A Letter to the Woman Healing This Lent // Sr. Miriam James Heidland

Ready or not, here comes Lent. Some of us are READY for it. Some of us hate it. But most of us know that we’re supposed to be transformed by Lent. So we give up our alarm clocks, we take on extra prayer time, we put away our coffee maker for forty days (well, some of you do, I haven’t done that one yet since my sacrifice isn’t supposed to be everyone around me’s sacrifice). 

But what if Lent wasn’t about giving up our chocolate, or our wine, or our Dr. Peppers. Don’t get me wrong - those are good sacrifices (especially for me!) and practicing mortification is important. 

What if Lent this year is a season of engaging the things that are deeper in our own hearts - and what would Lent look like for you if it were a time of healing those deeper parts of your heart?

Today, I’m sitting down with Sr. Miriam James Heidland. She’s recently written a guided Lenten prayer journal called “Restore,” to help you stop trying to go around, underneath, or over the Cross, but to instead go through with Christ this Lenten season. 

If you’re longing for a season of healing and you’re ready to move past telling Jesus what you’re going to give up for Lent and truly listening to his invitation into the deeper parts of your heart that he wants to encounter with you, sister, this letter is for you.

Topics we talked about in this episode:

• Why Lent is the perfect time to engage the deeper parts of our hearts and stories

• How to grow in trust and courage to enter into the desert with Jesus this Lent

• What to do if you’re frustrated with your own journey of healing

• What the aches we experience while fasting can teach us about ourselves

• The concrete ways you can give alms this Lent that goes beyond “giving and going on your way”

• Sr. Miriam’s recommendations for going deeper into healing after the Lenten season is done

• How Sr. Miriam lives out her feminine genius as a religious sister inviting others into deeper healing and conversion of heart

Resources you should check out after listening to this episode:

• “Restore” by Sr. Miriam (use the code RESTORE when purchasing from Ave Maria Press for free shipping!)

• Abiding Together, a podcast co-hosted by Sr. Miriam

• “Be Healed” by Dr. Bob Schuchts

• “Be Restored” by Dr. Bob Schuchts

• Sr. Miriam and Dr. Bob Schuchts on the Hallow app

• Restore the Glory podcast

• Naptime Notes, a new monthly newsletter from Chloe

• Arise: Catholic Young Adult Women’s Conference in Kansas City on March 5, 2022

• Check out The Little Catholic Box and access the exclusive bonuses for LTW listeners

• Pick up a copy of the new Letters to Women book today!

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