Browsing The Seed

Spiritually Preparing for Change

Spiritually Preparing for Change – Whenever we are about to undergo a transition or some kind of change, we take time to
make the necessary preparations. When moving to a new home, we take inventory and maybe declutter; when taking on a
new job, we might update our wardrobe or spend time learning about the company. Change is best faced when we prepare
for it. This is no less true when making spiritual changes. As we prepare for all of the new things this year – new Mass
schedule, new parish patron, changing our familiar routines – these changes have a real spiritual dimension to them, and so
we need to prepare ourselves spiritually. We see this kind of thing play out time and again in the Scriptures: The Israelites
spiritually prepared for their journey out of Egypt; Esther spiritually prepared to face the king and defend her people; Tobiah
and Sarah spiritually prepared for their marriage, that it might be holy; and Jesus Himself spiritually prepared for His ministry
with forty days of intense fasting and prayer in the desert. In all of these instances, the success of whatever it was these
individuals were about to undergo was ensured through their acts of spiritual preparation.
We all need to do the same thing as we prepare for the changes that are a part of Beacons of Light. One of my brother priests
invited the priests of the archdiocese to enter into an intense period of penance, prayer and fasting because, as he said, “the
success of the Beacons of Light planning process is not in our ability to manage so many various things, but in our own quest
and desire for holiness, our own configuration to Christ, the Great High Priest in whose name we do what we do.” He’s right,
and so I accepted his invitation. We priests can get so caught up in “the work” that we forget what the work is for, which is to
accomplish in our lives and the lives of our people the most important thing: conformity to Christ and holiness of life. The
thought goes: “If I work harder and smarter, then I will be successful”. But we forget that success is measured very
differently in the life of faith, and cannot be reduced to material outcomes. As Mother Teresa said, the Lord doesn’t ask us
to be effective, He asks us to be faithful. The Lord is asking us to be faithful to Him in the midst of all of this, to hear and to
respond to His voice as He calls us to deeper trust in Him and a new experience of faith in His Providence, and to know that
“effectiveness” and “success” in the Christian life is, more than anything, about readiness to “fulfill all righteousness”
(Matthew 3:15), which is doing the will of our Father in Heaven, who sustains us.
What can we do to spiritually prepare? It needs to fit into your daily life but still be motivated by a sacrificial and loving spirit.
You can think of it in the same way you think of Lent: pray, fast, and give alms. Spend time in prayer, especially with Jesus in the
Blessed Sacrament. We will be launching our perpetual adoration chapel later this year, so now is a good time to start
spending time with Him. You can also pray the rosary and keep our parish family as an intention. Do penance, give up
something for the sake of our parish family during this time of transition, or engage in works of mercy for our community.
While many perhaps don’t know it, every Friday, except when it is a solemnity, is supposed to be a day of abstinence and
fasting for Catholics (Paenitemini, St. Paul VI, 1966). When the Church says “abstinence”, she means abstaining from the use
of meat (this doesn’t include eggs, dairy, or condiments made from animal fat); when she says “fasting”, she means
consuming just one full meal on that day, with some lesser amount of food taken at the other meal times. Those who are 14
years and older are bound to abstain, and those who are 21 and older are bound to also fast, and this holds until the 60 the year
of one’s life. Those who are not of the required age, are to be taught – by word and example – the true sense of penance,
which is inner conversion, prayer, and works of charity, manifest in external acts of religion, and to do some act of fasting
and abstinence appropriate to their age. Of course, in times of sickness, this law is lifted. If you aren’t in the habit of observing
this precept, or if you didn’t know this was still the case, now is a great time to start. The needs of our parish and love for the
Lord and your neighbor can be a good reason – the “why” behind your efforts. Lastly, giving of yourself through “time, talent,
or treasure” can do much in terms of drawing down graces from Heaven to “strengthen the brethren” (Luke 22:32) in this
time.
The Lord is inviting us into something new and unknown this year, and that can be scary, perhaps even upsetting. But He is
with us, and our spiritual acts of preparation can open our eyes to a deeper understanding of His will in this, and a fuller
realization of His presence with us. As always let’s keep encouraging one another, and let’s try to stay together as a family – I
love seeing all of you, and I hope to keep seeing all of you in the future. I have said it once, and I’ll say it again and many more
times: I have faith in this project not just because I have faith in God, but also because I have faith in all of you. I do love all
of you, and I am thankful to be your pastor; I care about you and, though I never imagined I’d be called to lead God’s people
through such times as these, I am here with you, here for you. Let’s all support one another through prayer, fasting, and
almsgiving so that the Lord can continue to grow each of us into the saints He has created us to be, and our parish family into
the “Household of Saints” He desires it to be. I remain,

Affectionately Yours in Christ,

Fr. Hess

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