| Wed Feb 25 | am: 119:49-72 pm: 49, 53 | Gen 37:25-36 | 1 Cor 2:1-13 | Luke 11:29-32 |
WEDNESDAY LENT I – St. Tarasius, Patriarch of Constantinople, 806.
LITURGICAL THEME FOR THE DAY: Tarasius had embarked on a career in the secular administration and had attained the rank of senator, eventually becoming imperial secretary (asekretis) to the Emperor Constantine VI and his mother, the Empress Irene. Originally, he
embraced Iconoclasm, but later repented, resigned his post, and retired to a monastery, taking the Great Schema (monastic habit). Since he exhibited both Iconodule sympathies and the willingness to follow imperial commands when they were not contrary to the faith, he was selected as Patriarch of Constantinople by the Empress Irene in 784, even though he was a layman at the time. Nevertheless, like all educated Byzantines, he was well versed in theology, and the election of qualified laymen as bishops was not unheard of in the history of the Church. He reluctantly accepted, on condition that church unity would be restored with Rome and the oriental Patriarchs.
BIBLICAL MEDITATION OF THE DAY: In Genesis 37, we read how Joseph’s brothers, jealous of his favored status, sell him into slavery. The passage ends with the grim image of Joseph being taken away, his coat of many colors torn, his dreams mocked, and his future seemingly sealed in darkness. Yet, even in the midst of betrayal, the narrative hints at a deeper purpose: “the Lord was with Joseph” (v. 28).
When disaster strikes—whether it is loss, illness, or betrayal—our first instinct is often to cling to the present pain. We ask, “Why me?” and allow bitterness to take root. In the Lenten season, we are called to step back from that immediate reaction and view suffering through
an eternal lens: a moment that, in God’s providence, can be transformed into growth,
compassion, and deeper reliance on Him.
PRAYER OF THE DAY: Lord, you walked beside Joseph in the pit, in prison, and in the palace. Teach us to see our own pits as places where your presence can dwell. Grant us the humility to surrender our resentment, the patience to wait for your timing, and the courage to turn every crisis into an opportunity for grace. May this Lenten season be a desert where, like Joseph, we emerge renewed, ready to proclaim that “what you meant for evil, God meant for good.” Through Christ our suffering Savior, we pray. Amen
ANCIENT WISDOM/PRESENT GRACE: “To think ourselves imperfect, and others perfect—- that is happiness. That creatures recognize we are without virtue takes nothing from us, makes us no poorer; it is they who by this lose interior joy; for there is nothing sweeter than to think well of our neighbor”- Saint Therese of Lisieux.
LENTEN DISCIPLINE – Keep a Daily Gratitude Journal: Write down three specific blessings or things you are grateful for every day, and whenever a thought of self-pity arises, immediately replace it with a prayer of thanksgiving or a prayer for someone else in your journal.
SONG OF THE HEART, SONG OF THE SEASON – In Christ Alone – Keith & Kristyn Getty, Alison Krauss