Hope

What has Lent taught me so far? There seems to be a theme running through it for me... hope! God uses all things for good and I think for me it was not some accident that my grandmother past away at the beginning of Lent. I have been praying daily Divine Mercy chaplets for the repose of her soul. I have been praying evening prayer after the kid(s) go to bed each night. I have been reading St. Louis de Monfort's Friends of the Cross. And the theme through them all is hope. And it is not some human desire for something good to happen -- it is more than that. I love what the Catechism of the Catholic Church says paragraph 1821: "We can therefore hope in the glory of heaven promised by God to those who love him and do his will. In every circumstance, each one of us should hope, with the grace of God, to persevere "to the end" and to obtain the joy of heaven, as God's eternal reward for the good works accomplished with the grace of Christ. In hope, the Church prays for "all men to be saved." She longs to be united with Christ, her Bridegroom, in the glory of heaven."
On a personal note, I saw my papa (grandpa) today for the first time in about five years. He has come to CO indefinitely to stay with my parents. I am thrilled and feel completely blessed to have him here. God is so good, I am surrounded by the people I love, living in a beautiful place, and awaiting the birth of another gift from God as I contemplate the love of God in His plan of salvation for us. I hope your Lent leads you to the great peace He is giving me.