What if Lent Could Rekindle Your Faith? Exploring the Kerygma
Life can take us on unexpected paths, and sometimes our faith journey can feel like it’s taken a detour. If you’ve found yourself distant from your faith, or if you’re simply curious about exploring it again, this Lenten season offers a gentle invitation to reconnect. These daily reflections focus on the Kerygma, the core message of Christianity – a message of love, hope, and new beginnings. We’ll be exploring eight key “Acts” of God’s story, from creation to our present call to partnership with Him. There’s no pressure, no judgment, just an invitation to consider a different perspective and perhaps rediscover a connection you thought was lost.
Act 4 of the Kerygma: “The Incarnation
Theme – Entering into Christ’s solidarity with our human weakness, accepting His invitation to share in His suffering, and finding mercy.
“God invites us to respond to His love and mercy, to turn away from sin and embrace His offer of salvation. This invitation is a call to enter into a personal relationship with Jesus Christ, to receive His forgiveness, and to live a life transformed by His grace.”
Hebrews 2:14-18
“Therefore, since the children share in blood and flesh, he likewise shared in them, that through death he might destroy the one who has the power of death, that is, the devil, and free those who through fear of death had been subject to slavery all their lives. For it is not angels he helps but descendants of Abraham. Therefore, he had to become like his brothers in every way, that he might be a merciful and faithful high priest before God to expiate the sins of the people. For since he himself was tested through what he suffered, he is able to help those who are being tested.”
Reflection
Can you feel the tender touch of God reaching out to you in this passage? He doesn’t stand at a distance, judging or condemning, but steps right into our human mess. He shares in our “blood and flesh,” our very vulnerability, to show us that we are not alone in our suffering. This is the heart of the Invitation. He understands the fear of death, the weight of our struggles, because He lived it. God, through Jesus, is revealing His profound mercy and faithfulness. He’s not a distant deity, but a compassionate High Priest who understands our trials because He endured them Himself. During this Lenten journey, allow yourself to be drawn closer to Him. Embrace the invitation to share in His sufferings, knowing it leads to the freedom He promises. Let your heart open to His mercy, and live out your baptismal promises by becoming a beacon of His compassion to others.
Prayer
Loving Father, thank you for inviting me into the depths of your love and mercy. Help me to accept your invitation to share in Christ’s suffering, knowing that through Him, I find strength and freedom. Grant me the grace to be merciful and faithful, just as you are, and to walk with you through this Lenten season, growing closer to your heart. Amen.
Action
Today, take a moment to reflect on a time when you felt vulnerable or afraid. Offer that memory to God, acknowledging His presence in your suffering. Then, reach out to someone who might be struggling, offering them a word of comfort or a helping hand, mirroring Christ’s compassion.
The Kerygma
When Time Allows Reflect on the Posts in Library and Musings
Sharing
Jesus last words on Earth were to his disciples, can be found in Matthew Chap 28 when Jesus told his disciples, “Then Jesus approached and said to them, “All power in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, until the end of the age.”
Jesus calls all of us to share in his redemptive mission here on Earth. I would ask you to share this Scripture reflection with your family, your friends and your acquaintances, and then share it with a couple of individuals that you may may not be comfortable sharing with, keeping in mind always the words of Jesus, And behold, I am with you always, until the end of the age
Author was assisted by AI in the drafting of this Post