{"id":163256,"date":"2025-03-12T01:00:29","date_gmt":"2025-03-12T05:00:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.regnumchristi.com\/en\/?p=163256"},"modified":"2025-03-09T08:41:27","modified_gmt":"2025-03-09T12:41:27","slug":"lent-2025-day-8-freeing-my-heart","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.regnumchristi.com\/en\/lent-2025-day-8-freeing-my-heart\/","title":{"rendered":"Lent 2025 &#8211; Day 8 &#8211; Freeing My Heart"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t<div data-elementor-type=\"wp-post\" data-elementor-id=\"163256\" class=\"elementor elementor-163256\" data-elementor-post-type=\"post\">\n\t\t\t\t<div data-particle_enable=\"false\" data-particle-mobile-disabled=\"false\" class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-cbf6437 e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-parent\" data-id=\"cbf6437\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-e7844a7 elementor-widget elementor-widget-html\" data-id=\"e7844a7\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"html.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<iframe class=\"lazyload\" data-src=\"https:\/\/open.spotify.com\/embed\/episode\/4jOFPOgJm9GKAihAaBCNfy?utm_source=generator\" style=\"border-radius:12px\"  width=\"100%\" height=\"152\" frameBorder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"\" allow=\"autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; fullscreen; picture-in-picture\" loading=\"lazy\"><\/iframe>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-bee7262 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"bee7262\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p><b>Day 8<\/b><\/p>\n<p><b>Freeing My Heart<\/b><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Undoubtedly, the journey is arduous; it demands availability, courage, self-denial, in order to make one\u2019s life, as Christ did his, a \u201cgift\u201d of love to the Father and to others. Only in this way are we made capable, by the power of the Spirit, of proclaiming the \u201cGospel of the Cross\u201d and carrying out that \u201cnew evangelization\u201d that has in Christ crucified and risen its center and hinge.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> \u2014 St. John Paul II, Homily, February 24, 1991<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In his parable of the sower and the seed, Jesus pointed out that having good soil is not sufficient to assure fruitful growth. Some seed fell on excellent soil, but it shared that soil with thorn bushes. The thorn bushes grew with the good seed and choked it. Jesus draws the lesson from his analogy: \u201cAs for the seed that fell among thorns, they are the ones who have heard, but as they go along, they are choked by the anxieties and riches and pleasures of life, and they fail to produce mature fruit\u201d (Luke 8:14).<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The anxieties and riches and pleasures of life aren\u2019t evil in themselves. The problem comes when we allow them to divide our hearts, when we begin seeking them, instead of seeking God, or paying more attention to them than to God. Jesus is trying to warn us about what will happen to our spiritual life when we allow contradictory desires to coexist in our heart, when we feed multiple desires, instead of feeding the one core desire and allowing that desire to bring all subordinate desires into harmony. He wants us to stay focused: \u201cBut seek first the kingdom (of God) and his righteousness, and all these things will be given you besides\u201d (Matthew 6:33).<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">We need to nourish the Christ-centered desire at the core of our Christian heart, but we also need to protect that desire from thorns and parasites and other distractions that can starve it out.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>The One Thing Needed<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">One of the Lord\u2019s most memorable teaching moments arose in this context. He and his apostles had been invited to dine at the home of Martha of Bethany. Martha was busy keeping everyone happy. She was perturbed that her sister, Mary, wasn\u2019t helping her. You probably remember what happened:<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">As they continued their journey he entered a village where a woman whose name was Martha welcomed him. She had a sister named Mary [who sat] beside the Lord at his feet listening to him speak. Martha, burdened with much serving, came to him and said, \u201cLord, do you not care that my sister has left me by myself to do the serving? Tell her to help me.\u201d The Lord said to her in reply, \u201cMartha, Martha, you are anxious and worried about many things. There is need of only one thing. Mary has chosen the better part and it will not be taken from her.\u201d (Luke 10:38\u201342)<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Notice that Jesus didn\u2019t reprimand Martha for being busy, or for doing a lot of things, but for being \u201canxious and worried about many things.\u201d Martha was upset. Where did that come from? Clearly, she was not desiring only and principally the \u201cone thing\u201d needed \u2014 communion with God. In the hustle and bustle of entertaining, she had allowed her heart to be divided. She had become overly preoccupied with making a good impression by having everything come out just right. A tinge of vanity had temporarily upended the true priorities of her heart, leading her to overemphasize secondary things. She resented Mary for not sharing her desire to make the evening go perfectly according to plan. She lashed out at her sister in a typical family squabble.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Whenever we allow self-centered desires to compete with, instead of purified and ordered by, the one desire that we really need, we fall into the same trap.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Pulling Big Weeds<\/b><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The lesson is clear. We not only need to nourish our desire for God, we also need to keep the soil of our heart free from suffocating, contradictory desires. This takes two forms of spiritual discipline.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">First, we need to uproot the thorns that are already growing in our souls. These include obvious sinful habits, like losing our temper, procrastinating, gossiping, using pornography, lying, cheating, abusing alcohol or drugs, and all the other destructive behaviors that flow from the seven capital sins of gluttony, lust, anger, sloth, arrogance, envy, and greed.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">These are behaviors that the fallen world tolerates, and even encourages. Popular culture glorifies them in music, film, and advertising. But they are poison for the heart. They destroy and enslave us and those we love. They are sins because they are evil, because they go directly against everything that will make us flourish as human beings created in God\u2019s image.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Battles between Flesh and Spirit\u00a0<\/b><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">St. Paul refers to these sins as the desires of our \u201cflesh.\u201d Flesh in this context doesn\u2019t mean our bodies, our materiality, which is fundamentally good because it is created by God. Rather, it means our fallen nature, our wounded human nature that pulls us away from the path of life in God\u2019s Spirit.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">I say, then: live by the Spirit and you will certainly not gratify the desire of the flesh. For the flesh has desires against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh. . . . Now the works of the flesh are obvious: immorality, impurity, licentiousness, idolatry, sorcery, hatreds, rivalry, jealousy, outbursts of fury, acts of selfishness, dissensions, factions, occasions of envy, drinking bouts, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. (Gal. 5:16\u201321)<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Because tendencies toward these behaviors are rooted deep within us (often connected to emotional wounds that we are barely aware of) and continuously stimulated by influences all around us, uprooting the thorns of sinful habits can be a long and difficult process. Traditionally, this phase of spiritual growth is called the purgative, or purification, stage.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Pulling Little Weeds<\/b><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">As the soil of our hearts is cleared of the big thorn bushes, we can focus more on watering and fertilizing the good desire for God, which is the topic of the rest of this book. But even then, we have to keep a lookout for the return of new weeds \u2014 this is the second spiritual discipline that keeps our heart\u2019s soil clean and rich. It involves sub-disciplines such as making room for silence in our daily lives, including some voluntary austerity in our lifestyle, keeping a healthy balance between work and rest, being more and more intentional as regards the kind of input we allow into our minds and imaginations \u2014 choosing, for example, types of entertainment and recreation that both delight and also edify. If we are careless in these little things, the weeds will surely come back, and the thorns will choke the precious core desire of the Christ-centered heart.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Questions for Personal Reflection or Group Discussion<\/b><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">What idea in this reflection struck you most and why?<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">What big weeds has God uprooted from your life in the past? Thank him for that grace.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Are there any big weeds still choking your relationship with God? Ask him for the light and strength to root them out.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">What types of situations typically make you \u201cworried and anxious\u201d? Why? Speak with God about any desires or fears that may be dividing your heart.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">One of the greatest dangers for our spiritual growth is falling into routine. When we lose sight of the real purpose of our lives, of God\u2019s dream for us, we can just get stuck in a rut, doing the same things over again, and maybe even doing them well but without the zest of consciously remembering how they fit into God\u2019s bigger picture.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">What will you do differently today to activate your desire to \u201cseek first the kingdom of God\u201d?<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">I will serve someone who usually serves me.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">I will re-read something from my past (a diary or journal entry, a letter, an old essay) that will stir up afresh the best dreams of my heart.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">(Write your own resolution) I will<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><b>Concluding Prayer<\/b><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Too late have I loved you, O Beauty so ancient, O Beauty so new.\u00a0<br \/><\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Too late have I loved you!\u00a0<br \/><\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">You were within me but I was outside myself, and there I sought you!\u00a0<br \/><\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In my weakness I ran after the beauty of the things you have made.\u00a0<br \/><\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">You were with me, and I was not with you.\u00a0<br \/><\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The things you have made kept me from you \u2014 the things which would have no being unless they existed in you!\u00a0<br \/><\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">You have called, you have cried, and you have pierced my deafness.\u00a0<br \/><\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">You have radiated forth, you have shined out brightly, and you have dispelled my blindness.\u00a0<br \/><\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">You have sent forth your fragrance, and I have breathed it in, and I long for you.<br \/><\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">I have tasted you, and I hunger and thirst for you.<br \/><\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">You have touched me, and I ardently desire your peace.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> \u2014 St. Augustine of Hippo<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Day 8 Freeing My Heart Undoubtedly, the journey is arduous; it demands availability, courage, self-denial, in order to make one\u2019s life, as Christ did his, a \u201cgift\u201d of love to [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":359,"featured_media":163097,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"inline_featured_image":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","ast-disable-related-posts":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"default","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"default","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"set","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"categories":[6893],"tags":[2965],"post_folder":[],"class_list":["post-163256","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-lent-2025","tag-lent"],"pp_statuses_selecting_workflow":false,"pp_workflow_action":"current","pp_status_selection":"","pp_force_visibility":null,"pp_subpost_visibility":null,"pp_inherited_force_visibility":null,"pp_inherited_subpost_visibility":null,"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v28.8 (Yoast SEO v28.8) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Lent 2025 - Day 8 - Freeing My Heart - Regnum Christi<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.regnumchristi.com\/en\/lent-2025-day-8-freeing-my-heart\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Lent 2025 - Day 8 - Freeing My Heart\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Day 8 Freeing My Heart Undoubtedly, the journey is arduous; 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John Bartunek, LC\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/622fd36594e05daecbf3cb6f50d7151c3066ae3991815fa200dc7c1865bc6a7e?s=96&d=blank&r=g\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/622fd36594e05daecbf3cb6f50d7151c3066ae3991815fa200dc7c1865bc6a7e?s=96&d=blank&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/622fd36594e05daecbf3cb6f50d7151c3066ae3991815fa200dc7c1865bc6a7e?s=96&d=blank&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Fr. John Bartunek, LC\"},\"description\":\"Fr. John Bartunek, LC, S.Th.D, received his BA in History from Stanford University in 1990. He comes from an evangelical Christian background and became a member of the Catholic Church in 1991. After college, he worked as a high school history teacher, drama director, and baseball coach. He then spent a year as a professional actor in Chicago before entering the religious Congregation of the Legionaries of Christ in 1993. He was ordained a Catholic priest in 2003 and earned his doctorate in moral theology in 2010. He provided spiritual support on the set of Mel Gibson\u2019s\u00a0The Passion of the Christ\u00a0while researching the 2005 Catholic best seller,\u00a0Inside the Passion, the only authorized, behind-the-scenes explanation of the film. Fr. John has contributed news commentary regarding religious issues on NBC, CNN, Fox, and the BBC. He also served as the English-language press liaison for the Vatican\u2019s 2005 Synod of Bishops on the Eucharist. His most widely known books are The Better Part: A Christ-Centered Resource for Personal Prayer and 60 Days to Becoming a Missionary Disciple. His most recent book is\u00a0Spiritual But Not Religious: The Search for Meaning in a Material World. Fr. John resides in Atlanta and serves as Territorial Vicar for the Legionaries of Christ. See all books, Regnum Christi Essays, Retreat Guides, posts, and online classes from Fr. 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