Lenten Meditations: Saturday 27 February

Feb 27, 2021 by

Sat

Feb 27

am 55

pm: 138, 139

    Deut 11:18-28      Heb 5:1-10      John 4:1-26

 

SATURDAY OF LENT I – Saint John Cassian, Monastic and Spiritual Director 435

 

LITURGICAL THEME FOR THE DAY: Born around 360, Cassian was educated in both Latin (the local language at that time) and Greek. Drawn to monastic life but finding no monasteries in the vicinity, Cassian went to the Holy Land and became a monk in Bethlehem. While On pilgrimage in Constantinople, Saint John Chrysostom came to know him and ordained Cassian a deacon and joined him to his cathedral staff. Eventually he journeyed to the south of France where he founded two monasteries at Marseilles. Before his death at Marseilles Cassian in 435 wrote the three works that have contributed greatly to the Christian spiritual tradition:  The Institutes, The Conferences, and The Treatise on the Incarnation

 

MEDITATION OF THE DAY:

Dallas Willard in his excellent work The Spirit of the Disciplines, maintains that many of us struggle with following the mandates of Christ because we’re trying to do it part-way. We think that we can keep most of our lives the same as others around us and just follow a few key commands, picking and choosing as we may see fit. The challenge for us is obedience .

 

When one reads the call to obedience that Jesus had as part of his vocation, it is difficult for us to grasp because most of us simply are not wired that way. The fruit of Christ’s obedience, however, is the fulfillment of the Covenant. That is a selfless act that we are beneficiaries of  because for those of us who seek that in Christ,  He is our  great advocate the author of Hebrews wants us to be clear that  if we were to set our hearts on full commitment and humbly seek the grace that comes from the obedience to the Spirit, there is the very fulfillment that we long for.

 

PRAYER OF THE DAY: Lord Jesus, your ways are not our ways. Help us to joyfully seek to follow your ways with our whole being. Help us to discern how and why we hold back. We thank you that you offer us rest and wisdom as we seek to become more perfect in all our ways.

 

ANCIENT WISDOM/PRESENT GRACE: “”We are often indifferent to our brethren who are distressed or upset, on the grounds that they are in this state through no fault of ours. The Doctor of souls, however, wishing to root out the soul’s excuses from the heart, tells us to leave our gift and to be reconciled not only if we happen to be upset by our brother, but also if he is upset by us, whether justly or unjustly; only when we have healed the breach through our apology should we offer our gift.””. – St. John Cassian, The Conferences

 

LENTEN DISCIPLINE Practice Obedience and submission to opportunities of service that you otherwise may ignore because it is a weekend.

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