#142 The Journey of the Cross in Lent

Have you ever felt like Lent is both a season you love and a season you dread? You love the idea of drawing closer to Christ, of letting Him work on the areas of your heart that need healing. But then reality sets in—the sacrifices feel heavy, the habits you’re trying to let go of seem harder to break, and suddenly, you realize how much you've relied on things that may have taken the place of God in your life. If you're in the middle of this struggle, you're not alone. In this episode of Catholic Moms in the Middle, I'm diving into what it means to truly embrace Lent as a season of inner healing, not just a time of "giving up" but a time of giving in—giving in to God's transformative grace and allowing Him to do the deep heart work we often avoid.

As midlife women, we know what it feels like to carry burdens—old wounds, disappointments, and heartbreaks that linger far beyond their time. Lent is an opportunity to take those burdens to the foot of the cross and allow Jesus to bring resurrection into the broken places of our hearts. This season, I invite you to move beyond simply examining your conscience and instead, go deeper into an examination of the heart. What if your struggles, your losses, even your sleepless nights are an invitation from God? What if He is calling you into the desert, not to leave you in your suffering, but to heal you in the quiet, to restore your weary soul, and to remind you that the cross always leads to resurrection?

This Lent, I want to walk with you through this journey of healing—one episode at a time. Over the next several weeks, we’ll explore how to recognize the wounds that still need healing, how to surrender them to Christ, and how to allow His love to fill the empty spaces in our hearts. If you’ve ever felt stuck, if you’re wrestling with past hurts or struggling to trust God’s plan, I encourage you to lean into this season as a time of renewal. Join me on Catholic Moms in the Middle as we explore what it means to experience true transformation this Lent—one that goes beyond fasting and penance, into a deep and lasting healing that only Christ can bring.

Jennie Guinn is a Catholic speaker, Life Coach, Podcaster, Weekly Radio Show Host on Nashville Catholic Radio and Radio Maria USA, and the founder of Catholic Moms in the Middle. After 26 years of working in Catholic education, Jennie felt God calling her "to step out of the boat" to serve in a new way. In her new ministry, she equips and encourages middle-life women to encounter the love of the Father and to be transformed and healed by the power of the Holy Spirit so they can MAGNIFY Christ in their corner of the world.