Reflections on Lent

Reflections on salvation:

Many Christians are unable to accept the good news of unconditional grace. First of all, we feel that we need to do something to deserve God’s love. Secondly, salvation is seen only in terms of heaven and hell.

We debate about predestination, “once saved, always saved” and many feel cheated when they face the reality of God’s amazing and unconditional grace:

“If God accepts everybody, does that not mean that everybody goes to heaven, regardless of how good or bad, repentant or unrepentant, faithful or unfaithful they are? Then what is the point of trying to obey God’s commandments?”

Marcus Borg in his book, “The God We Never Knew” gave me a fresh insight into the meaning of salvation:

“The mistake lies in thinking of sin and forgiveness within the framework of an afterlife. The issue is not making sure that one has adequately repented before one dies so that one’s entry into heaven is not obstructed by unforgiven sins. Rather, salvation as forgiveness has powerful meaning for our life on earth: to know God’s unconditional acceptance profoundly changes our sense of ourselves and our sense of what our lives are about. God loves me, in spite of what the critical voice within me says. God loves me in spite of my sense of sin and guilt.

To know this means that the Christian life is not about meeting God’s requirements; that has been taken care of. Rather, the Christian life is about living our lives in a relationship with the God who already accepts us and about letting the transforming power of the relationship with God work in our lives.”

Lent is a time of recognizing our alienation from God and our need to return to God. It is a time to focus on Christ so that we will see the dangers of blessings drawing us away from God and hear God’s gentle whisper in our struggles and problems.

We fast and pray not to please God but in order that we may hear His voice and see His presence in our daily lives. As we do so, we will be able to understand the sacred dimension in the ordinary events of our lives.

Grief

Some good tips from the website, Everyday Health on Grief:

Everyday Tips
Dealing With the Loss of a Loved One
Events like anniversaries or holidays can sometimes prolong or reintroduce grief.

Just after a death or loss, you may feel empty and numb, as if you are in shock. You may notice physical symptoms such as trembling, nausea, difficulty breathing, muscle weakness, dry mouth, or trouble sleeping and eating. You may become angry at a situation, a particular person, or just angry in general. Almost everyone experiencing grief also feels guilt. Guilt is often expressed in statements that begin with "I could have," "I should have," and "I wish I would have." People who are grieving may also have strange dreams or nightmares, be absentminded, withdraw socially, or lack the desire to return to work. While these feelings and behaviors are normal during grief, they will pass.

Grief lasts as long as it takes you to accept and learn to live with your loss. For some people, grief lasts a few months. For others, grieving may take years. Sometimes an anniversary or special holiday, such as Valentine's Day, may trigger feelings of grief. The length of time spent grieving is different for each person. There are many reasons for the differences, including personality, health, coping style, culture, family background, and life experiences. The time spent grieving also depends on your relationship with the person lost and how prepared you were for the loss.

Every person who experiences a death or other loss must complete a four-step grieving process:
Accept the loss
Work through and feel the physical and emotional pain of grief
Adjust to living in a world without the person or item lost
Move on with life The grieving process is complete when a person completes these important steps.

PK