Today’s Reflection from Father Dave

“You’re my son and I love you …” Mom never finished these sentences; they were often said when my mouth or actions got ahead of my brain. Sometimes I wonder if God has not picked up the same habit with me, and this is especially true this Lent.

All of us try to decide what we will offer up or do in the Lenten season. It is hardwired in us as Catholics. Now I decided to be more Christ-like and thought I had the perfect Lenten practices. I would hang out with sinners, upset religious leaders, tell stories that make people think, choose unpopular friends, be kind, loving, and merciful, and finally take naps (Jesus did on boats). I was doing quite well on the first two and the last one, and then I heard those words, “David, you are my son and I love you….”

Lent changed, and so did my resolutions about what I must and needed to do. One pundit commented: “I did not know I was going to give this much up for Lent!” Mom never finished those sentences; she knew that as soon as I engaged my heart, soul, and mind, I would know what to do or say. It was just a temporary lapse on my part in trying to be the person she knew I could and would be.

What is transpiring this year has made all of us stop and reflect. I am never one to believe that God uses evil or suffering as the means for us to change. I believe that God takes what is happening and reminds us with those simple words: You are my child and I love you! How we respond to all that has happened is possible because we know that in the midst of chaos those words are spoken over and over again.

My Lenten practices have changed. I push myself to write these daily reflections, to walk between churches, and film daily mass. They are probably more in line with the works of Lent: Prayer, Fasting, and Almsgiving than the ones I started doing early in this season of Lent.

In Faith, Hope, and Love

Father Dave