Rending Your Heart to God This Lent

What does it mean to rend your heart? Dr. Sri explains what this means, why it is so important to do this Lent, and a practical guide on how to do it.

Snippet from the Show
A good Lent is when our hearts are drawn closer to the Lord.


Shownotes

Resources for Lent from Dr. Sri

Pocket Guide to the Stations of the Cross

  • The Pocket Guide to the Stations of the Cross invites Catholics to discover the depths of Christ’s love shown to us by his passion and death. In this beautiful book, readers will find a guide to accompany them and help them meditate on Christ’s Passion.

Pray the Stations with Dr. Sri

  • In this bonus episode, Dr. Sri prays through the Stations of the Cross. Use this recording to pray the Stations of the Cross at any point throughout your day: on a walk, exercising, driving, cooking!

Events with Dr. Sri

  • Mar 11-12: Green Bay Women’s Conference, Green Bay WI
  • Mar 15-16: St. Martha’s Church Parish Mission – Depew NY
  • Mar 16: St. Mary’s Swormville, East Amherst NY
  • Mar 23-25: St. Michael the Archangel Parish Lenten Mission, St. Michael MN
  • Mar 28-29: St. Jude Parish Lenten Mission, Lakewood CO
  • Mar 30-31: All Souls Catholic Church Parish Retreat, Sanford FL
  • Apr 1-2: Fullness of Truth Catholic Evangelization Ministries – Corpus Christi TX
  • Apr 9: Ignited by Truth Conference – Raleigh NC
  • Apr 22-23: Diocese of Victoria Women’s Gathering – Victoria TX
  • Apr 27: NET Ministries Banquet – Cincinnati OH
“Render Your Hearts”

What does this mean? In the first reading for Ash Wednesday this year, the prophet Joel says, “Rend your hearts and not your garments” (Joel 2:12-13). Essentially, what the prophet is saying is that we must tear our hearts open. Dr. Sri explains that the purpose of this reading is to encourage people as they enter Lent to tear open their hearts and let God in.

What Is the Goal of Lent?

Perhaps, you have heard of the three primary external practices during Lent: prayer, fasting, and almsgiving. These three practices are beautiful and essential. However, they are means to an end. These practices are meant to change our hearts. Every moment, God desires our hearts. During Lent, it is an opportunity to change our hearts and draw closer to the Lord.

2 Parts of Rending Your Heart

First, dare to look deep inside your heart. Don’t just take a peak but truly dive deeply into your heart. There are many things that you may not wish to see such as sins or wounds. However, Jesus wants to heal any wounds and forgive all sins. Dr. Sri offers some examples of bad habits to end this Lent:

  • Self-centeredness
  • Hurting others and making them feel badly about themselves
  • Not seeing things from another’s perspective
  • Not giving focused time to the people in your life
  • Failing to keep commitments
  • Worrying too much and not trusting

Now is the acceptable time to end these bad habits. Stop procrastinating and do it.

Secondly, now is the acceptable time to end these bad habits. Stop procrastinating and do it.

  • As God, “What do you want me to work on this Lent?” Trust in the Lord. Make him your spiritual director and ask him what you need to focus on this Lent.
  • Ask God to give you the grace to persevere in whatever you set out to do this Lent.
  • Trust in God’s mercy for all the times that you have failed and will fail.

Do you have questions about the Catholic Faith?

Send in your questions to info.edwardsri@gmail.com

Resources

  • Visit Dr. Sri’s website at www.edwardsri.com and to book online events with Dr. Sri email events.edwardsri@gmail.com
  • Find more of Dr. Sri’s episodes at www.ascensionpress.com/allthingscatholic 
  • Ascension is pleased to offer our new and improved online bible study programs and sacramental preparation programs digitally to help you minister with flexibility. Go to www.ascensionpress.com to view all our offerings

Dr. Edward Sri is a theologian, well-known Catholic speaker, and author of several best-selling books. His work with Ascension includes study programs such as A Biblical Walk Through the Mass, No Greater Love: A Biblical Walk Through Christ’s Passion and Mary: A Biblical Walk with the Blessed Mother. Several of Dr. Sri’s programs were filmed on-site in the Holy Land, and feature immersive video explorations of the sacred sites where Jesus, Mary, and the Apostles lived and died.

Dr. Sri is the host of the acclaimed Ascension podcast All Things Catholic with Dr. Edward Sri.  Together with Curtis Martin, Dr. Sri is a founding leader of the Fellowship of Catholic University Students (FOCUS), of which he serves as senior vice president of Apostolic Outreach.

Dr. Sri lives with his wife Beth and their children in Colorado.

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