Lenten breaks in St Vincent’s Hospital Fairview:
Little did we think this time last year that we would be still in Lockdown this Lenten season. Can we do something different in Lent 2021? If our experience of the last year has taught us anything it is that we need to gift ourselves a few minutes out from our hectic world each day and to give ourselves a little space and time. Let these 5-15 mins each day be your gift to yourself as you prepare for Easter.
In the Gospels we are told that Jesus frequently goes away to a quiet place to pray, to escape the crowds, to spend time with God – to Be – even just to refuel the tanks! With the pull of work, family, commitments, even with the best intentions, this can be hard to find – even an envied luxury.
So you are invited to take time for yourself by looking at the 5 Rs and “Let’s Live Lent”
- Recover: We need time to recover, to remove ourselves from our hectic world for a few minutes each day, to give ourselves a little space and time. We need to gift ourselves time for ourselves.
- Refresh: To Refresh your relationship with God. Jesus is calling us to do this week – to join him on the mountain. You don’t have to go up a high mountain to be alone. Decide what is best for you.
- Renew: To Renew your vision of yourself, your community, your world, and indeed your God! Take the opportunity to explore on how God wants you to live and to reflect his love and character in your world. You are loved and you do make a difference!
- Reconcile: To Reconcile. Forgiving yourself or others is not easy, even harder is recognising the need for or being open to forgiveness.
- Respond: Respond. Prayer is important but we must also be open to action (Trocaire, Goal, Homeless etc ). How attentive are we to the needs of those around us? Do we notice those who have no voice?
Whatever you choose to do, I wish each of you a refreshing Lent where you give yourself the Gift of a little space and time – to Be.
(Adapted from the Dublin Diocesan Liturgy Resource Centre 2021)
http://litmus.dublindiocese.ie/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/02/Lets-Live-Lent-pdf
Questions you may be asking:
Where is God in a Coronavirus World? by John Lennox – Professor Emeritus of Mathematics, Oxford. Lennox, an outspoken defender of the Christian faith has participated in many debates, most notably with Richard Dawkins on the God Delusion. In this video clip he leads us through aspects of the faith through the hard hitting questions we pose in life via the lens of the human experiences of Covid 19 reflected in Gospel truths. Worth a watch! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WvLfuMlAi18