Hi, again. I hope you are appreciating yourself more during this Lenten time, while at the same time coming to love God and all of creation more and more.
I want to clarify an important distinction that sometimes mixes us up. At times I will be asked, “With your theology and psychology focused on goodness, don’t you believe in sin?” Yes, of course I believe in sin. As humans, we sometimes lose our way and hurt ourselves and others. I know I do. That is where “guilt” is helpful. Feeling bad about our actions inspires us to seek forgiveness and try to mend the breach. But, even when we sin, we are not defined by it. Hopefully we learn from it and grow into more deeply spiritual and loving persons.
Furthermore, too much of a focus on individual sin turns us unhealthily inward and unable or unwilling to see the larger societal sin happening around us, much less to do something about it. As you all know, we are in a time of great societal sin, either through cruel actions or in closing our eyes and ears to the human suffering surrounding us.
In my first book “Cheering for the Good: Leading When It Matters,” published in 2021, I used cheerleading at games as a metaphor for urging people to unite and use their energy together for good. I noted that we all must be cheer leaders, not in a sports event, but in our lives and in the world today.
“The power in cheerleading comes from a group of fans being united in one loud voice. A single voice is not going to be heard in the din of a game.
... So cheerleaders must believe in the energy of the people, tap into their desire to energize their team, and somehow unite them in one
loud insistent voice. This is also our mission as cheer leaders today.”
And later I add:
[A]s the suffering of our planet grows, … the truth of our oneness with all creation is becoming more demanding of action.... We can
no longer afford to think of ourselves as separate. We must act now! It requires a love for our planet that goes beyond self-centeredness
and partisanship.” An over-emphasis on my personal sin and my personal shame as a sinner can make me want to hide. It can keep
me from sharing with others the spark of the Divine within me to ignite change.
Instead of getting too caught up in my individual sin during this Lent, can I risk being vulnerable and peek outside? Whom do I see? What do I see happening? Am I willing to truly reach out to my neighbors? Can I welcome them into my life and be transformed by the relationship?
Lent is a process of transformation. Are we willing to open ourselves to it? As I say in my book,
“Together we commit ourselves, a tiny band of pilgrims, united in love,
on a journey of transformation, to bring God’s life, love, and presence to a
world aching to be healed and transformed.”
About Sister Karen
Karen Lueck is a Franciscan Sister of Perpetual Adoration. She has spent much of her life recognizing the goodness in herself and others. As an educator, mental health counselor, spiritual director and leader in her congregation of Catholic Sisters, she acted as a cheerleader for the people with whom she ministered. In her first book, "Cheering for the Good: Leading When It Matters," Sister Karen's urges all of us to step up and be the change.
Her new book, "The Green Thread: Reclaiming Our Spiritual Authority," is part memoir, part research narrative about what happens when church and earthly powers form an unholy alliance to keep people, especially women, subservient. "The Green Thread" debuted in September 2025. Follow this Lenten series by visiting Sister Karen's author page here.