New Lenten Series: An Oasis for the Soul

News | This Lent, the student brothers invite you on a journey to those places where they withdraw to be alone with God, places of significance for each of them, and so to encourage you to turn this season into an opportunity to grow closer to the Lord.

Memento, homo, quia pulvis es, et in pulverem reverteris

‘Remember that you are dust, and to dust you shall return’

With these words, the liturgy of Ash Wednesday has traditionally encouraged us to return to the beginning, to take a step back and gain perspective over our lives and over our faith to prepare ourselves for Easter. And what we find there, in the beginning, is the story of how we were formed from the earth (Gen 2:7). There is, in the Genesis account, a clear play on the words ‘Adam’ and ‘adamah’, the Hebrew for ‘ground’, ‘earth’ – yet nothing in this should make us think that we were formed from mere dirty soil. Hebrew distinguishes between the yabashah, the dry, sterile land, and the adamah, the rich, fertile ground that God used to produce life. Our purpose during Lent could therefore be seen simply as that: to become good earth where God can draw life from.

‘Good earth’ evokes the image of land that has been tilled, arranged, cared for, with the only purpose of rendering it fertile. Letting the ground ‘be’ will not make it good: what is required is daily, diligent work, patient and careful attention, a certain acquaintance with the elements. As we journey through Lent, we seek to attend to the portion of land that has been allotted us, to develop an active receptivity to the work of God’s grace; in other words, to make for ourselves an ‘oasis’ in the wilderness, where we may find rest and, especially, find God. The student brothers would therefore like to share with you some of the significant ‘places’ in their lives where they withdraw to encounter God, and thus to encourage you to set time aside this Lent to look after yourself and make this season a fruitful occasion for spiritual growth.

Every week of Lent, we shall publish a written reflection on Godzdogz in preparation for Holy Week and the great mystery of Easter. The series will also be published on Hozana, where you can join a community of prayer and receive individual emails for each post.

Watch this space for more.

All the posts from the series An Oasis for the Soul:

• Introduction, by Br Pablo Rodríguez Jordá, O.P.
• Refreshment, light and peace, by Br Pablo Rodríguez Jordá, O.P.
• A Place in the Sky, by Br Bede Mullens, O.P.
• Praying in a Museum, Reclaiming Sacred Art, by Br Albert Elias Robertson, O.P.
• Where Astronauts and Novices Sound Alike, by Br Francesco Lorenzon, O.P.

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