Lent Meditation Day 2
“Through Lent let us enter into the desert of our hearts where, removed from side issues, we can face what we are … let us die to self so that we may live for others, as we make a vigil before the coming of the Lord.”
—Jesuit Robert R. Tafte
A Note from Ruth
These meditations are a reflection of my personal journey through Lent at a time when I was experiencing deep spiritual growth and learning what it means to grow in community as a student at the Academy for Formation and Mission. In part, I wrote them to process my own thoughts, but mainly to share those contemplations, because I felt they were meant to be experienced by others. My hope was to encourage others to go deep, to see God and Lent with a new perspective, and to self-reflect in a way that brings hope.
What does it mean to live for others? I always feel the call to give from my resources, which usually means giving between a few dollars or a five to a person asking for money. The other day I was approaching someone while exciting the Winco parking lot. I didn’t have much time to dig in my wallet because the traffic light was about to change. I decided to give the first bill I pulled out. It was a twenty. It’s a little hard to admit, but I decided to give the 2nd bill I pulled out instead, a ten.
By then I got the message that I was to give more than the usual. I did, and the man’s face lit up. He said, “Wow. I’m going to go get breakfast,” and he walked away toward the store. It’s okay to give a little, and it’s okay to give a little extra too. This is but one very small way I can live for someone else.