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 1: God’s Creation and Gift of Love: “In the beginning, out of nothing, God created everything. God freely created out of love, a love that wants to share the very life of God with us, his beloved children.”
Theme
God’s initial outreach to humanity, creation, and desire for relationship. Remember that God’s original creation of humanity stemmed from boundless love and a deep desire for intimate relationship with each of us. This foundational truth reminds us of our inherent worth and the purpose of our existence: to reciprocate that love and connect with Him.
Genesis 2:7-9, 15-20 (NABRE)
God said: “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. Let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, the birds of the air, the cattle, and over all the wild animals, and over all the creatures that crawl on the ground.” God created man in his image; in the divine image he created him; male and female he created them. God blessed them and said to them: “Be fertile and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it. Have dominion over the fish of the sea, the birds of the air, and all the living things that move on the earth.”
Reflection
This passage from Genesis reveals God’s boundless love and generosity in the very act of creation. God doesn’t simply create things; He breathes life into Adam, forming him with His own hands and sharing His divine breath. God creates a paradise, Eden, a place of abundance and beauty where humans can live in harmony with creation and with Him. This act shows us the very nature of God: a creator who desires relationship and communion. God’s gift of free will, represented by the tree of knowledge, demonstrates His respect for our autonomy and capacity to love Him freely. Even the creation of Eve stems from God’s understanding of Adam’s need for companionship, highlighting God’s attentiveness to our needs and His desire for us to experience love and belonging. This original holiness, this state of grace and intimacy with God, is the very essence of what we are called back to during Lent.
Prayer
Loving God, thank you for the gift of creation and for the breath of life you have given me. Help me to see your hand in the beauty of the world around me and to cherish the gift of my own existence. During this Lenten season, guide me back to the paradise of your love and restore in me the original holiness you intended for me. Amen.
Action
Spend some time in nature today. Take a walk in a park, sit under a tree, or simply observe the clouds in the sky. As you do, reflect on God’s presence in creation and give thanks for the gift of life. Consider how you might better care for creation as a tangible expression of your love for God.
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