Buddhist Catholic Contemplative Evangelical General Christian Hindu Jewish Latter-day Saint Muslim New Visions Progressive Christian

Beliefs

Topics

Columnists

Resource Library

Research Tools

Video

Podcasts

Thought Readers

Faith In Media Tracker

Newsletters

Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In Subscription Support

Follow Patheos

Pursued by Truth

Home
Catholic
Complaining to God for Lent

Complaining to God for Lent

Last updated on: March 11, 2015 at 4:08 pm by Guest Contributor

Complaining to God for Lent 2015-03-11T16:08:43-04:00 Guest Contributor

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

Photo by David Leggett via Wikimedia Commons

I had a hard time figuring out what to give up for Lent. I thought maybe I’d give up chocolate… or maybe not. Or maybe try to improve my posture or lose some weight. Probably not.

Really what I should aim for is to cut the complaining. But, there is no end of things worthy of what I’ve come to call “social commentary.” Most of the time I vent with God.

But, is complaining a sincere form of prayer?

Maybe not a real form of prayer, but a kind of sub-form. It isn’t adoration, contrition, or thanksgiving, but definitely a part of supplication. I don’t know about anyone else, but for me the complaints I utter do somehow morph into prayer. While I’m voicing my astonishment at what perturbs me, I begin to feel some compassion and I think of reasons why the other did whatever. And this is the best part: at the same time I find myself engaged in acts of adoration, contrition, and thanksgiving.

There are lots of little threads of prayer in our lives. In fact, everything about us is meant to cause us to pray. That is because God is present within and around us to protect us and to engage us with his love. What exactly are these opportunities for prayer? Regrets, tiredness, distractions, fears, preoccupations, times of quiet and peace, joy and sorrow. Every moment contains an invitation to commune with God.

Do you ever feel like a crabby mystic caught between nature and grace? There is who we are and who we know God is calling us to be. And whatever your thing is, whatever you’re working on, prayer teaches you how to reconcile the two. The pray-er becomes the prayer.

May you recognize the opportunities of prayer built into every moment of your day in this holy season. And may this Lent be a grace-filled time for you.

Sister Mary Lea Hill, a member of the Daughters of St. Paul since 1964, recently wrote a book entitled Prayer and You: Wit and Wisdom from a Crabby Mystic. She has enjoyed communicating the faith through a variety of apostolic assignments. Her skills as a story teller were honed as director of audiovisual productions when Pauline Books & Media first produced animated features in the early 80s. An editor and author for many years, Sister Mary Lea has written several books, including the best-selling Basic Catechism (co-authored with Sister Susan Helen Wallace).

This post first appeared on the Daughters of St. Paul Pauline Books and Media blog and My Discover Hope weekly email; if you would like to subscribe to our sisters’ weekly email, you can do so here.

Prayer and You: Wit and Wisdom from a Crabby Mystic

Sr. Mary Lea Hill

Previous Post

March 9, 2015

I'm Getting Tired of Hearing Myself Talk

Next Post

March 16, 2015 Too Pretty to Be a Nun: Terrifying Doubts Beneath Christian Life

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category Advent Art Atheism Book Reviews Christmas Church Issues Discernment Easter Ecumenism Entertainment Environment Eucharist Evangelization Family Freebies Guest Post Holy Spirit Inspire Me Interreligious Dialogue Jesus Lectio Divina Lent Life Issues Liturgical Season Mary Media MISC Movie Reviews Pauline Pope Francis Prayer Prayer Intention Religious Life Saints Sanctity Scripture Social Justice Social Teaching St. Paul Theology of the Body Uncategorized US News Vocations World News Writing Year of Mercy

Select a Month September 2016 June 2016 May 2016 April 2016 March 2016 February 2016 January 2016 December 2015 November 2015 October 2015 September 2015 August 2015 July 2015 June 2015 May 2015 April 2015 March 2015 February 2015 January 2015 December 2014 November 2014 October 2014 September 2014 August 2014 July 2014 June 2014 May 2014 April 2014 March 2014 February 2014 January 2014 December 2013 November 2013 October 2013 September 2013 July 2013 June 2013 May 2013 April 2013 March 2013 February 2013 January 2013 December 2012 November 2012 October 2012 September 2012 August 2012 July 2012 June 2012 May 2012 April 2012 March 2012 February 2012 January 2012 December 2011 November 2011 October 2011 September 2011 August 2011 July 2011 June 2011 April 2011 March 2011 February 2011 January 2011 December 2010 November 2010 October 2010 September 2010 August 2010

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz

Who did God ask to sacrifice his only son as a test?

Select your answer to see how you score.

Abraham David Jacob Moses