Lenten Meditations: Thursday 4 March
| Thurs Mar 4 |
am: 70, 71 pm: 74 |
Jere 4:9-10, 19-28 | Rom 2:12-24 | John 5:19-29 |
THURSDAY OF LENT II: Saint Gerasimos the Righteous of Jordan, Hermit and Monk, 475
LITURGICAL THEME OF THE DAY: St. Gerasimos comes to us today from the Eastern Orthodox calendar and is noted as an ascetic in Egypt at a young age and eventually went to Jordan to found a community. Upon establishment 70 monks joined him (this community still exists today). He instituted a special rule for his monastery. According to this rule the monks spent five days a week in their cells weaving baskets and rush mats. They were never allowed to light a fire in their cells. Five days a week they ate only a little dry bread and a few dates. The monks were required to keep their cells open so that, when they went out, anyone could enter and remove whatever he needed from their cells. On Saturdays and Sundays, they gathered in the monastery church. They had a common meal with a few vegetables and a little wine to the glory of God. Each monk would then bring in and place before the feet of the abbot that which he had made during the past five days. Each monk had only one robe. St. Gerasimos was an example to all. During Great Lent he did not eat anything except what he received in Holy Communion. He died on this date in 475.
MEDITATION OF THE DAY: The Psalm today contains a prayer we all have either felt or expressed at one point or another. O Lord, make hast to help me, do not delay. Why do we ask God to hurry? Is there an urgency that our prayer concern has that is time sensitive? Could it be that it is because we are impatient? Perhaps it is simply meant to express the longing that we possess? Whatever the rational might be typically if nothing else when I ask God to hurry, I at least feel that I am being fervent in prayer.
In a world where almost, everything is rushed and instantaneous, the notion of waiting on something or someone for any extended period of time seems unnecessary. Certainly, during this pandemic, we are accustomed to being delayed in certain circumstances such as healthcare but less so in ordering items from Amazon. It may be that God in fact hears the cries of our supplications and answers without delay while at other times He waits until any response is in accord with his time and will. The wait is not always easy for us because of this false sense of time we have. What do we do in those circumstances? Do we grow in grace and virtue amidst these difficult days or do we choose the path of impatience, frustration, and disappointment because we are not waiting on God but making demands of God because things are tougher than we like.
PRAYER OF THE DAY: Gracious God, it’s so hard to wait. To wait for new things to happen in my life. To wait for you to answer my prayers. To wait for the open doors that may lead me into a new way of being. Deepen my trust, O Lord, during the times when my heart longs for what can only come in the fullness of time. Give me a calm assurance that your will for me is grander than anything I could ever imagine. Still my mind and heart in your love so that I am mindful of the grace you are draping around me every single day, every single moment. I ask this for the sake of your love. Amen
ANCIENT WISDOM/PRESENT GRACE: ‘We are all to pray to God to take from us the
opportunity of sinning; so frail we are, it is no sooner offered but we are ready to
embrace it – God help us.”. – Blessed Jeremy Taylor
Lenten Discipline – Pray today that you will be patient amidst this pandemic and give God the praise for be aiding you in patient suffering.
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