THURSDAY, MARCH 2ND, 2023
“We have been given forty days, a “favorable time” to remind ourselves that the world is bigger than our narrow personal needs, and to rediscover the joy, not of accumulating material goods, but of caring for those who are poor and afflicted. Let us set out, then, on the path of prayer and use these forty days to restore God’s primacy in our lives and to dialogue with him from the heart, and not only in spare moments. Let us set out on the path of fasting and use these forty days to take stock of ourselves, to free ourselves from the dictatorship of full schedules, crowded agendas and superficial needs, and choose the things that truly matter.
Brothers and sisters, let us not neglect the grace of this holy season, but fix our gaze on the cross and set out, responding generously to the powerful promptings of Lent. At the end of the journey, we will encounter with greater joy the Lord of life, we will meet him, who alone can raise us up from our ashes.”
Pope Francis
Turning
by Joseph Mills
My friend’s kid runs the sideline, gets a pass,
turns, and scores with a kick to the near post.
It’s how the play should go, but at this age
rarely does. My son sprints to him, arms up.
They high five and celebrate a moment,
then turn to jog back to their positions.
Last year, they would have hopped around madly,
twirled, fallen backwards, and rolled in the grass.
This season, they are serious. No more
skipping. No more acting sweetly goofy.
Now, they turn towards one another rather
than towards us. No more checking that we’ve seen.
But we have. We know the score, and what’s lost
as they try to turn themselves into men.
“Turning” by Joseph Mills from This Miraculous Turning. © Press, 53, 2014. Reprinted with permission
The Vibrant Channeled Creator 