Greetings from the Confidentia Shrine,
We have entered the second part of Lent. How are we doing with our Lenten resolutions? Have we ever considered making it a sursum corda Lent?
What do we mean by that? We could ask ourselves, how we perceive the world? Do all the everyday events – whether near or far – drag me down and dampen my mood, or can I free myself from them and look to the future with optimism? In our time all kinds of negative events find an easy way into our awareness via news portals, social media, etc. This may prevent us from an optimistic view of the future.
A widely accepted guiding principle is that what we experience is not fundamentally dependent on given factors alone. Rather, it depends on the focus of our attention. That means simplified: The person who goes through the world with the attitude: “My life is never easy,” will also never feel his life as being easy. After all, how can I live a joyful life if I focus on the things that are not working out?
And here comes the sursum corda effect: each one of us ourselves has the ability to “create” an uplifting moment and life. Of course, this doesn’t happen overnight and is a process in which we have to invest for the long term. But it is worth it! It’s about training ourselves and getting into the habit of doing things that may seem strange and strenuous at first glance. Lent is a great time to train to becoming sursum corda people!
Wishing you a fruitful Lenten Training: sursum corda,
Schoenstatt Sisters of Mary