“Just as our love for God begins with listening
to God's Word, the beginning of love for other Christians is learning
to listen to them.”
— Dietrich Bonhoeffer (pastor)
“When you pray, be sure that you listen as well as talk. You have things you want to say to God,
but He also has things
He wants to say to you.”
— Joyce Meyer (author)
Fasting with Our Hearts
As we practice our Lenten rituals, Pope Francis suggests, our penance and self-denial should also enrich others. In our fasting from meat, sweets and other vices, may we also fast from indifference toward others with best practices like those below:

Fast from hurting words. Put kind words out into the world
Fast from sadness. Count your blessings and be filled with gratitude.
Fast from anger. Instead, practice patience.
Fast from pessimism. Let yourself be filled with hope.
Fast from worries. Put your trust in God.
Fast from complaints. Rather, contemplate simplicity.
Fast from pressures. Divert your energies to being prayerful.
Fast from bitterness. Fill your heart with joy.
Fast from selfishness. Be compassionate to others.
Fast from grudges. Reconcile and be reconciled.
Fast from words. Instead, be silent so you may listen.
An Unforgettable Inspiration
One of the most inspiring memories I have about Lent happened when I was about 7 or 8 years old, attending the Good Friday service in our parish of Assumption BVM in Jersey City, N.J. Many of our dear deceased Sisters taught there. When it was time for the Veneration of the Cross, I stepped into the aisle and was stunned to see several older women on their knees, moving up to kiss the cross. Seeing them stirred something in my young spirit, and I was moved by their deep faith and reverence. I followed them ... up to the cross ... on my knees.
Teach Us to Hear Your Voice, Lord
Listening — really listening — to the Lord is spiritually sound all year long, but comes into sharper focus during Lent. Sister Mary Martha Zammatore included this sage advice in the Ash Wednesday reflections she shared with those in her ministry.
Sister Mary Martha listens to the Lord.
When it comes to helping us make difficult decisions, God speaks to us an a variety of ways:

It might be as you read a particular Scripture passage or as the words from a homily or a hymn at Mass strike you in a new way.

It might be as the Spirit helps you see a situation from a more Godly perspective. This new perspective influences you and helps you make a better decision.

It might be as the Spirit shows you how a certain pattern of sin — maybe greed, pride, jealousy or resentment — is influencing your decision. He always wants to help you ask forgiveness and move on in faith.

One of the most prominent signs that God is speaking is that you feel a deep sense of joy, peace or hope as you consider one of your options. You may still have some concerns or anxiety, but you still feel in your heart that God is moving you.
No matter how He speaks to us, God wants to help us make good and constructive decisions in every circumstance. The more we ask him to show us His will before we decide, the better our decisions will be. Make this your Lenten practice this year.
Sister Roselyn Kuzma snapped this photo of her street in Erie, Pa., during the winter 0f 2018, when the northwest Pennsylvania town broke its all-time snow record with 152.1 inches for the season.
No Stranger to Snow
A native of Erie, Pa., Sister Roselyn Kuzma is no stranger to lake effect snow and the relentless cold of Northeast winters. Looking back on those frigid days, fond memories warm her heart.

Living in Erie we had so many stories to tell. No one plowed unless there were at least six inches of snow. The side streets where we lived were seldom plowed. I remember following my dad’s footsteps as we walked to Mass in the snow, placing our much smaller feet into each of his footprints along the way.

I recall childhood days of ice skating on frozen Presque Isle Bay … or being pulled on a sled by my dad as he ice-skated … sledding down hills … making forts and snowmen, often snow families.

Then as we grew, snowy days meant cleaning off your car, watching the school reports for days off or two-hour delays. Many times, schools were dismissed early.

The biggest snowfall I remember was when the snow started at 7 p.m. on Christmas Eve, and we had 30 inches by noon the next day! Many went to the Christmas Eve Mass and stayed home on Christmas Day.
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