God’s hands, feet, and heart.

We are called to serve, and we are called to love. We are not called to be perfect – God has already extended his grace to us. He has offered us forgiveness and salvation. Who are the people in your life whom you have trouble forgiving? This Lenten season reminds us that God’s unyielding love is given to each of us – regardless of circumstance. In that same regard, we must extend our forgiveness, our love, and our prayers to one another.