Arms Wide Open

A few days ago at work, conversation with a co-worker turned to faith.  (This is the same co-worker who had asked me about my faith and going to mass earlier this year).  The conversation involved discussion of Ash Wednesday, giving up things for Lent, not eating meat on Fridays and involved several questions.  She also asked if churches still had Stations of the Cross and told me she used to always go with her grandma when she was young.  She stated that she should go back to mass and in an attempt to offer encouragement, I simply responded, “yeah, you should!”  She said that I would have to go with her because she would not want to go alone.  What she said next is something that I’ve been reflecting on since.  “God wouldn’t welcome me back.”  I told her that God welcomes everyone back.  As Christians, this is what we are called to do.  To help others know that God loves them and pray that they would experience that love.

Maybe this is something that we focus on as we journey through this Lent.  As we walk with Jesus through the desert and reflect on His suffering and death, we have the opportunity to invite others to enter into their own spiritual journeys of prayer, reflection, and purification.  Everyday, as we work to turn our hearts and minds toward God and deepen our prayer lives, the hope is to become more like Christ.  And as we become more like Him, the hope is that others might see a glimpse of the love Christ has for them by the words we say and the things we do.

​Imagine if every single person would look at a crucifix and know that Jesus died for them because of a deep and personal love He has just for them.  Imagine if every single person would not only know this in their minds but also believe in their hearts that if they were the only person to ever exist, He still would have suffered and died for them.  

As we walk this journey and reflect on the passion and death of Christ, may we allow Him to remove every distraction, material attachment, worldly desire, and sinful habit in our lives so that after these 40 days we would be more like Christ.  When we become more like Christ, we can better reflect Him and His love to the world around us.  

My prayer for these next several weeks is that every Catholic, who has left the church or fallen away,  would look at Jesus on the cross, with His arms stretched wide open, and know that He is ready and waiting to welcome them back to Him.