Lenten Meditations: Sunday 18 February
| Sun Feb 18 |
am: 63, 98 pm: 103 |
Deut 26:4-10 | Romans 10: 8-13. | St. Luke 5:1-11 |
First Sunday of Lent
LITURGICAL THEME FOR THE DAY: The lessons and themes of this First Sunday reminds us that we are faced with clear choices and we can’t have it both ways: we can put our faith in God or in the devil. The Old Testament reminds us in this season how the Jewish people had to choose to put their faith in the one God who had chosen and gathered them. Like them, we must believe, confess and live our faith that. During Lent God asks us to scrutinize the choices we make, so that at Easter we can truly “confess that Jesus is Lord.”
MEDITATION OF THE DAY: The lections are taken from the Eucharistic Lectionary for this first Sunday of Lent and this account from Luke’s Gospel is quite familiar to most of us. At the very least it is a reminder to us that it is absurd to think that any Christian can or should expect to travel the road of life without meeting obstacles and temptations along the way. If our Lord was faced with it, why do we think we should be exempt. Unlike the Lord, our human nature may be shaky at times and when temptations come along we lose perspective and our intelligence and free-will we think trumps what God’s will for us might be. We rationalize why the decisions for power, prestige and influence is a good thing. If we are better off than we can help others, and after-all isn’t our purpose in life to help humanity to better life, so if I make this choice I might be able to accomplish that. I am sure many a politician started out that way but fewer end that way. The point here is simple whether it is about seeking the pecuniarities, pleasures or powers of this world, we lose sight of the things that matter. Jesus didn’t. He was disciplined and focused when the easier way would have been not to be.
PRAYER OF THE DAY: Father, You have shown us through the example of Your Son, Jesus, that we must set aside a regular time and quiet place to meet with You, to hear Your voice, to recognize Your presence and to invite Your transforming power to renew our hearts and minds every day. We want Your kingdom of light to guide us through this world of darkness as You stamp Your own image deep in our hearts like carpenters who embed nails deep in planks of wood. Amen
Lenten Discipline – Take this brief inventory.
- Where do the temptations of Christ afflict you?
- What fleshly desires tempt you? How does power and profit affect you?
- How just are you in the exercise of whatever power you may have in family, church, society, government?
- In the time of your prosperity, do you remember the time when you were in need?
- In the time of your prosperity, do you stand in solidarity with those who remain in need?
- In the time of your prosperity, can you embrace a poverty of spirit that opens your soul deeply to hunger for God?
ANCIENT WISDOM/PRESENT GRACE: “When you perceive that God is chastening you, fly not to his enemies . . . but to his friends, the martyrs, the saints, and those who were pleasing to him, and who have great power in God”- St. Augustine (Orations 8:6 ).
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