Dear St. Rita Families,

On this first weekend of Lent, it is good to remember that the way Our Lord enables us to receive Him and His Love is by the way of negation. I (and perhaps you also) have heard many people describe our innate longing for the Divine as a “God-shaped hole in the heart”, and if we extend the image a little further, we can imagine what needs to happen if that hole is filled with anything other than God. That is a simple way to describe what I mean by the way of negation.

However, for the Christian who believes already (presumably anyone who is reading this newsletter note) and who has readily embarked on the journey of turning away from the sinful pleasures of the world, we still notice that different sort of obstacle, which affects all people at one point or another. While on the one hand, we experience the normal difficulty of having to give up certain creature comforts, on the other hand, we are given to experience the curveballs (large and small) that simply seem to happen in the course of life. Those curveballs can be anything from unexpected traffic on the road to a change of leadership in a school (again) to life-threatening illness, loss of a job, or death. 

The Gospel passage that is most appropriate for these moments is found in Matthew 7:24-27, where Our Lord gives us the image of the house built on rock or sand. The winds and the rains and the floods[1] come, and they come with enough force to wash away our foundation and ruin our house if we are not living according to the Gospel. We have all seen that happen. 

I am reminded of a story (the origins of which I do not recall) about St. Josemaria and the someone involved in the founding of the University of Navarra in Pamplona, Spain. The man came back to St. Josemaria discouraged at the obstacles and difficulties he was encountering. The saint is reported to have said in reply, “I didn’t send you there to found a university. I sent you there to become a saint!” The same is said by God to each of us at the first moment of our existence. He hasn’t sent us to earth for a successful career or for some other purely human achievement. He has sent us here to be saints!

The winds and the rains and the floods have great efficacy in this process. Any sand around the foundation of our house that needs to be washed away *needs* to be washed away! We ourselves are called to deeper conversion, to turn away even more deeply from sin, and to rely more fully on Divine Providence. We are called to endure the suffering of the moment for the sake of others who need conversion and healing and all sorts of help, so that the efficacy and charity of the Body of Christ shines forth.

You may say, however, that God doesn’t want failure for us, right? All this conversion and repentance and confidence in God has to have some sort of concrete effect in my life, doesn’t it? St. Josemaria did in fact want that university founded, right? The short answer is, yes! God doesn’t want failure; He does in fact follow through on our trust in Him; St. Josemaria did want a university founded. Thus, one of the effects of our conversion and repentance and reliance on God is a greater charity within us.

You see, we are also called engage the duties and responsibilities of our state in life to the utmost, and to utilize the resources at our disposal in order that God’s actual plan for us can be accomplished. But His plan for us cannot be accomplished without our conversion, and His plan is more effectively carried out within us and through us the more perfect instruments we become. Thus, the sanctification that happens within us through our engagement of the curveballs of life is two-fold: the stripping away of pride and self-reliance and the spurring on to a fuller response to God’s will. The perseverance through difficulties and curveballs, doing God’s will every step of the way, seeking to accomplish great things for His Glory (and not our own!), will necessarily bear fruit, both in your own heart and in the world around you. The University of Navarra was founded and still operates today. St. Maximillian Kolbe’s example at Auschwitz still inspires countless people. The same is true for all the saints throughout the ages. And to become a saint is God’s will for you and for me!

I have said in the past that sometimes you don’t choose your Lent; Lent chooses you. During this season of Lent, whether you are in one boat or the other, I encourage you to engage your penances well, and to surrender all things to God for that two-fold growth in humility and charity. Let us also pray for each other and assist each other, because the building up of the Kingdom of God is not a solitary effort. It requires the constructive assistance of each member of the Body of Christ. 

In Christ,
Fr. Christensen

 [1] Sometimes the flood is sewage, like in our convent basement two weeks ago. The problem seems to have stemmed from the adjacent construction project, and we are working with them for appropriate resolution of damages.