Lenten Prayer: Ignite a Flame in Our Hearts

Heavenly Father,
It is so difficult to wrap our minds around Your infinite mercy and desire to save us so manifest in Your Son’s coming into the world to give Himself in a complete and unrestricted act of love. It is so wonderous to contemplate Your revelation that He did this not to condemn us but to save everyone who tries to follow the Truth revealed by Him. As we enter into this incredibly good news, may we grow in faith and hope by following His example of love. Through these virtues, ignite a flame in our hearts to follow Him, whose love transforms and saves us.
We ask this through Christ our Lord.
Amen

Reflection

"If I have told you earthly things and you do not believe, how can you believe if I tell you heavenly things? No one has ascended into heaven but he who descended from heaven, the Son of man. And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of man be lifted up, that whoever believes in him may have eternal life.”
—John 3:12-15

A Saint John Paul II Quote about Lent Being a Time to Recognize Our True Homeland

“Christ has gained for us not only new dignity in our life on earth, but above all the new dignity of the children of God, called to share eternal life with him. Lent invites us to overcome the temptation of seeing the realities of this world as definitive and to recognize that ‘our homeland is in heaven’ (Phil 3:20)” —St. John Paul II, "Message of John Paul II for Lent 1999"

Christ, as the Redeemer who died to save us, calls us to eternal life in Heaven. The time of  Lent reminds us that our earthly life is a journey to our true home. The spiritual writer Romano Guardini said, “Man’s real world is, as it were, above him. Praising God means ascending into that homeland of our spirit where, it may be said, we truly live.” Through the story of Lent, we encounter our call to eternal life and look to Heaven as our homeland.

Did This Prayer and Reflection Speak to You?

If you found that your heart needed this prayer and your faith found peace in the further reflections, consider continuing your journey with these three Fr. Spitzer titles:

God So Loved the World probes the major question: Even if we accept that God is real, why believe that He has personally revealed Himself to mankind? Fr. Spitzer does an in-depth examination of Jesus’ forgiveness of sinners, teachings, miracles, and His rising from the dead.

In Science, Reason, and Faith: Discovering the Bible, Fr. Robert Spitzer, SJ, explores in depth the Bible and the intersection of three realms the secular world tells us are separate and incompatible. Fr. Spitzer draws the modern reader's attention to the many seeming conflicts between science, reason, and Catholic teaching. By tackling these difficult questions, he shows that we can truly discover ourselves, our world, and our God precisely through the integration of science, reason, and faith.