Season of Lent: Change Our Hearts.

[00:00:00] Speaker A: Foreign. [00:00:04] Speaker B: This is Faith Break, a podcast about recognizing God moments in our everyday lives, with hosts Karen Luke and Anne Gallagher. This Lent, our mass readings encourage us to let God change our hearts, to open them and soften them so that we can receive and share God's love. This week, Karen and Ann reflect on how Jesus turned his heart to God in the desert and how we are called to do the same thing. [00:00:37] Speaker A: Hi, everybody. Welcome back to Faith Break. I am Anne Gallagher. [00:00:41] Speaker C: And I'm Karen Luke. [00:00:42] Speaker A: We are friends, moms, co workers, [00:00:46] Speaker C: everything, [00:00:46] Speaker A: all the things we do together. And we are embarking on Lent today. [00:00:54] Speaker C: Oh, wow. Was it Christmas just yesterday? [00:00:58] Speaker A: It was Christmas yesterday and today it is Lent. And so we are here this Lenten season to help you find your God moments in your everyday. [00:01:07] Speaker C: Yes. [00:01:08] Speaker A: So, Karen, do you have. Before we get into Lent, do you have a God moment you would like [00:01:13] Speaker C: to start us off on? So, as everyone knows, we record these early. And the reason why I have to preface that is because we had a snow day yesterday. [00:01:24] Speaker A: Snow day is my God moment too, [00:01:25] Speaker C: but mine goes beyond the snow day. So it was my husband Jeremy's birthday and he got a snow day. So we were all home together. And it was just a lot of fun waking up on his birthday. Cause usually it's during the weekday and, you know, the shuffle and hustle and everything. But we did morning presents and we did a big family breakfast, and it was just really nice. It was just nice. And then I have two God moments, actually, because I have to shout out to my neighbor. So I was shoveling, even though we have a snowblower, it's in our shed in the back. And I didn't prep it. [00:02:00] Speaker A: Oh, no. [00:02:02] Speaker C: So I was keeping up on it. And below on our driveway is where the snow plow comes and it's, like, heavy. And I was like, that's always my last bit. And my neighbor comes over with the snowblower and. And two wipes, and it was done. I was like, oh, you're such a blessed seed. Because he saved my back so good. Yeah, the snow day was great, wasn't it? [00:02:26] Speaker A: It's just like. It's just a gift of extra time. [00:02:29] Speaker C: Yes. [00:02:30] Speaker A: That's why kids were excited about it. I mean, it was just like. [00:02:34] Speaker C: It was great. [00:02:34] Speaker A: And I feel like we haven't had as many snow days in the last few years as we did. Well, like, when we were kids, I feel like we had a snow day or two every winter. And, like, no, I think this is [00:02:45] Speaker C: the first snow day that my kids had in two years. [00:02:47] Speaker A: Yeah. Awesome. Yeah. Awesome day for snow days. Okay. Lent. Here we are. Here we are. Karen and I just discovered. Just decided this is our fourth lent. [00:02:59] Speaker C: Fourth. [00:03:00] Speaker A: We had some kind of a podcast, so we're running at the Year A readings again. So, yeah, I think we're gonna take a little bit of a look at the Mass readings every week for the podcast and just kind of get ourselves connected to what our. [00:03:21] Speaker C: Our parish theme this year. [00:03:23] Speaker A: It's good. [00:03:23] Speaker C: It's really good. It's Change our hearts. [00:03:26] Speaker A: Change our hearts. Oh, man. [00:03:29] Speaker C: I was pushing for Be the change. [00:03:32] Speaker A: Be the change. Be the change to see in the world. Right? [00:03:34] Speaker C: Yeah. But it's still a verb. It's still an action. [00:03:37] Speaker A: Yep. [00:03:38] Speaker C: So I'm really excited about it because, you know, we were talking four years ago about the same thing. We're in a totally, completely different stage of everything. [00:03:49] Speaker A: And I actually went back when I. When I looked at the readings for this Lent, I went back and I was like, well, what did we do that year on the podcast when Vicky was with us and everything, and we talked about become forever changed. [00:04:00] Speaker C: Become forever changed. [00:04:02] Speaker A: Something like that. And I'm like, you know, here's the thing about being Catholic. Like, you just every three years, you do everything again. And, like, at that point, like, we had, like, Rob had just become the pastor of both parishes. We had just started a new Mass schedule. We had. I don't think our faith formation programs were even combined yet at that point. And so we were really at the beginning of a process of change. And now we're like. We're three years in, and at the [00:04:30] Speaker C: same time and nothing's changed. [00:04:31] Speaker A: Well, it's kind of. [00:04:33] Speaker C: Sorry. [00:04:35] Speaker A: I think part of me thought more would have changed by now. [00:04:38] Speaker C: Okay. Okay. Yeah, I can see that. [00:04:40] Speaker A: But also, I think we should look back and just be like, you know what? We've done some really. We've made some really good changes in that time. You know, like, we did. We went from having two completely separate youth ministry and faith formation programs to just having one. And people have been really, actually on board with it. And so now our programs are full. There is a lot of energy around them, and it feels really like we're more one family to me, anyway, with our younger families and everything. So, I mean. Yeah, so changing our hearts is one thing. I feel like you have to have a change of heart first before all the other things change. You know, like the practical stuff, the daily stuff, the structures and. [00:05:25] Speaker C: Yeah, [00:05:29] Speaker A: but I don't know. I was thinking about just the whole idea of change and how often change gets forced upon us instead of us, like seeing change coming to it at our own terms, coming to desiring it, or seeing change as like a growth thing. You know, a lot of times we're changing because somebody is telling us, is telling us we have to, or circumstances are telling us we have to. So I don't know. What do you think about this theme for this year? [00:05:58] Speaker C: I love it, but it always is like, I don't know, a part of me is like, yes, we've changed, but then there's still some things that it's like we still haven't. Like, everything's changed, but nothing's changed all at once. Does that make sense? That's how I feel. It's like all these things are happening not only in our parishes, but in our world and in our home lives. And then every once in a while, [00:06:30] Speaker A: I'm like, yeah, we're still in the. [00:06:32] Speaker C: I feel like I'm still in the same spot, even though everything else is changing and moving. And some things change for the better, and I think some things have changed for the worse. But it. Yeah, it's very difficult. And we were talking about how change is hard, and it's like, it's the uncomfortability of the unknown. [00:07:00] Speaker A: Right? Yeah. And so I think in this, this Lent, as we're, you know, this is the first week of Lent, we're just starting. Question is, I know, dive in. Are you going to come at change with resistance or are you going to come at change with openness? Right. Because even just in the readings for this first Sunday of Lent, the first reading is the temptation of Adam and Eve in the garden. So we have. I mean, we all know how that story goes. And then the Gospel is Jesus temptation in the desert. And they're really, like, I hadn't looked at them through, I guess, the lens of the idea of change before, but when you think about it, you know, the story of Adam and Eve is we got the serpent who's in there and, like, messing things up. And then they just. Like, the change that happens is a negative change, right? And it's one they participate in, but they don't really instigate it. It, you know, there's an outside force that comes in and like. But when Jesus goes into the desert, he makes a choice to go there, right? He makes a choice to go there. And, you know, it's after his baptism, right? Like, so he's going. And he's. He went there asking God to change his Heart. [00:08:20] Speaker C: Yeah. [00:08:20] Speaker A: Asking God to prepare his heart for what was coming in his life. Right. And so he just. What we see with Jesus in the desert is just like a complete surrender. Surrender. Right. He just completely lays everything down and opens his heart to. To whatever God wants to do and that. But it's hard. Yeah. Those temptations are not easy. I mean, they're just like. You read that pass. We read it every. I think we read it every Lent in the first week, pretty much. [00:08:54] Speaker C: Yep. And very consistent with Lent readings. [00:08:57] Speaker A: Yeah. And it's just. I mean, you know, and there's whole. You could. And we've talked before about the different. The three different temptations and what they symbolize and what they mean and everything. But each one of them is its own pain. And each one of them is something he has to let go. [00:09:13] Speaker C: Yeah. [00:09:13] Speaker A: He has to. Not cling to. And so when he emerges from this, he's, like, totally free. [00:09:20] Speaker C: I have two things. [00:09:21] Speaker A: Why can't we be, like, Jesus, let things go? I mean, we just cling to everything as humans. [00:09:30] Speaker C: So when you just said that, it reminded me of. I probably shouldn't watch this, but I do. The Family Guy. Okay. I'm totally putting myself out there. I know that's not very Catholic show, but there was one episode where Lois, she's the mom, okay. She reads this, like, feng shui book, and she's like, it doesn't bring me joy. I'm letting it go. And so she's in the middle of the living room, she gets rid of all this stuff. And, like, the next piece of the snippet is there's, like, no paintings on the wall. There's, like, two couches, and that's it. And she gets into bed, and Peter, her husband, comes in, and she goes, you don't bring me joy. Get out. And so he leaves. And then she tells the kids, you're not bringing me joy. Get out. And finally, she's left alone in this empty house, and she's like, finally, I'm free. And, like, this just brings me so much joy. But then she realizes that it. [00:10:30] Speaker A: There's nothing in her life anymore. [00:10:31] Speaker C: There's nothing in her life anymore. And I was like, oh, my gosh. So you were just saying that, like, we cling onto these things. [00:10:35] Speaker A: We do. [00:10:37] Speaker C: But, yeah, I mean, that's the humanness. I mean, Jesus, we have to remember, was 100% human, 100% divine. And so we can never be 100% like Jesus. [00:10:52] Speaker A: Of course. [00:10:52] Speaker C: Right. And so I think he had this. A different notion in his head. Like, I know that I don't need these material things. And so he was able to let that surrender go. Which brings me to a book that I'm reading, the Great Calling by Brianna Weist. And it's like, what's keeping you from your great calling? What are. [00:11:16] Speaker A: Yeah, I might have to borrow that. [00:11:19] Speaker C: You can definitely. And I started to read it, and it was before we were doing our Lenten theme. And then as I'm reading, I was like, wait, this is our theme in a book? [00:11:32] Speaker A: Yay. [00:11:33] Speaker C: And you were talking about surrendering in Jesus. And it says, but the very fact that you're ready for change means you've surrendered your ego more than you think. The very fact that you're willing to try means that you believe in yourself more than you realize. And the very fact that you're willing to feel lost means you've let go of the predetermined way of life you'd previously felt compelled to. [00:12:02] Speaker A: Ooh. Wow. Okay. Like, full surrender. Yeah. [00:12:06] Speaker C: Right? [00:12:06] Speaker A: Yep. That's what Jesus did when he walked into the desert. [00:12:10] Speaker C: So we wanna change. So we're already there. [00:12:13] Speaker A: All right. [00:12:14] Speaker C: That's what I got out of it. [00:12:17] Speaker A: You know what else I was thinking? And because we. So we came this. Change our hearts. We were in a staff meeting and tossing ideas around about Lent. And so we ended with change our hearts. But we need to change our hearts as a community. But it's also changed my heart, which is maybe a little bit harder or maybe just different. I don't know. [00:12:42] Speaker C: Isn't it easier to ask other people to change their heart than to ask yourself to change? Yeah, it's that introspection. Is that the word introspection? Of knowing you have to. But the comfortability of, okay, now how do I do it? And I think that that's where I get stuck. It's like, I know I want this, but X, Y, and Z are in the way. And I'm not ready to let X, Y, and Z. [00:13:14] Speaker A: Right. [00:13:14] Speaker C: Move away. [00:13:15] Speaker A: Right. Yeah. So. And there are different ways a heart can change too. You know, like a heart can be opened or it can be closed, or it can be hardened or it can be softened or, like. So I think, for me, anyway, I think the call is when I want to ask God to change my heart, what he's calling me to is to open it, to soften it, to be more. To be less grippy and just more receptive. And so maybe that, as we head into Lent, is something that we can all be praying for as we. You Know, to choose to walk into that desert. Well, like, yeah, it's a conscious decision. [00:14:00] Speaker C: I mean, your heart can't change. Like, we can't just say, oh, God changed my heart, and boom, my heart's changed. Like, there is work. [00:14:11] Speaker A: Well, it's 40 days, right. It's a journey. There's a reason our church has changed. Oh, goodness. [00:14:14] Speaker C: We have 40 days. [00:14:15] Speaker A: Right? Like, just think about that for a minute. Like, Jesus in the desert alone for 40 days. [00:14:25] Speaker C: I'd go for it. [00:14:26] Speaker A: I mean. Yeah, it takes time. Because, you know, even this morning, we came in and we were talking about, like, our busy. All the things we have to do, and until you can take a step back, it's really hard. Yeah, it's really hard to do the interior work, to name the things you need to let go of, and then to just create space for God to come in and move the Holy Spirit to blow through and, you know, refresh everything. Yeah. So I, for one, am excited to embark on this Lenten journey, even though it does kind of seem every year, like, we finish Christmas and, oh, my gosh, we're in Lent already. But, you know, I always have these [00:15:08] Speaker C: great plans for Lent. [00:15:10] Speaker A: I'm not making any plans this year. I'm not gonna do that. [00:15:13] Speaker C: I feel like I just fall short every year. And maybe it's because I am holding this expectation that I'll be, like, a 180 at the end of the day Lent. And it's not like that. So I guess my. My biggest thing is just being open to changing myself for who God meant me to be. [00:15:41] Speaker A: Yeah. [00:15:43] Speaker C: Easier said than done, but we'll see. [00:15:45] Speaker A: Me, too. I'm not doing a lot for Lent this year. I'm not even. I'm just. I'm not. That's not. That's not where I feel like we are. We need to take a minute and listen to how God's asking us to change. Right. It's. So Lent is less about for me this year, you know? Oh, what are we gonna. What disciplines am I gonna, you know, commit to so that I will change? Like, no, it's not. I think it's just showing up with an open heart. [00:16:13] Speaker C: Yeah. [00:16:13] Speaker A: Showing up with an open heart. [00:16:14] Speaker C: Like, how does. How does giving up candy really. [00:16:17] Speaker A: Yeah. Change? I'm not feeling it myself this year. [00:16:22] Speaker C: Vincent Van Gogh. I'm sorry. I was like, I have all these things. But he said, what would life be if we had no courage to attempt anything that would be holy napping for my entire life? [00:16:42] Speaker A: But did you know he only Sold [00:16:44] Speaker C: one painting his entire life. [00:16:46] Speaker A: Well, Jesus didn't really do anything in the desert for those 40 days. Right. [00:16:51] Speaker C: But he had the courage to not do anything. [00:16:53] Speaker A: He had the courage to do nothing for 40 days. [00:16:59] Speaker C: I won't even bring that up. I won't even bring that up. [00:17:01] Speaker A: Oh. You know, there's something about all of this that's just really countercultural and 1,000%. [00:17:11] Speaker C: I mean, back when my grandparents were kids, everything was closed on Sunday. [00:17:17] Speaker A: Right. [00:17:18] Speaker C: There was nothing open. The only thing that they were to [00:17:22] Speaker A: do was go to church and be with family. [00:17:24] Speaker C: And be with family. [00:17:25] Speaker A: And be. Yeah. [00:17:26] Speaker C: And just be. And now it's like we have. You can go to mass Saturday and Sunday all throughout the day. Pick and choose to fit into what you already have planned instead of planning around. And I'm guilty of that. [00:17:46] Speaker A: Sure. [00:17:47] Speaker C: Totally guilty of that. But again, it is a countercultural thing. But if we had more courage to all do it, I wonder how the difference would be. [00:18:02] Speaker A: Okay, I think this is. I think we've done it. We did. We've set off on. On Lent. And so the challenge for us, for all of you that we're issuing is to have the courage to do less this Lent so that God can tell you how he wants to change your heart. Yeah. Rather than come at it with an implementation plan for your grand Lenten scheme. I love it. [00:18:30] Speaker C: I love it. [00:18:31] Speaker A: Soften this softness of heart. Openness of heart. Yeah. [00:18:36] Speaker C: Yes. [00:18:36] Speaker A: You got anything else? [00:18:38] Speaker C: No. [00:18:38] Speaker A: Okay, guys. Well, we will be with you every week during this Lenten walk, this Lenten journey that we have. And so we hope you have a very good first week of your Lent. And we will see you next week. [00:18:51] Speaker C: Bye. [00:18:52] Speaker A: Bye. [00:18:54] Speaker B: Thanks for taking a faith Break with us today. Karen Luke and Ann Gallagher are lay ministers with the parishes of Saint Catherine of Siena in Menden, New York, and Church of the Transfiguration in Pittsford, New York. More about our parishes, including weekly live streamed Sunday Mass, can be [email protected] Faith Break is engineered by Jeff Beckett. Join us for new episodes of Faith Break each week in Studio on YouTube or on your favorite audio podcast or music applied.