The Interview with God

Many years ago I listened to this amazing "Interview with God" video - You may wish to listen here:
https://theinterviewwithgod.com/video/
The words attributed to God in an imaginative way in the video can stir in the listener a sense of inner peace that each of us needs in order to know the ultimate purpose in life: being in God! We find such wisdom in the video where the [dreamed of] God our Father replies to the questions of the seeker. Probably the most important replies are for people "To learn that it only takes a few seconds to open profound wounds in those they love, and it can take many years to heal them"; and "To learn that a rich person is not one who has the most but is one who needs the least...". In fact the entire dialogue contains some profound lessons and artistic natural scenes...
However, in order to live with God, everyone needs to properly deal with everyday's temptations. The purpose of Lent is precisely to follow Christ in his passion to the end which culminates in his crucifixion and death before his victory over death and evil. Lent is more than simply abstinence from food because it is meant to unleash the spiritual energy in every heart as the Holy Spirit works to help us mature in our relationships with God and his creation. In this effort, we could be helped by the Spiritual Exercises written by St. Ignatius of Loyola - An online outline can be found here: https://www.ignatianspirituality.com/ignatian-prayer/the-spiritual-exercises
It is good to remember that our Lord fasted for 40 days in the desert with nothing to eat while we have become busy with competition in work, and material entertainment and pleasure in order to forget our psychological problems and avoid responsible relationships in the family. Jesus was led to the desert by the Spirit in order to fast and was tempted by the Devil after his 40-days fast (Luke 4: 1-13). Note the words "When the devil had finished every temptation, he departed from him for a time" (Luke 4: 13) which shows how the devil will attempt to tempt Jesus before his passion and death. By the same token, we sense that evil is around us all the time whether at work or within the fractured families and particularly in politics (the so-called politically-correct), commercials, and the media. The temptation is there and the tempter wants us to despair and lose faith in God and trust in people around us...
The above reminds me by the Blessed Virgin Mary who was always in the shadows when Jesus her son had his public ministry and performed his miraculous signs. She is hardly mentioned in the public ministry of Christ in the Gospel but we see her tender heart under the cross of her son crying silently in dignity. A replica of La Pieta by MichelAngelo Buonarotti of the Virgin Mary carrying the body of her son after his death is at St. Basil's Church in Toronto.
For us ordinary people, we take solace in the risen Christ and his mother who supplicates him in heaven for everyone! In history too, a few lay people have been canonized by the Church including St. Homobonus who was a generous lay businessman selling cloth fabrics and was famous at Cremona in North Italy of the late 12th century. Although his success made him wealthy, he devoted  himself to the needy and disinherited. He  died while attending daily Mass in 1197 and was canonized by Pope Innocent III only 14 months after his death. To read more about St. Homobonus, click here: https://goodlucksymbols.com/saint-homobonus/
Probably St. Gianna Beretta Molla is the best-known layperson canonized by St. John Paul II in 2004. Born in Italy on October 4, 1922 and raised by devout parents, she  became a pediatrician in 1949. She was a devoted Christian who was active in St. Vincent de Paul Society helping the elderly and needy and in Catholic Action, a world-wide movement that promotes the social teachings of the Church. Happily married with 3 children, she was diagnosed with tumor in the uterus while pregnant with a fourth child in 1961. On April 21, 1962 the baby was delivered as she insisted that she would not accept the option of abortion. One week later, Gianna - a prayerful woman throughout her life who loved God - passed away from septic peritonitis. To read more about her life, click here: http://www.catholic.org/saints/saint.php?saint_id=6985
It is fitting that we close this post with a hymn to Love Divine (Christ): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sw5ZCZeS32M
Let us ask the Blessed Virgin Mary to intercede for all of us who need the grace of God!