In Search of Truth and Happiness: A Lent Challenge
Saturday 18th March 202340 Days to Change your Life
We all have that tendency to be on the search for something more, that one thing that will make us truly happy.
Whether it’s a new car, a big promotion, or even the smaller things in life that can dominate our focus, such as that extra glass of wine or 10 more minutes scrolling through social media. We’re always on the search for more. But do you ever find that the one thing you thought would make you happy, somehow fails to satisfy?
The prophet Isaiah said: “Why spend money on what is not bread, your labour for what fails to satisfy? Listen to me and you will eat food that is good.”
Isaiah preached these words 800 years before the birth of Christ – how many more distractions do we have today? The modern world is a noisy, crowded hub of people across many different mediums competing for our attention. Where is God in this? Can we hear His voice above all this noise?
The very beginning of the Catechism says: “The desire for God is written in the human heart, because man is created by God and for God; and God never ceases to draw man to himself. Only in God will he find the truth and happiness he never stops searching for.”
Could it be that despite our restless search for more, we’ve forgotten that the answer to true happiness is right before us?
The Challenge
So this Lent, we offer you a challenge. Through the Lenten themes of prayer, fasting, and almsgiving, we challenge you to cut out the things that “fail to satisfy”.
For 40 days, abandon that search for the next best thing, that one thing you think will make you happy. Instead, spend that time in prayer. Whether in a quiet room, in the car, even better – before the tabernacle – asking God to help us find the “truth and happiness [we] never stop searching for”.
Prayer also helps focus the mind on the needs of our friends, our family, and the community around us. This Lent, spend time in prayer, reflecting on the needs of those around you. How is God calling you to be a light in this world. Times are hard, but charity doesn’t always have to be about giving money. Can you give time? Can you offer a simple smile or lend a listening ear?
To help us on our journey, we will be sharing a series of Lectio Divina prayers, posted every Saturday during the season of Lent on this page and our Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube accounts. These passages aim to help focus our minds on our relationship with God, his love and his desire for us to be united to him, and how that, in turn, leads to true happiness.
During Holy Week, we will dive deeper into scripture to learn more about how God continually “draws man to himself” during the days of his Passion.
If after 40 days, you still long after all those things that occupied your mind before – enjoy. But what if that no longer matters? What if you find true satisfaction in the silence of your own heart?
People say it takes 30 days to change a habit – will you take 40 days to change your life?
Weekly Lectio Divina
To help us on our way, we will be sharing a series of weekly Lectio Divina to help focus our hearts and minds on the unique relationship we have with God, and the peace and joy that promises to bring.
To revisit our Lectio Divina series, please see below
Tagged | Bishop John | Catholic Church | Charity | Diocese | Lent | Prayer
