Have you ever made a call to a business or a doctor’s office and been placed on a very long hold? I know I have. The tinny elevator music drones on as a script repeats, “Please listen closely, as our menu options have changed.” Life is full of waiting, but maybe that’s not a terrible thing. It’s in these in-between moments that we actually live most of our lives. But we’re usually so wrapped up in our daily existences that we forget that God is waiting to encounter us—right there in the mundane, workaday lives most of us lead.

Pray

Lord,
Spiritual boredom can creep up on me,
And a kind of restlessness descends, subtly but assuredly.
When I feel disconnected from others, from your creation,
I start to live too much in my own world,
insulated from possibility—but also possibility.
I ask you to be patient with me
as I stumble toward reorienting myself to the direction of your call.

Act

Sometimes, a bit of perspective can help shake up spiritual boredom. Consider attending a different parish or volunteering to serve a group you aren’t too familiar with. It might help break you out of your comfort zone while also putting spiritual restlessness in its place.

All relationships take work, and our life with God is no different. It might be hard to admit, but just like in our human relationships, we can struggle with frustration, anger, and anxiety with God. We might experience deep shame over this, thinking that we’re letting God down for having these feelings. But our faith reminds us that God is gentle, always forgiving, always awaiting our return.

Pray

Lord,
In the brokenness of the world and amid my own flaws and blemishes,
I ask for the gift and virtue of patience.
Your mercy is proof that you are a deeply patient God.
Your grace is proof that your forgiveness knows no bounds.
Amen.

Act

It might seem strange at first, but consider reading a few articles on healthy relationship techniques. Practices such as active listening and conflict resolution can help you nurture your connection with God.

We’ve just passed through a long and, at times, trying holy season of Lent, rich with spiritual potential, but it can come at a cost. As challenging as this time can be, however, there’s almost a twinge of sadness as the season passes into the rearview mirror. Yes, the joy of Easter is here, and, of course, we should lean into the spirit of the season we’re now beginning. But the fear can be that we will lose some or all of the spiritual steam we seemed to be gaining during Lent. Let’s pray to carry the wisdom we gained in Lent over to Easter, and for the joy we experience in this season to be grounded in the spiritual work we undertook for the past 40 days.

Pray

Resurrected Christ,
As our tears dry from Good Friday and Holy Saturday,
And the sun shines with a new light on Easter Sunday,
Help me to let go of the season of letting go,
But not what I’ve learned about myself, my neighbor, and you.
You have shown us just how dynamic this world is,
the dramatic juxtaposition of light and dark, life and death: Lent into Easter.
Amen.

Act

Write down three things that made an impact on you during Lent. Now, write down three things you hope for during the Easter season. Are there any connections or similarities between your Lent list and your Easter list? How does one relate to the other?

—from St. Anthony Messenger‘s “Shared Dignity Leads to Solidarity“
by Daniel Imwalle

Have you ever gotten lost? I mean completely and utterly disoriented and directionless. I know I have—both in the physical and the spiritual realms. In prayer, I’ve noticed that I’m often seeking God’s nudge toward a kind of true north of the soul. We can’t plug in an address or GPS coordinates as we walk the path of prayer. But God’s goodness and grace are always drawing us forth, the way ahead lit by love.

Pray

God of Infinite and Brilliant Light,
Despite the constant glow of your love,
My view of the world and others is so often obscured.
It’s less that I can’t see—more like that I can’t see well.
In this prayer, and in any moment when I need to be reminded of your light,
May I allow myself to hesitate, to linger, to let go.
Amen.

Act

Take a walk or a drive and purposely get a little lost. Make sure to build in some free time and have your phone on you, in case you really need to find your way! What did you discover about the experience? Consider journaling about how feeling lost relates to your spiritual life.

In today’s Gospel, Jesus encounters the Samaritan woman at the well. It is a beautiful and telling exchange, where Jesus refers to what he calls the “living water,” which if drunk will lead to eternal life. The living water that is our faith is free and available for all, and Jesus reaching out to a Samaritan woman—someone many Jews at the time would have shunned—is a testament to that.

Pray

God,
I thirst for a deeper,
truer faith in you.
It is a thirst that I feel
in my bones
and in my soul.
Help me to share the good news
of the living water
as your Son did,
even with those who I don’t think will respond
the way I want them to.
May I find the courage
to encounter and speak with
the Samaritan woman at the well
in my life:
that person I am supposed
to keep my distance from,
that person who might have been
invisible to me before,
an enemy,
a stranger.
Amen.

Act

Sharing the living water might start with sharing actual sustenance. Lent is a great time to volunteer at a soup kitchen or food pantry. Part of repentance can involve giving back.