Get up!

Fr. Russ Bergman
Feb 19
1 min read

At the seminary, I put my alarm clock far away from my bed. I had to get up to turn it off. Nearby neighbors could hear my alarm and needed thoughtful consideration. Lent is a spiritual alarm of sorts. Today’s gospel brings us the essential challenge of our faith: to take up our cross daily. That starts with getting up. The ability to walk is a gift often taken for granted. With limited mobility or depression, getting out of bed itself is a cross. We can’t pick up a cross without effort. During Lent, we’re blessed with a time to identify and lift our personal crosses in solidarity with the struggles endured by our peers. Lent gets us out of our comfortable beds to act intentionally and consider our neighbors. Ask yourself, "How do I respond to the alarm in my soul, and how does that impact my relationship with God and neighbor?"

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