Lenten Meditations: Tuesday 24 March
| Tues Mar 24 |
am: 97, 99, 100 pm: 94, 95 |
Gen 49:29-50:14 | 1 Cor 11:17-34 | Mark 8:1-10 |
FOURTH TUESDAY OF LENT : Walter Hilton of Thurgarton, Monk and Mystic, 1396
LITURGICAL THEME FOR THE DAY: Born in 1343, Walter Hilton studied Canon Law at Cambridge but after a period as a hermit, he joined the community of Augustinian Canons at Thurgarton in Nottinghamshire. Highly regarded in his lifetime as a spiritual guide, he wrote in both Latin and English and translated several Latin devotional works. Controversy with the Lollards (The Lollards followed from the teachings of John Wyclif a prominent theologian at Oxford in the mid-14th Century. They wanted reform of the Church and taught that piety was a requirement for a priest to be a “true” priest and perform the sacraments. They also maintained that a pious layman had power to perform those same rites, believing that religious power and authority came through piety and not through the Church hierarchy). His works gave a sharper definition to his exposition of the aims, methods and disciplines of traditional spirituality. Amongst his major works, Ladder of Perfection (Book Two) declares that contemplation, understood in a profoundly Trinitarian context as awareness of grace and sensitivity to the Spirit, may and should be sought by all serious Christians.
MEDITATION OF THE DAY: This story from Mark is quite familiar to us and does remind us of the feeding of the 5000. What does strike us is not so much Jesus desire to help the hungry but the ongoing inability of the disciples who continue to follow Jesus without fully understanding Him as Lord and Savior Jesus. In verse 4 they say, “How are we going to do that (feed the crowd)?” We almost expect Jesus to say, “are you serious, don’t you just remember what I did not so long ago?” But he doesn’t. His response is patient and he explain the directions to them again. We see that the disciples still don’t get it after more miracles and more teaching. We of course wonder what the Lord himself must wonder about us: “What is it going to take for them to understand?” Just as with the disciples then and us today, our understanding will require more catechesis, more prayer, more miracles, and more grace. The disciplines of Lent can help us with those things and lead to a place of better understanding of our Lord.
PRAYER OF THE DAY: “God of infinite love, I thank you for this reminder of your love
and your call that we be more patient, gentle and compassionate with others.
As we continue in this Lenten journey, I turn to you to beg for your help. Please soften my heart and make me mindful of your call and gift in my life. I ask you this, in Jesus’ name. Amen.
ANCIENT WISDOM/PRESENT GRACE: “The purpose of prayer is not to inform our Lord what you desire, for He knows all your needs. It is to render you able and ready to receive the grace which our Lord will freely give you. This grace cannot be experienced until you have been refined and purified by the fire of desire in devout prayer. For although prayer is not the cause for which our Lord gives grace, it is nevertheless the means by which grace, freely given, comes to the soul.” — Walter Hilton of Thurgarton
LENTEN DISCIPLINE – Listen to the Parable of the Pilgrim as part of your Lenten Meditation Go To https://youtu.be/RoP9ja00Ulc
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