Lenten Meditations: Tuesday 12 March 2024
| Tue Mar 12 |
am: 97, 99, 100 pm: 94, 95 |
Gen 49:29-50:14 | 1 Cor 11:17-34 | Mark 8:1-10 |
FOURTH TUESDAY OF LENT – St. Gregory the Great, Bishop of Rome, 604
LITURGICAL THEME FOR THE DAY: Gregory the Great’s influence on the forms of public worship throughout Western Europe was enormous. He founded a school for the training of church musicians, and Gregorian chant (plainchant) is named for him. The schedule of Scripture readings for the various Sundays of the year, and the accompanying prayers (many of them written by him), in use throughout most of Western Christendom for the next thirteen centuries, is largely due to his passion for organization. His treatise, On Pastoral Care, while not a work of creative imagination, shows a dedication to duty, and an understanding of what is required of a minister in charge of a Christian congregation. His sermons are still readable today, and it is not without reason that he is accounted (along with Ambrose, Jerome, and Augustine of Hippo) as one of the Four Latin Doctors (Teachers) of the ancient Church
BIBLICAL MEDITATION OF THE DAY: To some, this is not new information but too much rooted in a post-Church, post-Christian culture that statement is absurd because the message is we are to be our own best versions, in short, our own gods. In the West, we live in a culture where many people live as though they are the creator and center of their universe. They choose their lifestyles, determine their boundaries, and decide their values without little mindfulness of anyone other than themselves. The arena for this ranges from the news to fashion, to sports, to politics where the view is this and the result is pride, self-glorification, greed, and idolatry. When you look at it this way, this Psalm cannot be prayed enough The challenge of our witness as Christians is to help those who have lost their way realize that God created us and gives us all we have, that is essential not the least of which is our souls. It is in the souls that we understand who the creator is, accept his authority in every detail of life, embrace the guidance he gives us, and express our thanks for his unfailing love.
PRAYER OF THE DAY: Lord God, the Almighty, You reign! Great and marvelous are Your works! Just and true are Your ways, O King of the nations. Who will not fear You and glorify Your Name? You alone are holy! All nations will come and worship before You, for Your righteous deeds have been revealed. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
ANCIENT WISDOM/PRESENT GRACE “If the work of God could be comprehended by reason, it would no longer be wonderful, and faith would have no merit if reason provided proof.” – St. Gregory the Great, The Book of the Pastoral Rule
Lenten Lyrics: Alan Hovhaness – Prayer of St Gregory
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 the power of God in your life and world. Share your insights with a person close to you.
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