Forty Days of Faith-Filled Transformation

Sherry Hayes-Peirce ponders how her Lenten practices have borne fruit in her spiritual life so far this year.

A number of years ago, I started giving time to exploring new prayer practices for Lent instead of giving up something like a food, social media, or other activities. In fact, one of my annual things to do for 40 days is to participate in the Best Lent Ever daily reflection and this year’s theme is “It’s not what you give up, it’s what you become.”

My parish set a theme of #TogetherWePray and our pastor wrote a prayer that is incorporated into each one of our Masses. In addition to Best Lent Ever, I am listening to Fr. Mike Schmitz’s “Bible in a Year” podcast, Hallow’s #Pray40 challenge focused on growing in the virtues of St. Joseph, praying the Rosary, listening to our reflection guide virtually, and increasing Mass attendance each week.

From the first day I knew that this would be an extraordinary journey. You see, I was in the midst of a conflict with someone and it was causing me great pain. It caused me to question why God was allowing me to be, in my mind, persecuted for doing what I thought He was calling me to do, while what my adversary was doing was so far from the will of God.

The very first reflection for the #Pray40 challenge was a litany for humility and here is what I heard:

Deliver me, Jesus

From the desire of being esteemed, loved, extolled, being honored, praise, preferred to others, being consulted, being approved, fear of being humiliated, fear of being despised, Fear of rebukes, fear of being forgotten, fear of being ridiculed, fear of being wronged, fear of being suspected.

I was screaming, “NO! This is not what I should have to do!" Tears welled up with each one of the intentions of the litany. Was God telling me that I was wrong?

Then the very first reflection for Best Lent Ever was: “Is your life working? If your life isn’t working, what are you willing to do about it?” The tears flowed and words spilled onto the page of my journal. I will trust you, Lord, and accept what you ordain.

As the weeks have unfolded the books of the Bible that are being shared during Lent have been Deuteronomy and Numbers. These books chronicle the people moving into the Promised Land, but also reminds me of the history of believers questioning God. Fr. Mike Schmitz shared a quote that resonates: “The sign of our sin becomes the symbol of our hope.”

Hoping that my heart and mind are transformed this Lent directly correlates with my willingness to see my sin and root it out. #catholicmom

Hoping that my heart and mind are transformed this Lent directly correlates with my willingness to see my sin and root it out. In doing this, I will experience real transformation during the Lenten season. Designing a journey that provides different reflections for the season helped me to discern what path to follow to bring me closer to Christ.

My daily time includes praying, “Jesus, meek and humble of heart, make my heart like your heart” to help me to be more humble and forgiving. I also have become more mindful of how God may be speaking to me each day through answering a question in my Lenten journal: “What is God saying to you today?”

I will add this question to my daily prayer beyond Lent, as it is a wonderful way to direct my steps in walking a life centered on Christ and doing what he calls me to do. Hopefully, you are feeling transformation during your journey.

20210319 SHPeirce AMC-North Pathway