Facing Ourselves

Lent enables us to face ourselves, to see the weak places, to touch the wounds in our own soul, and to determine to try once more to live beyond our lowest aspirations. ~ Joan Chittister in The Liturgical Year

I am reading Chittister’s book this Lent and loving her insights. Sometimes looking at ourselves requires fortitude. Lent provides us with a perfect opportunity for such a scrutiny. Sometimes change is like trying to move mountains. The effort seems overwhelming.

The insight I gleaned from this sentence was that we do set our own bars fairly low at times and it is good to take stock and raise them to where they should be, whatever the issue is that keeps us from living fully. Last night, exhausted from a long day’s work, I sat down on the couch with the TV on and half watched The Bachelor. It is not a show I regularly tune into. What shocked me was his reaction to the woman who was a mother asking him to define what being a good father and provider meant. I distinctly remember thinking, “Run, woman! This man has some deep-rooted anger issues.”

When we cannot face ourselves, we usually cannot face the wounds of the other gracefully either. We try to paint them over, sweep them aside, and then we are shocked when we come face to face with them. I encourage you to live this Lent with awareness of your wounds—explore them in these remaining days and hopefully you will come out living with greater aspirations than when you began the journey.

Peace,

Suzanne