Changing our Values & Attitudes

03-10-2024Pastor's CornerVery Rev. Robert J. Deehan, VF

As we reach the mid-point of Lent on this Laetare “Rejoice” Sunday, it’s good for us to assess how we are doing during this season of repentance to address the sinful thoughts, words and actions we’re hoping to change – both things we’ve done and those we’ve failed to do. I hope you’ve made some inroads even though those areas may still be “works in progress.” Improvement, even if incremental, is encouraging and expresses to God your desire to grow spiritually.

Besides working on those particular areas, I invite you to examine another aspect of change/conversion that involves something deeper. It involves the values and attitudes that shape your behavior – in other words, what’s going on in your mind and in your heart; what is driving you. There are many cultural, political, familial and personal influences – among others, that we, wittingly and sometimes, unwittingly, incorporate within ourselves. Some of these are spiritually healthy and some are not. Some of those not so spiritually healthy values and attitudes may remain unexamined.

One way our parish invites each of us to examine the spiritually unhealthy values and attitudes that need change/conversion, is to compare how our values and attitudes compare with the values and attitudes of those shown forth by Jesus in the scriptures. A portion of our parish vision statement highlights what we, as a community of faith, are striving to accomplish on this deeper level. It reads: “Holy Family strives to be a joyful, welcoming community of faith that encounters Jesus and thinks with His mind and loves with His heart.” By looking at Jesus as our model for life, striving to live by His values and to approach life with His attitude, we become more like Him.

One exercise that several small groups in our parish are doing this Lent is reading and discussing the book by Matthew Kelly, Rediscover Jesus. It’s by reading the gospels and examining the life of Jesus that we come to know Jesus better, and understand what His values and attitudes are. And, as we come to understand Jesus’ values and attitudes better, and compare those to our own values and attitudes within the context of our personal prayer, we will be able to identify those areas where we need to grow in our efforts to think with Jesus’ mind and love with His heart. I hope you will find this deeper approach to the process of change / conversion fruitful on your Lenten journey.