St. Teresa of the Child Jesus
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Roman Catholic Church in Morden, Surrey

ORDINARY TIME

16/1/2021

 
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God Bless Your Journey to Lent
As we make our way through these weeks of ordinary time before Lent, here are a few steps that can help us draw closer to God.
  1. First, start by listening to him. Faith isn’t a 12-step action program. Nor is it an algebra problem that needs to be “solved.” It’s a love affair. As with a spouse, the most important thing we can do is to be present and listen. This requires the investment of time and focus. If a spirit of impatience or pretending to listen doesn’t work with your spouse, why would it work with God?
  2. Second, cultivate silence. We can’t listen when our world is filled with noise and
    toys. C.S. Lewis often said that noise is the music of hell. Our toys
    – those things we choose to distract us – keep us diverted from focusing on the main questions of life: Why are we here? What does my life mean? Is there a God, and if so, who is he, and what does he ask of me?
  3. Third, seek humility. Humility is to the spirit what material poverty is to the senses: the great purifier. Humility is the beginning of sanity. We can’t really see – much less love – anyone or anything else when the self is in the way. When we finally, really believe in our own sinfulness and unimportance, many other things become possible: repentance; mercy, patience, forgiveness of others. These virtues are the foundation stones of that other great Christian virtue: justice. No justice is ever possible in a spider’s web of mutual anger, recrimination and hurt pride.
More suggestions in next week's Newsletter.


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Registered charity number in England: 1173050
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