Life Will Humble: Loving Lessons from Struggles: High School Lenten Reflections: Thursday, March 3, 2022
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Life Will Humble Everyone
When I reflected on the reading for today, the Gospel spoke about denying yourself to take up the cross and follow God. Lent is about focusing on others rather than yourself and repenting for your wrongdoings. Selflessness is a virtue that I have been working on throughout my life. It is something that my mother is proficient in. As I reflected on this gospel, it gave me the idea of something my parents preach to me, which is that life will humble every person.
Moving Away from Self
In life, we tend to be self-centered and egotistical. I enjoy partaking in my hobbies, being with friends, and focusing on bettering myself. There is nothing wrong with doing these acts, but when it becomes excessive, it can be harmful to our spiritual health. Spiritual health is fueled by helping others, spending time in silence and boredom, and finding yourself. When we help others, we counteract our main barriers to our truest self, which is the ego. Through silence, we figure out new values and thoughts about ourselves. These acts help us make the most out of lent, help others in our communities, and grow throughout this time.
Good Can Come Out of Suffering
As we go through life, we wrap ourselves up in our own goals and aspirations. We experience successes and feel confident. When we lack tough experiences or suffering, we feel that we are succeeding in life. My belief is that to become closest to our truest selves, we must suffer so that we may grow. Life humbles us in many ways; through suffering, loss, and failing.
An example of suffering in my life that has helped me grow into a better version of myself is my digestive problems. I have a moderate to severe issue with my intestines called IBS. This limits the foods I can eat and causes me constant pain in my gut when I lack fiber. In the middle of 6th grade; it took us two years to figure out that I had IBS.
Through this experience, I was able to never take food for granted, because there are some foods that I will never be able to eat regularly again without pain. It helped me feel for those who have a hard time paying for food, and those who go through general body issues. Life has humbled me in many other ways, but this is one major issue that for a long time I believed slowed my growth. Through my learning experiences, I believe this is one major growth point that has made me who I am today. So, I end this reflection with two questions- What parts of life are blocking me from becoming my truest self? How has life humbled me?
–Gabriel Collins, Class of 2022
Other Resources for Lent
You can find podcasts, homilies and more on this website. The reflections are provided by students at Christian Brothers College High School. The readings of the day can be found on the website of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. In addition to the Confessions of Saint Augustine, the Friar Book Club is reading the Meditations for the Time of Retreat by Saint John Baptist de la Salle. If you have intentions you wish to have prayed for, you can do so on this website.
