Lent starts February 14, and so does the RESCUED Blessed is She Lent devotional. This year, you’ll be receiving an excerpt from the Lent devotional every day in your inbox (in lieu of our regular daily devo). We want to pray with one heart and one mind as the BIS sisterhood. If you prefer to have the book, purchase the 2024 Blessed is She Lent devotional RESCUED right here. Right upon purchase, you’ll receive a link to come into the free Blessed is She app to walk through the Lenten season with us in daily live prayer, small groups, and more. Together let’s look to the Lamb of God who came to rescue each one of us.
“I have truly built you a princely house, a dwelling where you may abide forever.” // 1 Kings 8:13
“Did you pack the kids’ water bottles?” I shout to my husband, who is buckling our youngest into her carseat. The kids have had breakfast, all five of us are dressed in our Sunday best, everyone’s hair is brushed, my makeup is applied. I grab “the Mass bag” filled with a few religious picture books and activities, glance at the clock, and hurry out the door. We should make it a few minutes before Mass begins. Whew. This is our Sunday morning rush.
My Sunday preparations have looked different in various seasons of my life. As a younger single woman in college, I was able to arrive as early as I wanted for Mass, centering myself in prayer before it began. Now, our family listens to a podcast on the readings of the day as preparation on the drive to our parish.
Today’s First Reading (see 1 Kings 8:1-7, 9-13) describes the extraordinary efforts the Israelites took in preparing the temple as a dwelling place for the ark of the covenant. We see a reflection of this each time we are before the sanctuary of a Catholic Church, where our Lord dwells in His tabernacle. What a gift to be in His presence! But our Lord desires far more for us: in His profound humility and wild generosity, He comes to dwell in the temple of our bodies (see 1 Corinthians 3:16). As we receive Jesus Christ in the Eucharist, we become a physical dwelling place for Him. What preparations are we making to receive Him? What kind of a dwelling will He find within us?
What one thing can we change this week to more fully prepare ourselves to receive Jesus? Maybe He is inviting us to receive the Sacrament of Reconciliation. Perhaps He is calling you to arrive even five minutes earlier for Mass to spend more time with Him before the liturgy begins or to read the readings before Mass. Whatever it is, let us pray that the Lord will find the temples of our hearts more beautiful for Him. May they be dwellings where He will abide forever. Amen.
Elise Howe is a wife, mother, vocal artist, and teacher. She is most joyful when creating with the inspiration of the Divine Artist. Elise hopes to live a life full of authentic beauty—especially through her song, her cut-flower garden, great books, delicious ice cream, and her yes to the Father. A born-and-raised Midwestern gal, she happily resides in Michigan with her husband, son, and two daughters. She was a contributing author to Set a Fire and Blessed Conversations: Misericordia.
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