Lenten Meditations: Friday 23 February
| Fri Feb 23 |
am: 40, 54 pm: 51 |
Gen 40:1-23 | 1 Cor 3:16-23 | Mark 2:13-22 |
FIRST FRIDAY OF LENT – Feast St. Polycarp Bishop of Smyrna and Martyr, 156
LITURGICAL THEME FOR THE DAY: Polycarp was Bishop who was under the tutelage of John the Divine. The letters to the “seven churches in Asia” at the beginning of the book of Revelation include a letter to the church in Smyrna, identifying it as a church undergoing persecution.
As one who was instructed by John in the Christian faith. Polycarp, he too was educated by another saint of the church in St. Irenaeus, who later became Bishop of Lyons, France. We have (1) Irenaeus’s brief memoir of Polycarp; (2) a letter to Polycarp from Ignatius of Antioch, written around 115 AD when Ignatius was passing through Turkey, being sent in chains to Rome to be put to death; (3) a letter from Polycarp to the church at Philippi, written at the same time; and (4) an account of the arrest, trial, conviction, and martyrdom of Polycarp, written after his death by one or more members of his congregation.
Polycarp was denounced to the government, arrested, and tried on the charge of being a Christian. When the proconsul urged him to save his life by cursing Christ, he replied: “Eighty-six years I have served him, and he never did me any wrong. How can I blaspheme my King who saved me?” The magistrate was reluctant to kill a gentle old man, but he had no choice.
MEDITATION FOR THE DAY : Paul the Apostle reminds the Corinthians in this lesson that they are the temple of God, or more specifically that God dwells in them through faith and love being manifest in them. As a result, be very careful…full of care not to defile that reality. That makes sense of course but he reminds us that mere human wisdom is foolishness in the sight of God. Despite our reliance on it, we as Christians must come to see that the wisdom of the world, separated from God and His grace, is vain and leads to confusion, not clarity.
On account of our dignity as Christians all things such as the visible world around, life and death, things present and things to come-were theirs, are to be made use of for their spiritual benefit and advancement. Once we select for a purpose that is of the Lord’s, what could be better than that? Isn’t that what Polycarp tried to say when imprisoned? If it is so liberating, what is holding more of us about.
PRAYER OF THE DAY – Lord, during this Lenten journey nourish us with your word so we may grow in the promise of grace. May this Grace which comes from your love and care embolden our won love for you and very increase our faith. Grant this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever.
LENTEN DISCIPLINE – PRACTICE “DO NO HARM”:
There are four things we need to abandon in order to be able to think about and live this first discipline
1. Abandon Revenge
2. Abandon Self-Centeredness
3. Abandon Superiority:
4. Abandon Imperfection
Spend the weekend living these values and see what transformation begins within you.
ANCIENT WISDOM/PRESENT GRACE: “Our actions have a tongue of their own; they have an eloquence of their own, even when the tongue is silent. For deeds prove the lover more than words.” – St. Cyril
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