Dare to make this a radical Lent

A friend of mine (Yong Oh of Shepherd’s Cafe) shared this wonderful Lenten letter from Fr. Agustino, CFR and I wanted to share it here.

Ash Wednesday 2010
Peace and blessings.

I pray that all are well. Please forgive the timing of the email, but I can’t help but feel the Lord putting something on my heart to share. I have been speaking to a number of different people recently and the same word is resounding and I believe we all need to hear it.

Let us dare to make this a radical lent. Let us dare to get serious about our conversions during these days. I mean seriously. Let us go into the desert to find our Lord in a totally crazy, non-sensical act of love—denying our bodies, forgiving our neighbors and offering our praise to God. A little self-denial does a body good! Too many times we worry about that which has no consequence. It is time to stop and recognize our tremendous need for mercy, fall at the Lord’s feet and with our tears begin to wash the wounds that we have caused that our wounds may be healed. We have caused much hurt, if we are really honest with ourselves, with our lack of love or even misplaced zeal. Let us rend our hearts in a good ol’ fashioned penitential practice of lent. Let us return to the practice of fasting. I ask, as Our Lady has asked, that we fast Monday, Wednesday and Friday. Do not be content with the minimum necessary. Nor should we be content with what we have fallen into giving up every year—we gotta step it up. Let this be a year where we hear Jesus’ plea, “I want more of you.” For, there is so much at stake.

But at the same time let us rejoice at this incredible gift from above where God takes us back. He takes us back. My brothers and sisters, it seems like many are getting down both by what they have done and what has been done to them. Many are walking near the cliffs of discouragement because of the daunting task that looms. Some feel their inadequacies chaining them to the ground. But the Lord has come to free us. For those who feel that they have been played yet again by the enemy the Lord responds to our accuser, “I will tear them from your arms; I will set free the people that you ensnare like birds.” (Ez 13:20) He takes us back. Takes us back when we sincerely want to change. He takes us back especially in the sacrament of Confession.

So this Lent I cant help but share at its beginning that we gotta be a joyful, penitential, radically loving, mercy receiving, daring to go deeper Church of the new millennium.

It is us…
And it is now…
Praise be Jesus Christ.

Peace
Fr Agustino, CFR