It seems fitting to approach Lent like a retreat. During Lent, we are encouraged to give up something, to understand our excesses, and focus our attention on God. No matter how a retreat is structured, a retreatant is invited to put aside the “noise” and be with God and self in a purposeful way. I’ve learned that a retreat is a wonderful opportunity to pray differently as a path to expanding and deepening my relationship with God.
In reading today’s Responsorial Psalm, I reflected on my understanding of the psalms. For me, the psalms are songs of praise, a way to understand and recognize God in relationship with humanity. But what if the Psalms were a guide to a personal conversation between God and me? What, if instead of saying, the Lord is close to the brokenhearted, I asked God, “Lord, are you close to the brokenhearted?” Then, I read the response as if God were answering my question. “Yes, Amy, I am close to the brokenhearted, and those who are crushed in spirit I save.”
Having a broken heart is a very real part of the human condition. We have all experienced heartbrokenness at some time. I’m not just talking about a broken heart from a romantic or personal relationship, but about seeing pain and suffering in the world and knowing that it is not how God wanted creation to be. When we feel helpless to fix things or guilty when we have so much.
“Lord, I am brokenhearted.”
“Amy, I watch over you, take refuge in me.”
Sharing these feelings with God is not to ask for them to be taken away, but to accept them as a true part of my humanity and God’s presence in my life. Even with my own brokenness, I accept this pain and share it with God.
From one human (aka child of God) to another, I invite you, at this midpoint in Lent, to be open to a new way of encountering God. Perhaps use your favorite psalm as a conversation starter. Or spend time with a psalm or passage you find difficult and tell God how those words really make you feel. God wants to be a part of your life—all of it—and is simply waiting for the invitation.
In this Lenten season, may you discover new ways to communicate with God and savor the graces it gives.
Amy Turbes
Amy Turbes is a spiritual director and has worked at Creighton University for almost 20 years in University Relations.
As a true extrovert, Amy loves connecting people dots. She believes in the six degrees of separation rule and will make sure to figure out how you are connected or how she can connect you to someone. This part of her personality is genetic and has led to fun conversations with strangers.
