Prayer Takes You Deeper

~~~ Ash Wednesday ~~~

~~~ Joel 2:12-18 ~~~ Psalm 51 ~~~ 

~~~ 2 Corinthians 5:20—6:2 ~~~ Matthew 6:1-6, 16-18 ~~~

Be merciful, O Lord, for we have sinned.

The Lenten message is always to turn away from sin.
We are further reminded to return to the gospel.
Returning to the gospel is not about carrying
around the Bible for forty days.

If we were to physically pack our Bible on our backs every day,
maybe we would be more cognizant of how we should be living.

...return to me with your whole heart..

You cannot hold back part of your heart for the world.
Jesus wants us to return to him in body, mind, and soul.

We must be willing to leave behind
that which does not bring us closer to the heart of God.

‘Where is their God?’

It is our responsibility to make sure that no one
 who looks at us would ask this question.
If our life does not reflect our God,
now is the acceptable time.
Make some changes today.

Cast me not out from your presence...

We humbly approach the throne of mercy.
We trust that we will not be turned away from his presence.

Give me back the joy of your salvation,

and a willing spirit sustain in me.

Lent is not about doom and gloom...
Lent is about the humble joy in our great gift of salvation.

Lent is about having a firm commitment
to stay the course even in the face of setbacks.

...we appeal to you not to receive the grace of God in vain.

God makes his grace available to us as we search our hearts.
His grace gives us the clear vision to see how
we can render change in our heart.

Do not miss this awesome opportunity
 to receive his special grace of repentance.

...when you pray, go to your inner room,

close the door, and pray to your Father in secret.

Set aside quiet time during this Lent...
spend some alone time with God.

Maybe it means getting up a few minutes early.
Maybe it means attending daily Mass at least once a week.
Maybe it means coming to Adoration for some
intimate time alone with Jesus.

Come to pray when no one knows you are praying.
Pray in your car...
Pray when you are running errands...
Pray when you are cooking and cleaning.

It is vital for the health of your soul
 to spend time in prayer each day.

Lent is the perfect time...begin a new habit of prayer.

Deepen the prayer life you already have established.

We can always go deeper with God.

Forty Days
Blessings in repentance and change.

Mercy reaches down to touch your soul.

~~~Peace~~~