Spirituality
This Lent, we have reflected on what God may tell us in the silence.
When we listen, God reminds us that He is here through every challenge and every joy.
MSC Founder Msgr. Gregory Ramkissoon shares his contemplation on prayer, fasting, and almsgiving bringing us together for Holy Week.
Ecclesiastes 3:1-13 tells us that there is a time for every possibility, and no matter the difficulty we are more beautiful for it:
“There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens: a time to be born and a time to die, a time to plant and a time to uproot, a time to tear down and a time to build, a time to weep and a time to laugh, a time to mourn and a time to dance, a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them, a time to keep and a time to throw away, a time to be silent and a time to speak, a time for war and a time for peace. What do workers gain from their toil? I have seen the burden God has laid on the human race.
He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the human heart; yet no one can fathom what God has done from beginning to end. I know that there is nothing better for people than to be happy and to do good while they live. That each of them may eat and drink, and find satisfaction in all their toil—this is the gift of God.”
I would like to examine just three of these “times” in the lens of Jesus’ compassion through which we view all of humanity.
First, there is a time to weep and a time to laugh. How often are we caught up in what is hard that we forget God’s grace still surrounds us? It is possible to mourn, to sigh, to weep, while also holding fast to the love that God pours upon our hearts. It takes pain to connect with our humanity and takes pain to know Jesus on the cross. This Lent, we learn to listen in the hardship just as we rejoice in the Resurrection. In prayer, the rain we feel is God’s love seeping from heaven.
Second, there is a time to tear down and a time to build. Much of Lent is about fasting from what separates us from God and others. How often do we see the binds of life––inequality, prejudice, jealousy––form walls between us? Let us tear them down and connect.
Third, there is a time to be silent and a time to speak. How often are the voiceless at the center of our dreams? Let us speak when we must, but listen when it is time for others. As we give to others in the tradition of Lenten almsgiving, let us remember that service to the marginalized is an embodiment of Christ’s love.
Each ‘time’ we reflect upon brings us closer to the reality of the Resurrection. The weeping we endure transforms into laughter in the light of Christ’s victory over death. The walls we tear down lead us to build a community transformed by love and faith. And as we listen in silence, we prepare our hearts for the joy of the Resurrection that awaits us.
Brothers and sisters, the crosses we bear are part of the life journey.
I think of these crosses in the lives of the children living with profound disabilities I’ve been blessed to encounter here at Mustard Seed Communities. They endure daily challenges, from physical limitations to societal stigma. Yet, in those struggles, we see a profound connection to the Passion of Christ that is unlike anything I have ever seen. Jesus bore His cross in his time. Now, these children endure their own trials with remarkable strength and faithfulness.
A profound Lenten truth manifests in the children’s laughter, vibrant spirits, and boundless love: in every season, joy coexists with suffering. Even in seasons of pain, there is hope and the possibility of transformation. This is the central message of Easter!
Thank You, Lord, for the resurrection and new life that comes after hardship.
Wishing you a blessed Holy Week and joyous Easter.
In Christ,
Msgr. Gregory Ramkissoon
Founder, Mustard Seed Communities