Lent Is a Process-Not an Event
Вставка
- Опубліковано 8 вер 2024
- Don't miss the Premiere of the Ascension Lenten Companion, 2022 (Year C): • Do You Know the Real J...
Lent has begun and with it our season of penance and fasting. What are you planning on giving up or adding to your spiritual life?
Today, Fr. Mike helps us understand that Lent is less like a crockpot-which you can set and forge-and more like an ongoing, iterative process that requires our continual discernment about how we are drawing closer to Jesus.
God wants to give you more. How will you respond this Lent?
Order the Lenten Companion today: tinyurl.com/yb...
❓ Have ideas for future videos ❓ Topics you want to hear about ❓ Questions you want answered ❓ Make sure to put #AskAscension in your comment 👍
- MORE FROM ASCENSION -
🔸Ascension’s main website: tinyurl.com/y8...
🔸Ascension Media: tinyurl.com/yd...
🔸The Great Adventure Bible: tinyurl.com/yc...
- SOCIAL MEDIA -
🔸Facebook: / ascensionpress
🔸Twitter: / ascensionpress
🔸LinkedIn: / ascension-press
🔸Instagram: / ascensionpress
🔸Subscribe: / ascensionpresents
- BULLDOG CATHOLIC -
🔸UA-cam: / @bulldogcatholic
🔸iTunes: podcasts.apple...
Hello friends! Here's the Premiere of the Ascension Lenten Companion that Father is talking about: ua-cam.com/video/IA5wlyGQxXs/v-deo.html Don't miss it ;)
If you missed the first episode of the Lenten Companion-Ash Wednesday-you can catch it here and launch into Lent: ua-cam.com/video/wmIBx5e1YXc/v-deo.html
I was quite disheartened when I went home last time and they were praying and anointing each other; “by the Blood and in the Name of Mary”.
Old Testament days they would have been stoned, if they were Jews.
“Lent is not crock pot cooking, set and forget”😂😂😂 Father Mike you are hilarious, your videos made my day. The good thing that came out of COVID was that you made the move to post the masses online! Finding you and hearing your homilies have made me a better person. I genuinely look forward to hearing your words of wisdom and (funny-ness lol) every week. I’m praying for you always, I thank God for your life!!
Iterate..iterate..he makes me laugh 😂
Amen 😌🙏
Another priest (besides Fr Mike Schmitz) I love to see online is Father Mark Goring. I feel that he is so filled with the Holy Spirit! Just wanted to suggest that you check out his UA-cam channel 🙂Have a Blessed day!
I love your videos AND Bible in a Year podcast. You’ve helped to deepen my faith. Thanks for all of the sacrifices you’ve made to keep this content available to us Catholics who, at times, feel like the world is against us every time we turn around. With this community and the word of God explained daily, it’s like the fuel that keeps my fire burning for Jesus. God bless you! You are in my prayers, Fr Mike!
Thank you 😊
Same!!! ❤️❤️❤️
Agree with all you said.
Three years later, I'm stopping smoking AGAIN. I stopped for nearly a year but went back on them due to stress/work/lack of money etc etc.
I have faith in my faith that I can do this again. Learn and grow together
Good luck. My dad, years ago, gave up smoking for Lent and guess what, FORGOT to go back to it when Lent ended! And never smoked again. Maybe because he never smoked " properly" by inhaling. The cigarette just sort of hung out of his mouth so maybe it was easier to give up. It was a story he told for a long time afterwards and we all teased him about it. All the best!!
Let me encourage you.
My hubby smoked for forty years.
He has now given up.
It's been very difficult for him.
He gave up because smoking made him so ill He had to give up.
He now has heart desease, copd, thyroid problems, four stents, depression all because he tried to quit but kept going back to it.
Through smoking he lost his job because he was too ill to work, his good health and nearly lost us because he has had four hearts attacks one very serious where they used the defib.
Now he uses patches and when the cravings hit he uses an essential oil called pepper from the health food shop. Pepper essential oil is fantastic to curb cravings you can get this from the health food shop there are no side effects and it gives you a kick when you inhale it. It's safe to use you just inhale it. Holland and Barrett have it on their website.
If he can do it so can you.
We have a young family and never thought this would happen to us.
My friend has also given up after seeing what copd can do.
Copd is a slow and horrible desease which effects smokers.
Cry out to God to help you quit, you cannot do this in your own strength.
Don't forget that the fruit of the spirit is self control.
You can do it and if you falter don't worry pick yourself back up and try again.
You got This!
I'll pray for you.
Remember I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.
Love ❤
I highly recommend Allen Carr's book The Easy way to Quit smoking. It may be secular but an absolute gift from God for me! It works exactly as advertised!
I'm in the process of learning about catholicism and I wanted to take part in Lent this year. I understand that as a current protestant, there might be complications, but I feel its something I need to do.
Wow, how beautiful! You’re always welcome to join us and take part in Lent 😊 Thank you for being here and sharing that. I hope it’s a meaningful journey for you this season. Praying for you, take care! 🌻
I’m so excited for you! When the heart is open God can lead you where He wants you to go! Praying for you🙏🏼
Welcome home
Praying for you 🙏
No problems for you to do Lent, wherever or whoever you are
God would be more than happy to help you with that!
A Priest told me this very recently, and I’ve found it very helpful: make sure that all you do is less about what it is, but Whom it’s for. We should be doing absolutely everything for love of Jesus, and to have a closer friendship with him. Viva Christo Rey!
Thank you so much for this wonderful video. I wanted to comment and say you’ve been a part of our journey to Catholicism. While considering Catholicism, I would watch videos of yours about things that I wasn’t sure of. My husband would too. It’s taken us 3 years, to finally make the commitment and we are more than halfway through RCIA. This Easter Vigil both my husband and I are joining the church. We’ll be baptizing our daughter as soon as possible. I wanted to thank you for being a part of our journey ☺️
Amazing how God is working on us. I am doing the same thing. I am at RCIA and very happy
Kristina, blessings on your journey! I’m joining the Church this Easter Vigil as well. God bless you as you come into the Church.
Praise God 😀
Congratulations!
Praise God
Great points that I would have missed out on if I hadn't been "mindlessly" scrolling UA-cam. That said, I will be giving up both UA-cam and social media, among other things, during Lent this year.
We use these things as distraction, even if it is a positive distraction. We're extremely uncomfortable sitting in silence with our own thoughts, and we'll do almost anything to fill that void. Social media, videos, news, music, the list goes on...
That's what I'm focusing on this lent, and playing "video roulette" with the algorithms, even if they do often deliver up serious value like this, is something a lot of us do to thoughtlessly fill that void.
That's new to me. I never saw Lent in terms of a learning or growing experience. I just always saw it as giving yourself up to a struggle / sacrifice which as a sinful people we need to do for ourselves or others. It was never supposed to be pleasant. Learning on the other hand is very desirable and pleasant.
Lent is my favorite time of year! I love the music and the all the readings at mass. For years I would give up eating chocolate as a sacrifice for lent. I would struggle for the first days and after that, it was a habit and I didn't think about it. Did it bring me closer to God, no. Then I decided to give up gossiping, way harder to give up. Did that bring me closer to God, yes. I completely realized how easy gossiping is and how thoughtless the words rolled off my tongue.
I thank God for my sister-in-law who got me hooked on Bible in a year and then my discovery of Ask Fr Josh. This year I finally have the instructors teaching me in a way that is easy to learn and meditate on. Thank you Fr Mike, Fr Josh and Jeff Cavins!!
We Love You Father Mike. You have saved, transformed, and saved so many Souls. Enjoy watching your educational videos. Your full of life and joy, enlightened by the Holy Spirit, and funny. I think most of us can see we enjoy your sense of humor, character, and Love for God, & The Holy Family. God Bless You Fr. Mike. Forgive me about Virtual BiY. Hope all will have a transforming Lent. Amen ❤️🤲🏼🕊🙏🏼
For someone who has perfectionistic tendencies, this was a great video to watch for lent!
I am iterating towards renouncing the spirit of acedia and learning to appreciate the tools and opportunities God has given me in a moment without distractions. I pray that you all find more grace in striving in your process.
You're sounding like a Scrum Master Fr Mike 😀
In seriousness though, there is something virtuous about Scrum that sits well with me. The process of setting a goal for a given period of time, perhaps a week at a time (e.g. giving up social media), checking in each day to replan towards the goal ("do I need to auto turn on airplane mode to help me get there?"), and a review at the end of the time period (maybe Sunday morning: "Lord, how did I go? Was the outcome what I was hoping for?"), and checking our process ("what was good?, what can I improve?, what do I need to avoid?")
God, bless us all in our learning to love the process, and in our step by step journey towards meeting you face to face 🙏
Thank you for teaching us to be flexible, Fr. Mike. I'm guilty of being super rigid in trying to stick to my Lent resolutions. I will definitely iterate as needed.
Iterations? God bless you youngsters. We don't care how you got here, we love you now that you're home. God bless you Fr Mike.
Vivat Jesus.
I've often felt that I HAVE to continue because I started. And if I find something that helps more I should add that. And sometimes by the end of Lent I'm not closer to the Lord I'm relived that I can stop doing all those things, some of which turned out not to be very productive. Thanks for this video!
Thank you, Father, for helping me realize life is an iterative process.
Please Lord enlight my daughter's life and heart ❤️
Fr. Mike, you are the sunshine in my day!!! I was so sad and upset on Sunday when I saw that we didn't have mass........ I was thinking "Oh sure here we go, now we will have no mass ever.. "" But no, here you are letting me and hundreds more know that things break and it just needs time to fix, we are going to be just fine....... Thank you for all you do for all of us loose outcasts out here....
I love Fr Mike.
I had "decided" before Ash Wednesday that I should give up sweets. But before the day was out I had realized that what I really need to stop doing so much was drinking alcohol. And so I "iterated" my Lenten abstinence to that.
Not only because giving up sweets is extremely difficult for me, but also because recently I've been abusing alcohol every weekend for the last few months.
Jesus, make me more pure and increase my love and faith in you.
May God grant you every grace you need this Lent. Be encouraged, my brother, God and His Church are on your side.
Thank you, Fr. Mike! I feel that since I discovered you, my faith has grown so much. I’m praying for you, please pray for me! 🙏🏻❤️
Two lines that stand out are that failure and mistakes are part of the process of growth--or at least, that's how I remember Father Mike saying it. As someone with perfectionist tendencies, this is really helpful for me to realize.
And it also makes sense to consider that Lent was called a Season of Purification and Enlightenment, so that we see that Lent is a process, as is our life of faith itself.
Wow! Looking 👀 Good 👍 with God bless you and all your support staff. 🙏🏻🥰🛐
Wow thanks Fr Mike. This helps so much. Also takes away the guilty feeling of realising you've picked incorrectly. In coaching we guide clients to "pivot" . You've explained how we do it with our relationship with God. I'm grateful I discovered you 2 yrs ago. You have been a great guiding star. 😊
Shalom Fr. Mike. I am following religious Sister's in Ukraine via Twitter. They are still posting messages about Lent, whilst sitting in bomb shelter's hiding from Russian invaders. The Ukrainian Sister's are my inspiration this Lent. With Him anything is possible.
Thanks for letting us know what happened on Sunday.
I look at the Season of Lent as a remembrance of the time our Lord wandered in the desert for 40 days. On Ash Wednesday and Good Friday we fast which is in Scripture Matthew 9:15 in remembrance of our Lord when He fasted and when He died upon the cross for the forgiveness of sin.
Happy Lent Fr thank you this is an iterate process 🙌😇
Thank you for encouraging our process with and towards God. He will establish our victory on this journey. I love that the journey can be a straight path or a bunch of twists and turns. All we need to do is be willing let let God lead us in our faith. Amen.
GOD bless you Father Mikey
Praise the Lord Jesus Christ 🙏 Mother Mary Pray For Us 🙏Abba Father Bless us and we Adore You 🙏Holy Spirit Guide us and direct our paths 🙏
Lets do this 😊🙏
That's very wise. Thank you. I especially like the expression "Holiness is a process". And I'm happy to learn that Lent used to be called the season of purification and enlightenment.
I have tended to stick to my choice of what to give up during Lent rather then growth from my choice, which is a great idea to consider.
Glory to God, the way he uses you father as a vessel of His grace is so amazing ❤️❤️
I am learning so much about being a catholic. What it means to be Catholic not just Christian. Thank you!
Love your masses and homilies.
I like to watch several homilies because they give me different perspectives to what God is trying to share with me.
We missed your mass last Sunday but enjoyed your homily! I did my first day with Lenten Journal.Thank you all at Assension Presents🙏😊
Video games , pray for me, I plan to fill my game time with scriptures
Nice! I'm doing something similar. No epic gaming
@@jde5272 It silucks up far too much time in my life, Epic scripture time ❤️
Praying for you! Think of where your offering will go, especially in times when the little red guy is on one shoulder. I commend you! You are saving souls!
Thank you for this, God bless you.
Im neither Christian nor Catholic, but i put myself thru Lent to cleanse my body and soul. This really helped me understand what i should really be gaining. Make it less sacrificial and more of a process for a greater growth…THANK YOU FATHER!!!
I am using the Lent Process to grow. There are negative activities that I wanted to reduce or give up during this season. I have failed a few times, but each time in this process, I don't give up but work harder. It is a process, you will stumble along the way. But the goal to work towards Christ is the only one.
Thank you Fr Mike 🌟
Lent is a journey that moves us towards Jesus Christ
The ash on our forehead is a reminder that someday we will pass away and reunite with our creator🌻
I'm sharing before viewing, I,know this video will be good! Have a blessed Lent Father
Great Advise. Loved it! Happy Lent to You as well. May God Continue to Bless You! Love all the Masses on-line and we attend them after we come home for our Catholic Church! We continue to pray for you daily! God Bless You Fr. Mike!!
I'm not a catholic but I'm a Christian. I like your spirit and way you present Christianity .
This came at the right time. I have all these things to do for lent that I am probably setting up myself for failure! I’m going to slow down, and work on each goal a little at a time instead of blasting through them.
Thank you ☺️ Father Mike ✝️🥰🙏🏻 God bless you!! ❤️📿🌹😊🇵🇷✝️♥️
Fr. Mike, thank you so much for helping me grow in my faith. I've learned so much since I've found this channel.
Thank you father Mike Schmitz! One reminder of those who are giving up social media during Lent but still on UA-cam they need to realize that UA-cam is still social media.
I pray that we all use Lent to improve ourselves and others while strengthening our connection with God.
Thank You Father Mike 🙌 Your a True Voice of God 🕊 Amen 🙏
Thank you for your videos, they are very informative, helpful and they surely drew me closer to God, will keep you in my prayers!
Thank you Fr.Mike! You’re words are wonderful and powerful. Have a good lent season everyone!❤️
I am becoming catholic this season of Lent thanks to you Father Mike! I officially became an elect (sadly my parish did not send my name to the Cathedral in time so I could not participate there) but I am very excited to finally enter the final part of my journey and become fully Catholic!
I'm doing the Bible in 365 days and thank you father for all the explanations about how great is the Bible
Ive been housebound for nineteen months now unable to attend mass in person due to an undiagnosed illness, but thanks to some medication to at least help my symptoms for the first time in nineteen months this weekend I was able to attend mass in person and receive the sacraments!!! Thankyou to god, our lady at Joseph, all the saints that prayed for me, the blessed trinity!!!!! For enabling me to attend mass in person again, please pray that I may continue to be able to attend mass in person and soon receive a diagnosis!!!! Praise be Jesus Christ, king of eternal glory, and prince of peace!!!! Prince of peace pray for us!!!!! 🕊️🕊️🕊️🕊️🕊️ Always praying for you here from the UK, thankyou for all you do father mike!!!!
It's amazing you did the video anyway although you were having cold. Thank you
Father, thank you so much for your teaching. Please talk about prayers unanswered.
Love this message. Perfect. Will be sharing it for sure. Thank you Father. God bless you. Prayers always! 🙏🏼❤️
Circumstances stopped my learning from the audio, Bible in a Year at about day 268. Now in Lent Im going to finish the course (I take copious notes). I’m so excited. This Lent I’ll continue understanding in the Lord. It has been so rewarding
Thank you fr Mike I learn so much from y’all
Pray for y’all 🌹🩸🕊
I just read from the book this morning. I love it and love what Father Mark Toups has to say.
I'm French Canadian and we've had Sunday mass on our national TV network since 1953, so virtual mass is quite common for us. It was a Godsent in the 1970s for my grandparents who were shut-ins for health reasons. And of course it was a Godsend for us in the early days of the pandemic when churches were completely shut down in Ontario, and then again later in the early part of 2021 when churches were only allowed 10 persons, including the priest.
What I found quite offensive is during the Olympics there was one Sunday where we could not attend mass in person and tuned in only to find the Olympics preempted the Holy Mass! This shows where priority lies with the powers that be at the network! Thank goodness we were able to attend mass via internet. We attended a beautiful mass at Lourdes. Thank God for internet!
Phenomenal phenomenal, phenomenal,phenomenal,
YES, You All are phenomenal,
Thank You for your dedication to serve through Ascensionpress!
🙏🏾❤️🙏🏾
Hello from Sydney Australia. Watch your channel every day. Father Mike Schmitz you talk so fast, LOL 😆 Don't worry I have you at Speed 0.75x to make you talk slower. Thank God for settings, now I can keep up with you 😀 God bless you. ❤
Absolutely perfect and spot on as always from Father Mike!! Boy oh boy!! He always has a wonderful message! Always! 🥰
Don't be afraid to iterate........and reiterate........and reiterate again :D Happy Lent, y'all!
Thank you Fr. Mike!
Thank you Father Mike and I think what you’re saying is 100% correct….no point in continuing doing something that you find isn’t helpful to our quest for holiness or daily walk with the Lord. It sure about the use of “iterate” though…my dictionary says : to say or do again and again and again. Are t you saying iterate means the opposite…to change?
Thank you Father Mike. This hit home. Bless you 🙏
Fr Mike:
So great that i caught you this morning.. Already getting a bit panicked about not meeting my Lent goals.. Thanks for this message
Thank you Fr Mike , yes I could not watch the Mass last Sunday.
Great video by both of you. Thanks for Sharing the Power of Our Lady! What a conversion story. LOved it all! God Bless You Both!
Happy Ash Wednesday. Have a blessed Lent.
Good thoughts Father 🙏✝️❣️
Thank goodness for grace.(:
Iterate..iterate..why so makulet Father Mike?! 😅
He cracks me up..I ❤️Father Mike!
Have a blessed Lent everyone! 👋
I wondered why is was just the homily. I thought it might have been a move to not have the full Mass and encourage people to attend their own Parish! I found your homilies on Hallow, as well. I can't go a Sunday without Fr. Mike's homily.
Will there be a trip to Israel this year or next? May God continue to bless you so you continue to bless us! 🙏❤
I think they said holy land trip next year
I was wondering what happened to online mass last Sunday. Thanks for updating us 😊💕❤️
So needed this. It is like you gave me permission to change my process to improve my Lenten journey. I will iterate. ♥️
Amén
I'm so weak during Lent. It's only during Maundy Thursday, Good Friday and Black Saturday that my resolve is very strong. I take nothing solid during those three days and get very hungry (I have done it for years). I notice, however, that with that starvation, I am more focused on my prayers. The strange thing though, is that I planned to attend the Easter Midnight Mass. When I was waiting, I was thinking, "I will have a good meal after Mass." After receiving the Eucharist and after the Mass, I went home, ready to have something to eat, but...I was no longer hungry. It was like the Eucharist satisfied my hunger. So I thought "I'm not hungry. I'm happy from the Mass and thankful, so I am going to sleep."
Father Mike's humor is top-tier, lol.
Thank you Father! :)
I ALWAYS learn something new from your videos! Love it! Thank you.
Hi father Mike hope you have a great lenten journey. What are you doing for lent. I have a box and each day I am going place something in the box I no longer need and will donate on the Monday after Easter
Love you Father Mike
Attending one’s soul 🤔. Great new perspective
Iterative from the Latin “iter” which means journey or way. 👍🏼👍🏼
That was really good. You really brought out the meaning of lent instead of focusing on the giving up. Thank you!
Very happy to see John Hamm found religion
Fr Mike…. You are a mess…. 🤣
One of the reasons I love you even though I’ve never met you.
May this Lent be a time of growth for us all.
Thank you
Happy lent 🙏🏼
I had to look for the word in the dictionary 😅 It is awesome! I love it! Will implement it in my life for sure 💖
Thank you these videos really help
Love you Father Mike!!
You are one of my daily staples
But what's up with the hair? 😂😂😂
i gae up all added sugars and fruit and junk food this is way more difficult then I thought but I feel like it was theright thing for my first ever lent