Every Lent, I resume my favorite Lenten prayer tradition, praying for a different person, couple, or family each of the 40 days, offering all of my prayers, petitions, frustrations, joys, and sufferings that day for their intentions (Read more about it here).
It was a particularly amazing experience for me the first year I did it. Before the Lenten season, I had become unusually fixated on the fact that the crosses in my life seemed to be so small compared to the challenges so many of my acquaintances, friends, and family were facing—dreaded illnesses, marital problems, struggles with fertility, death of loved ones, and so on. I irrationally thought that because my crosses seemed so small to me that God, in order to make me a saint, was going to have to up the ante, really make me learn what carrying a heavy burden was like, and this caused me to be fearful.
Then God did something. Over 40 days, He showed me that I was looking at the situation incorrectly. I was looking at crosses in terms of “mine” and “theirs,” when I should have been looking at them as “ours.” The petitions that poured in from friends and relatives over six weeks stirred in my heart and dominated my thoughts and prayers each day, bringing me to a better understanding of how crosses are meant to be carried—together.
How easy it can be to get caught up in our own little world sometimes, like the rich man in today’s Gospel, forgetting to see the poor man lying outside our front door. Of course, the “poor man” in our life doesn’t always have to exhibit physical poverty, but maybe he is someone whom we know that is experiencing spiritual poverty or is carrying any sort of cross that the Holy Spirit is nudging us to help him or her carry. When we open our eyes to the sufferings of others, especially during this Year of Mercy, we allow God to powerful transform us and those to whom we minister and evangelize, preparing both of us to be welcomed into God’s Kingdom someday as faithful, selfless servants.
Katie Warner is the Manager of Communication and Evangelization for CatholicsComeHome.org. Her website is CatholicKatie.com.
How crosses are meant to carried really touch me and gave me further insight into our relationship with Christ
Thank you – Amen
This is how crosses are meant to be carried-together .thank you for the message
I am SO inspired by your Lenten prayer practice. I too have many family members struggling with illness, addiction, fear, etc. Although I pray for them, this “intentional” pray practice is transforming. I have my calendar in hand! May God bless you and all of those on your calendar!
Praying Always for others asking for Prayers. We are Our Brothers Keepers. Thank you Jesus for Prayers Answered. Amen
I have been thinking the way you used to, that my crosses are so light they don’t even qualify as a burden.
I’ve been waiting for God to suddenly whack me over the head with some terrible circumstance.
I do pray for people I know who I believe need divine help, but this does not seem to be enough.
Just noticed all the “I’s” in my reply….this could be the answer.