Spring Break

This week is Spring Break for us here at Notre Dame, and as a member of the head staff, I've stayed behind to cover duty for break and also to get in some good library time (aka catch up on homework I should have been doing all semester long).

It's a beautiful time to be on campus for a number of reasons: it's super quiet, which means you can slow down and hear yourself think think again; I can spend some time in prayer because my life isn't going at the pace of insanity; I can really invest myself in my work and put together quality papers that are well thought out instead of hastily thrown together at 2am. Not to mention that campus is gorgeous right now, particularly in the early and late afternoon. First, the sun shines so bright during the day; the sky is a magnificent bright blue. Though the campus is "dead" (quiet), the warmth and light of the sun seems to make everything radiate with new life. The days are growing longer now, and it's beautiful to see the soft pinks and oranges of the setting sun reflecting off the dome and bathing campus in a colorful hue well into the early evening.

All of this makes me think about the fact that we're just about at the midway point for Lent. Though there are signs all around me of new life bursting forth (the crocuses and daffodils and hyacinth are poking up out of the ground already!), I'm wondering whether the same is true in my soul. How has my life become bathed in the light of Christ this Lent? Where are the little buds poking up through the hardened soil of my heart? How can I feel the warmth and see the colorful light of new love shining through?

In some ways, I feel like this Lent hasn't been as productive as I wanted it to be. I'm wondering if I should be doing more in the few weeks ahead. I made some Lenten commitments, which I have been following, at least, somewhat even if not perfectly. I feel I have been spending more time in prayer, though not always in the ways I feel I should be. At the same time, perhaps my heart, my soul, my spirit have begun to show signs of growth, of new life. There is still time.

Lord, help me to make the most of these last few weeks of Lent. Help me to let the light of Your love shine ever more brightly in my life. Help me to love more totally, more purely, and more disinterestedly.