John Garcia wrote the booklet about daily meditations for the Lenten Season entitled From Death To Life. He finished his ecclesiastical studies at the Major Seminary of San Fulgencio de Murcia in Spain. He holds a Doctorate in Canon Law from University of Navarre and has been a chaplain of the University Clinic for several years.
According to the Blessed Josemaria Escriva, "Lent is a continuous journey of penance, purification, and conversion. Then, the Christianity is not an easy way of life. It is not enough to be in the Church. "
Summary:
In repentance and forgiveness, confession is a sacrament and also sacred for the Catholics. It is a conversion and going back to God as sin is to be separated from God due to disobedience. We are weak in faith and hope, and morality. Being a true Christian is not being superficial. When we sin, we used to find faults on others. But, with confession, we go back to God because it is an expression of grief and resolve of a sin.
True forgiveness can be both tender and demanding. Christ has no measure for love. We cannot calculate when it comes to forgiving and loving. It is a commandment by God to love our neighbors including our enemies. To forgive is to understand a person's weakness. Forgiving is a primary and authentic fruit of love.
When we correct our brother or sister, we should not judge them by appearance or let the occasional mistake mislead us. Let us pull out an error from its roots. We should be united with God for a correction. Correcting should be fruitful and brotherly. Pray about the matter, ask godly opinion, show your mercy and be patient.
Jesus asks us to be compassionate. We sow love as we understand the minor tragedies of others. We are not indifferent to others. Be slow to judge. We would not judge without praying first. Let us not doubt. Our point of view has its limitations. We should not condemn. We often commited the same offense that we angrily denounce. Be forgiving. Try to give ourselves as other will give themselves to us. Loving without borders is a universal love. It has no limits. Christ has soft spots for sinners.
To love one another is to love God. God is present in our life through our neighbors. Our happiness is based on the special relationship, so love is the measure of happiness. Charity must be seen in dealing with family members, friends, and colleages. Master that bad temper. Hold that tongue. Correct others in private.
God does not force anyone to follow Him. Instead, He calls and invites us to accompany Him and to unite ourselves to Him. We must be humble because humility is truth. It is seeing His perfection and recognizing our misery. To be humble is to live in God's presence. In order to follow Him, one must take his daily cross and follow Christ with sacrifice. A sincere spirit of self-denial pleases God. God deserves sacrifice that makes us love others more and which leads to delight in His presence.
Temptations are real. We feel them in our flesh everyday. Suffering is a bother, and passion blinds us. Therefore, we are cowards. Be convinced that we are cowards because we need to be more daring. We have to pray more.
Surrendering ourselves is to get rid of we consider ours in which is belong to God. We have to pray and to be intimate with God. God has become a beggar of love and companionship. Pray and do not lose heart. Add to this virtue of humility, we should work at our holiness.
To those who want to enter a vocation, let me remind you that God wants people who are used to hard work and who responsibly fulfills their duties. It is not a game or a life-time achievement. He fixes his eyes on souls who can do more. God is demanding because he wants everything. He is such a good paymaster because He gives you 101% that is worthy of abandoning your personal projects. It is worth giving that bold affirmation and to get going.
Conclusion:
Christianity is a big religion. It is not about following good examples or doing good works. It is about relationship with God and how can you deal with others. It is about morality and values. Christianity has been taught in schools, homes, and churches. And, the most important part is we have will to be different.
