Love in Action Tools
Week Five - Love in Action... Renewal
Each week of Lent we will give tools on where you can put God’s great love into action and witness it in others. Together, we will encourage one another in our discipleship.
What do we mean by Renewal? We renew our spiritual lives when we move past mistakes, making amends for those wrongs, and beginning again with a new perspective. We know that it is through Christ we are redeemed. This empowers us to acknowledge our sin and our failure and to redeem our action through humble contrition and renewal of our commitment to put God’s love into action, becoming the person God created us to be.
How do we practice renewal?
For our little ones – If you hurt someone’s feelings by speaking mean words or doing something unkind, you also hurt yourself, and aren’t being the person God wants you to be. You can ask God to forgive you and do something nice for the person you hurt. If you are of age, you can ask your parents to take you to the Sacrament of Reconciliation, renew our promise to do better.
For grownups – We know that sin causes us to turn inward, and has a snowball effect, hurting not just others but ourselves. We can seek renewal through the Sacrament of Reconciliation, through prayer and through thoughtful action to repair and redeem relationships we may have damaged, including that with the Lord.
This week, were you able to experience renewal and in what way? Did you witness another’s renewal, and in what way?
Discuss these questions within your household, with your friends, and we will do so in the groups that meet here at the parish each week. The idea is to become more aware of how we are called to change, where we can grow in our discipleship and respond to the call to put God’s great love into action.
Scriptural connections from Sunday’s Readings
Ezekiel 37: 12-14 “You shall know that I am the Lord, when I open your graves and have you rise for them, O my people!” Here Ezekiel focuses on the movement form death to life. We too need to die to sin and live as the children of God.
Psalm 130 “With the Lord is kindness and with him is plenteous redemption.” It is a gift of Christ we can find renewal through His kindness and redemption.
Romans 8: 8-11 “If Christ is in you, although the body is dead because of sin, the spirit is alive because of righteousness.” Sin may have power over our humanness, but by being committed to living by the Spirit we can turn from sin with God’s grace and renew our spirits and lives.
John 11: 1-45 Mary chides Jesus and then catches herself and says “even now I know that whatever you ask of God, God will give you.” “I am the resurrection and the life; whoever believes in me, even if he dies, will live, and everyone who lives and believed in me will never die.” Mary laid visible her pain and hurt but redeemed that despair in the light of love and belief. In turn, Jesus restored her brother and showed us the path of our own redemption through his resurrection and belief in him.
Prayer of Renewal
Dear Lord, You have brought me to the beginning of a brand new day. I pray that today, I do not focus on my mistakes rather please help me focus on the renewal of my spirit. Mould in me a pure heart, Dear Lord, and renew a strong spirit within me. I do know You have unending love for me.
Father as the world is renewed afresh and clean, so I ask You to renew my heart with Your strength and Your purpose. Please forgive my errors of yesterday and bless me to walk closer in Your way today.
This is the day I begin my life anew; shine through me so that every person I meet may feel Your presence in my life. Please take my hand, dear Father, for I cannot make it on my own. Amen.
Week Four - Love in Action... Seeing
This Week… Seeing
Each week of Lent we will give tools on where you can put God’s great love into action and witness it in others. Together, we will encourage one another in our discipleship.
What do we mean by Seeing? Ancients believed that a person was able to see because of the light within them. The vision we are talking about is tapping into the spiritual light within us, so we can truly see: “Not as man sees does God see, because man sees the appearance but the Lord looks into the heart.” 1 Sam 16:7. We can be blind in so many ways, blind to those hurting or lonely, or blind to the pain they are inflicting. We all have blind spots within ourselves – places where we justify our actions or hide in the darkness of sin. Shining the light of faith onto those places and being present to others allows us to really see what God sees. We seek a vision that leads to love in action for God.
How do we see as God sees?
For our little ones – We can look at our friends or family and see if they need help, if they need a friend, if they need a kind word or a nice action that can make them feel good and know that someone cares. Jesus wants us to slow down and see those in need around us.
For grownups – Stop to see where you may be blind – to your spouse, to your friends, neighbors or even faith community. Is there a need that you are turning a blind eye to? Do you see others as Christ sees them or as you judge them to be? Being present and really seeing another, not just with your eyes, shows you how to put God’s love into action in their life, and in your own.
This week, were you able to truly see another as God sees, and in what way? Did another see you with the eyes of Christ, and in what way?
Discuss these questions within your household, with your friends, and we will do so in the groups that meet here at the parish each week. The idea is to become more aware of how we are called to change, where we can grow in our discipleship and respond to the call to put God’s great love into action.
Scriptural connections from Sunday’s Readings
1 Samuel 16: 6-7, 10-13 Samuel was sent to anoint the next king. He sees the physical appearances of Jesse’s sons and fails 7 times to choose one acceptable to the Lord. Prompted by spiritual insight he finally anoints Daniel.
Psalm 23 “He guides me in the right paths for his name’s sake.” We need to see the path the Lord has laid out for us to be on the right path in this life.
Ephesians 5:8-14 “Awake O sleeper . . . and Christ will give you light.” That light will enable you to see and act differently, to act in faith and remove the sin that kept you in darkness.
John 9: 1-41 Here the man is healed by Christ and able to see. This is not just physical sight restored, but spiritual vision that empowers him to withstand all the interrogations and even being rejected by those who are still spiritually blind and do not recognized Jesus as Messiah. He sees them as they truly are and who Jesus truly is. We want to see with deeper understanding and that allows us to see where God’s great love can be put to action.
Prayer To See as You See
Lord, enable me to see the right path
and walk by faith each and every day.
Allow my mind to rise above
human wisdom alone
and to see Your divine plan in all things.
Lord, help me to see You
in the lives of those around me.
Help me to rejoice in Your presence
and to grow in love of other
and in love of You
as I see You at work in their lives
and in my own.
Jesus, I trust in You.
Amen