7801 Bay Branch Drive, The Woodlands, Texas 77382, United States
Regent Claudia Hernandez cvhernandez04@gmail.com
A Message from Our Court Chaplain
Staying Fresh
What a wild ride our country has had in the past four months. An uptick of COVID-19 cases, contentious elections, and difficult academic challenges for our students returning to school. Our minds may be distracted by the many challenges which have been forced upon us. But let us remain hopeful in God’s Plan and faithful in God’s Love for us. Allow the Season of Lent to provide us with the richness it has to offer.
As Ash Wednesday quickly approaches, let us focus on the Lenten Practices which allow us to go deeper in our relationships – Prayer, Fasting and Almsgiving – the three pillars of our Lenten journey.
We must address the purpose of these three in general. As I have said in the past, everything concerning prayer, scripture, theology, and liturgy helps us to focus on our three basic relationships. The relationship I have with God, the relationship I have with myself, and the relationships I have with others (indeed with all creation). The three Lenten practices encourage us to focus on these three relationships in a specific manner.
The first Lenten practice is prayer – obviously focused on our relationship with the Lord. Together, we have uncovered much concerning prayer over the past year. In order to continue to grow in this relationship, we need to make prayer a priority and set time every day for our personal prayer life.
The second Lenten practice is fasting. This indicates our desire to be less, so God and others can become more in our lives. The lessening of our wants, and the awareness of the needs of everyone else. This, at its essence, is the beginning of humility, the first true step in our spiritual journey. Fasting is the lessening, not the elimination of something. It is not about an absence, but a waning of our desires. We cannot have room for God in our lives if it is completely full of us.
Almsgiving, the third Lenten practice, is the same as charity. Recognizing the needs of those around us and responding with kindness and an open hand. It is not, for example, strictly about giving money to the Church. But about the three T’s – Time, Talent and Treasure. Almsgiving also is not limited to the needs of people, but also to the caring for the gift of creation which God has entrusted to us.
As I hope can be seen, all three of these Lenten practices swirl around the three basic relationships which we must attend to. Let us look to this Lenten journey as a time to focus and strengthen our three basic relationships with an eagerness which will throw off the burdens that many of us face now. Let us not allow the fog of uncertainty we deal with and the many challenges we encounter weaken us and misguide us. Let the journey begin with joy.
Remain strong in the Lord,
Deacon Rick
CDA Court #2699 Cookbooks
Get your CDA Court #2699 Cookbook today. An assortment of delicious recipes shared by our members for only $15.00. Makes for a great gift. Proceeds go towards our general fund that supports our many service projects throughout the year.
To purchase a cookbook, contact Kathy Scorsone kathyhome26@yahoo.com.