Lent is a season of prayer and fasting, but it is also a season of almsgiving, a time for being charitable toward others. In the March evening of recollection, we meditate on Jesus' affection and mercy with everyone and on how we can follow His example.
On March 19, we will celebrate St. Joseph, Spouse of the Blessed Virgin Mary. In preparation for this Solemnity, the recollection will also include a talk on the vocational sense of life through the example of the Patriarch.
1. The widow of the Gospel, in her poverty, put into the Temple treasury everything she had, her whole livelihood (Mk 12:44). Am I generous, dreaming of the great things God will do with the goods I put at his service?
2. Be merciful, even as your Father is merciful (Lk 6:36). Do I seek to be merciful, so that I also may receive mercy from God and from others? Do I ask God to make me more understanding, able to overlook others' shortcomings and to see the good side of things?
3. Do you hold grudges against your children? You don't, do you? When we ask God Our Lord for forgiveness, he forgives us completely. How wonderful! (Words of St Josemaría in Antes, más y mejor, L. Linares, Rialp 2001). Do I hold any grudges? Could I ask the Lord for help, to make my forgiveness more real and sincere?
4. You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you to go out and bear fruit (Jn 15:16). Do I ask the Holy Spirit for light to help me discover God's plans for me, and strength to follow his call? How can I direct my life so that I may be part of God's plans for the world?
5. Follow me and I will make you fishers of men (Mt 4:19). Do I try to renew the sense of mission that I have as a Christian, trusting that I can always count on the Lord's company? Do I get enthused when I think of the souls with whom I can share the joy of living with Christ?
6. The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field (Mt 13:44). Do I remind myself of how the Lord has guided me throughout my life? Do I see the Christian vocation as a path to happiness?