I’m a Former Calvinist — Here’s How I Learned to Love the Beauty of Lent

[Michie]

‘Let us remember that love lives through sacrifice and is nourished by giving,’ says St. Maximilian Kolbe. ‘Without sacrifice, there is no love.’

Lent is a profoundly beautiful season, and therefore beckons the heart to do profoundly beautiful things for Our Lord and others.

It is a season where Christ Crucified touches your soul and inspires you to give and not count the cost — to forgive the one who has hurt you deeply, to lay down your life for a suffering friend, to be open to life when it is most difficult, to speak the truth when you know you will be persecuted for it, to be “another Christ” in a world that has disowned him.

Providentially, the fertile ground of family life gives us many ways to embrace the true spirit of the Lenten Season, which is to live for the love of God and be a loyal friend of Christ, to the very end.

Recently, I asked two faithful priest-brothers what their family (of nine children) did in honor of Lent when they were growing up. I was astounded at what they told me. Not only did they go to Mass, recite the Rosary and pray the Stations of the Cross every day, but they also gave up all desserts and sweets as a family, along with most snacks. They made a weekly Holy Hour together as well. Both brothers expressed gratitude over the “diligent piety” of their parents, saying how much this family spirit of sacrifice nurtured their vocations to the priesthood and taught them what it really meant to love God and others.

Continued below.

I’m a Former Calvinist — Here’s How I Learned to Love the Beauty of Lent

‘Let us remember that love lives through sacrifice and is nourished by giving,’ says St. Maximilian Kolbe. ‘Without sacrifice, there is no love.’

www.ncregister.com

 

[WarriorAngel]

‘Let us remember that love lives through sacrifice and is nourished by giving,’ says St. Maximilian Kolbe. ‘Without sacrifice, there is no love.’

Lent is a profoundly beautiful season, and therefore beckons the heart to do profoundly beautiful things for Our Lord and others.

It is a season where Christ Crucified touches your soul and inspires you to give and not count the cost — to forgive the one who has hurt you deeply, to lay down your life for a suffering friend, to be open to life when it is most difficult, to speak the truth when you know you will be persecuted for it, to be “another Christ” in a world that has disowned him.

Providentially, the fertile ground of family life gives us many ways to embrace the true spirit of the Lenten Season, which is to live for the love of God and be a loyal friend of Christ, to the very end.

Recently, I asked two faithful priest-brothers what their family (of nine children) did in honor of Lent when they were growing up. I was astounded at what they told me. Not only did they go to Mass, recite the Rosary and pray the Stations of the Cross every day, but they also gave up all desserts and sweets as a family, along with most snacks. They made a weekly Holy Hour together as well. Both brothers expressed gratitude over the “diligent piety” of their parents, saying how much this family spirit of sacrifice nurtured their vocations to the priesthood and taught them what it really meant to love God and others.

Continued below.

I’m a Former Calvinist — Here’s How I Learned to Love the Beauty of Lent

‘Let us remember that love lives through sacrifice and is nourished by giving,’ says St. Maximilian Kolbe. ‘Without sacrifice, there is no love.’

www.ncregister.com

 

[JM]

Many Calvinists take part in Lent just not Reformed Christians.

 

[WarriorAngel]

Many Calvinists take part in Lent just not Reformed Christians.

The groups that originally protested, yes.

Be a sinner and sin boldly, but believe and rejoice in Christ even more boldly. - Martin Luther

"Matthew 5:48 Be perfect, therefore, as your Heavenly Father is perfect".

Think I will do my best to follow Jesus on that. Not saying I am perfect, but sin boldly... Um... sounds nothing even close to what Jesus said.
"GO and sin NO more."

 

[JM]

The groups that originally protested, yes.



"Matthew 5:48 Be perfect, therefore, as your Heavenly Father is perfect".

Think I will do my best to follow Jesus on that. Not saying I am perfect, but sin boldly... Um... sounds nothing even close to what Jesus said.
"GO and sin NO more."

Luther is using hyperbole.

 

[WarriorAngel]

Luther is using hyperbole.

I'm assuming you disagree by suggesting, though in error, that he was using hyperbole.
But you are mistaken.

A letter to Melanchthon;

Read the letter fragment in an English translation, you can here. I will quote only the crucial paragraph in question:​

​

If you are a preacher of mercy, do not preach an imaginary but the true mercy. If the mercy is true, you must therefore bear the true, not an imaginary sin. God does not save those who are only imaginary sinners. Be a sinner, and let your sins be strong [or sin boldly], but let your trust in Christ be stronger, and rejoice in Christ who is the victor over sin, death, and the world. We will commit sins while we are here, for this life is not a place where justice resides. We, however, says Peter (2. Peter 3:13), are looking forward to a new heaven and a new earth where justice will reign. It suffices that through God’s glory we have recognized the Lamb who takes away the sin of the world. No sin can separate us from Him, even if we were to kill or commit adultery thousands of times each day. Do you think such an exalted Lamb paid merely a small price with a meager sacrifice for our sins? Pray hard for you are quite a sinner.​

Yet St John himself disagreed with Luthers assessment, for he said:
'Do not pray for sins unto death...' aka in Latin 'mortal' sin.

And again; Jesus says 'Do NOT test the Lord your God.'
So it would seem, boldly sinning and letting ones sins be strong to EVEN kill another or commit adultery, having Him [Who said sin no more] to cover sins you may commit a 1000 times a day, might seem a lot like testing Him.

BUT again, another very extraordinary mishap, or overlooked is the very fact all the followers of Luther made him a pope.
A leader in teaching.
Someone who would BUILD his own church. Set up his own traditions and beliefs.

^^^ That's undeniable. Furthermore; hypocrisy on Luthers part to attack having a teacher [who is on the chair of Peter with a lineage kept intact] and then create his very own.

ANYWAY; the ideas Luther promoted were of old... What is Antinomianism and who teaches it?.

 

[JM]

This is your forum so I can’t really mount a defence, even if invited as it is against the forums rules, I’ll just say I disagree due to the lack and twisting of context.