| Sat Mar 22 | am: 75, 76 pm: 23, 27 | Jere 5:20-31 | Rom 3:19-31 | John 7:1-13 |
SECOND SATURDAY OF LENT – – Blessed James De Koven, Priest& Missionary in North America
LITURGICAL THEME FOR THE DAY: James de Koven, a priest, was a professor of Church history at Nashotah House, and later became Warden of Racine College, an Episcopal college in Racine, Wisconsin. In the General Conventions of 1871 and 1874, de Koven became the chief spokesman for the “ritualists,” defending the use of candles, incense, bowing and kneeling, and the like. He reminded his hearers of the numerous assertions by prominent Anglican theologians from the Reformation on down who had taught, and the ecclesiastical courts which when the question came up had ruled, that it is Anglican belief, shared not only with Romans but with Lutherans and East Orthodox, that the presence of the Body and Blood of Christ in the Sacrament is a real and objective presence. However, he was eloquent and firm in saying: “The gestures and practices by which we recognize the presence of Christ do not matter. Only Christ matters.”
MEDITATION OF THE DAY: Psalm 27 reminds us that prayer builds up individuals and the Body of Christ even if the prayer doesn’t result exactly as we might have hoped and prayed. This is a good Psalm to remind us that the activity of prayer enriches a relationship between the one who prays and the one to whom we pray to — God. It also serves as a good reminder that prayer is individual and communal; it binds petitioners and the one God in an intimate relationship of trust and hope.
PRAYER OF THE DAY: O God , teach me to be humble in my prayer, to come to you without demands, to pray unceasing without fretting, to be vigilant in my prayer for others and not to focus on looking for any reward other than that of knowing that I do your holy will. Amen.
ANCIENT WISDOM/PRESENT GRACE: “To love God as He ought to be loved, we must be detached from all temporal love. We must love nothing but Him, or if we love anything else, we must love it only for His sake.”— St. Peter Claver
Lenten Discipline – Turn off your car radio and/or tape/CD player as you travel to and from work. Use this time for quiet reflection on your week and ponder how many opportunities could come your way to fulfill the role as servant. How many people have been that to you? How do you respond?
SONG FOR THE SEASON- This Alone by Tim Mannion