Lenten Meditations: Wednesday 7 March
| Wed Mar 7 |
am: 119:97-120 pm: 81, 82 |
Gen 45:16-28 | 1 Cor 8:1-13 | Mark 6:13-29 |
WEDNESDAY LENT III: Perpetua & her Companions, Martyrs at Carthage, 292
LITURGICAL THEME FOR THE DAY: Perpetua was one of five Christians condemned to death in the arena. One of her companions, Felicitas, was a slave and eight months pregnant. Two days before her execution she gave birth to a daughter. Pepetua’s father was a pagan and came often to the prison (many times with Perpetua’s son in his arms) to plead with his daughter to renounce her religion and save her life – to no avail. On this day, Perpetua and her four companions were led to the arena where the crowd demanded they be scourged. Then a boar, a bear and a leopard were loosened upon the men while the women were attacked by a wild bull. Wounded, Perpetua was then put to the sword . Perpetua was a young, married noblewoman of Carthage and Felicity was her personal slave. Saturas was possibly a priest and there were two other men, Saturninus and Revocatus, the latter also a slave. It seems most of them were catechumens when arrested and only baptized later in prison. They were condemned as Christians by the Roman authorities They all survived and were then taken to be executed by the sword. Before this, they all exchanged the Kiss of Peace and affirmed their faith in Christ, the Son of God.
MEDITATION OF THE DAY: Psalm 81 may be called a good Primer Psalm to review the essence of what we should be about in the season of Lent. As one reads and prays the psalm one cannot miss the call to the people of God to live lives of faithfulness in light. While the Psalmist refers specifically to the covenant of the law given at Sinai and continues to review of the blessings of living a life in obedience it should not take much to the Christian to apply the principles today. In our day, the people of the Covenant are the church and we are no less called to listen to the Word of God; rather than our own voice or the voice of others. Let us remember the Hebrew word for ‘hear’ also implies ‘obey’. Is it not true that to listen to God inevitably result in a commitment to follow his ways with humble obedience?
PRAYER OF THE DAY: Loving Father give me a heart open to the truth of Your word – that I may turn my ears to listen to Your wisdom. Please give me a wise and understanding heart –a heart that readily discerns Your will so that I make the best choices for my life and am enabled to give of myself to You and others. Amen
Lenten Discipline – Today prayer for the Persecution of Christians in Tunisia where Cathage is located. Persecution in Tunisia is increasingly shaped by Islamic extremism. Pressure on Christians is highest in the family sphere, followed by the church and community.
ANCIENT WISDOM/PRESENT GRACE: “We were in the hands of our persecutors, when my father, out of the affection he bore me, made new efforts to shake my resolution. I said to him: ‘Can that vessel, which you see, change its name?’ He said: ‘No.’ I replied: ‘Nor can I call myself any other than I am, that is to say, a Christian.’ — St. Perpetua, Martyr
Related Posts
Tags
Share This
