Lenten Meditations: Friday 3 April
| Fri April 3 |
am: 22 pm: 141, 143 |
Exod 9:13-35 | 2 Cor 4:1-12 | Mark 10:32-45 |
FIFTH FRIDAY OF LENT – Saint Nicetas, Abbot of Medicium, 824
LITURGICAL THEME FOR THE DAY – Saint Nicetas lived in the eighth century and became the Abbot of the Monastery of Medicium, which was near the city of Triglia on the Sea of Marmara. For his Orthodox confession of the veneration of the holy icons, he was persecuted and exiled twice by the Iconoclast Emperor Leo the Armenian, but recalled by Michael the Stutterer, and reposed, adorned with the twofold crown of holiness and of confession of the Orthodox Faith, about the year 824..
MEDITATION OF THE DAY: Fridays in Lent is historically a time when Christians meditate upon the Passion and death of Jesus Christ who died on the Cross at Calvary for the Salvation of humankind. Over the centuries various devotions have developed to highlight this fact and to call each of us to ponder anew this profound act of Love. Such reflection should compel us to embrace that Lent is a time to “repent and believe in the Gospel” and meditating on Jesus’ passion is on Fridays in particular is one way to awaken us from our spiritual slumber and turn us toward God. One of the popular approaches to this has been the Stations of the Cross, which is a form of devotion commemorating the Passion and death of Jesus. These stations are a series of meditations that are also called the Way of the Cross.
Holy Land pilgrims visit the actual scenes in the Passion of Christ (Jerusalem’s Via Dolorosa), actually walking where Jesus walked. The practice of placing the Stations in our churches and reciting them began as early as the 5th century and was promoted widely by the Franciscans in the 14th century. Fridays during Lent is a time for people of faith to come together and walk the Way of the Cross as a means of taking the Fridays of Lent to heart.
PRAYER OF THE DAY: “Almighty and Everlasting God, You have given the human race
Jesus Christ our Savior as a model of humility. He fulfilled Your Will by becoming Man
And giving His life on the Cross. Help us to bear witness to You. By following His example of suffering. And make us worthy to share in His Resurrection. We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, Your Son. Amen.
ANCIENT WISDOM/PRESENT GRACE: ““No act of virtue can be great if it is not followed by advantage for others. So, no matter how much time you spend fasting, no matter how much you sleep on a hard floor and eat ashes and sigh continually, if you do no good to others, you do nothing great.”- St John Chrysostom.”
Lenten Discipline – Take up the Cross. Many are feeling that burden deeply in this Pandemic. A new version has come about in light of Co-Vid 19. Go to https://saginaw.org/news/local-priests-mom-composes-stations-cross-coronavirus-pandemic to view their observation.
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