One of the reasons for doing Lenten disciplines—prayer, fasting, and almsgiving—is to help shed our spiritual blindness. I pray that your Lenten disciplines are bearing fruit for you and helping you to see the Messiah and His love for you more clearly. When the Resurrection comes, we pray that we may be able to see and know our Lord more clearly. However, our journey doesn’t end with Easter. While our Lenten disciplines may come to an end, Easter Is still a time to rest with Jesus. That being said, I have an invitation for all of you.
 
I invite you join me in Jesus is Risen, Abide in Him this Easter season—all 50 days. The goal is simple: spend quiet time with our Lord so that we may see Him more clearly. So, what is it?

Jesus is Risen, Abide in Him is broken down into four steps every day:
 
1. Quiet Place
2. Set Timer
3. Prayerfully Ponder
4. Abide, Trust, and Receive

First, find a quiet place. This involves finding  a concrete place to pray—a prayer space at home, a park, a church, or anywhere that is  quiet and peaceful for you. It also involves  placing yourself in the presence of God and acknowledging the indwelling of the Holy Trinity in your heart. God is always with you. Silence your phone. Give God your daily concerns,  anxieties, etc. Let Him hold them for you for a while.

Second, set timer. Please challenge yourself. How long can you sit quietly? 10, 15, 20 minutes? If 10 minutes will be a challenge, then that is perfect. This isn’t a competition. It is an invitation to challenge ourselves to see our  Lord more clearly. Perhaps, you will find  yourself adjusting this time throughout Easter as necessary.

Third, prayerfully ponder. You will receive a daily quote—from Scripture or a saint. Read it over as many times as you’d like, and pray with it. It can be the foundation of your meditation to see where the Lord takes you. Use it if it
is helpful.

 
Fourth, abide, trust, and receive. Wait in  prayer until the timer goes off. Gently draw yourself back when distracted—even if that is every 10 seconds. That’s ok. Abide in Him. Trust that He is working in your soul, and  receive what He wishes to give. Dryness is ok—no feelings, sensations, visions, locutions. The most important part of prayer is setting aside the time to do it and doing it. Abide,
trust, and receive to build on our Lents to see the Lord more clearly through the Easter Season. Should you choose to accept this invitation, all you need to do is sign up here:

https://bit.ly/abide33 or scan the QR code. Then, we will send you a daily Jesus is Risen, Abide in Him Flocknote. Let me know if you have any questions. I am excited to pray with these 50 days through Jesus is Risen, Abide in Him.

In Mary’s Immaculate Heart,
Fr. Stegbauer