How I am Called to Share the Love of Christ with You this Lent

In my prayer time this morning on Ash Wednesday, I felt the call to journal about the thoughts and new discoveries God is placing into my heart during this Lenten season.

Yesterday, I wrote about how I am striving to have an “Imperfectly Perfect” Lenten journey with Christ through the desert over the next 40 days. You can read about it here.

I revealed my struggle the past few weeks right up to the eve of the first day of Lent in choosing those sacrifices, prayers, and penances that I can offer up to better unite my soul with Christ’s Passion and Death on the Cross. To share the love of Christ with others however I am specifically called.

I admitted that God doesn’t expect perfection from me or you, but will use our weaknesses and “cracks”, our imperfect selves, to become more like him.

A “less of me, more of him” attitude to share the love of Christ with others.

I said I believe that we have to listen to his voice and prayerfully discern what he is calling us to do. This means each day and in every moment, we step out in trust and faith.

I believe journaling each day is how God is going to reveal these answers to me: to show me how I am to bring the love of Christ to others.

It’s going to be a prayerful process that requires me to seek God out daily and ask how he can use me to better serve and bring the love of Christ to those he puts on my path.

I vow to prayerfully ask him how I can take on his heart as a disciple and to step out in faith as his apostle however I am called each day.

To take to heart that offering up my total self in union with him is all about what he desires, wants, and needs of me, and not the other way around.

This is what the new lay apostolate I am currently founding along with several Brothers and Sisters in Christ is all about, LOVING STONES of CHRIST.

We are simply coming together as Church, the Body of Christ, to build up the Kingdom of God as LOVING STONES that bring the love of Christ to those in our parishes, homes, and communities.

This is how we cooperate with the Spirit of Love, from the time we get out of bed in the morning until the time we rest our heads on our pillows at night.

This is what we call bringing the love of Christ to others through “Soul-Oriented Love”.

If you were to put a simple statement on a t-shirt or billboard to describe this kind of deep love, I believe it would say, “The Soul is the Goal!”

Giving Soul-Oriented Love means living out our higher call to apostleship to be “great” according to Christ’s commandments to love God and neighbor, and to make disciples and send apostles.

This Lent, while I don’t have it all figured out, I am going to increase my prayer time and delve into his Word for spiritual nourishment and energy each day.

I am going to fast from those things in my life that have become distractions and obstacles in spiritually growing closer to him. And folks, the list is a long one!

I also will strive to be “great” everyday by serving the needs of others that he puts on my path each day, always with Soul-Oriented Love that is grounded and rooted in Christ’s light and way.

This will require that I remain vulnerable and docile to the Spirit of Love, and choose to cooperate with him with complete trust and faith. Talk about being pulled out of my comfort zone!

We are all in this together and need our “Community of Soul-Oriented Love” to help us take this walk with him through the desert.

May God guide us as we strive to fulfill our call to be LOVING STONES that bring his light and love to a world that so badly needs him. Many who don’t even know it yet.

This is my prayer to God for me and for you as we embark on this Lenten journey today.

Dear Lord, hear our prayer today!

We ask that you give us the courage to step out in complete faith and trust, especially when you ask us to leave our comfort zones to better serve you.

Help us to make space for you each day so we can prayerfully discern and hear your voice to know and understand your good and holy will;

To see you as you walk alongside us during our trials, tribulation, and suffering;

To know that you are always present and near, guiding us into the unknown with certainty of your love and mercy for us if we misstep along the way;

To give us peace and comfort to see you more clearly when worry and anxiety cloud our minds.

Come Spirit of Love, show us how to bring Jesus’ Soul-Oriented Love to others however we are called.

Help us draw closer to you, our Lord and Savior, this Lenten season as we prepare our hearts to receive you at Easter, when we joyfully come together to celebrate the glory of your Resurrection.

Until then, we wait in hopeful expectation for you. Amen.

In Christ,

Kerry Anne McGuire