Lenten Meditations: Tuesday 2 April

Apr 2, 2019 by Jill

FOURTH TUESDAY OF LENT – St. Ebba the Younger, Virgin and Martyr, 879

LITURGICAL THEME FOR THE DAY: Ebba was abbess of the great monastic foundation of Coldingham in the Marshes on the Scottish border, which had been founded two centuries earlier by Saint Ebba the Elder (August 25). During a Danish invasion Saint Ebba feared for her virginity because of the Viking reputation for rape and massacre. She gathered her nuns in the chapter house and encouraged them to follow her example: with a razor she cut off (or cut open) her nose and upper lip to discourage rape by the invaders. The entire community did likewise. They must have made a frightful spectacle. Their appearance so disgusted the raiders that the women were saved from rape but not from death: The Danes soon returned and set fire to the convent. The entire community perished in the flames in 879.

MEDITATION OF THE DAY: This 7^th chapter of Romans is a notoriously complex passage of Scripture. On one level  Paul speaks about himself but in so many ways is speaking about all of us who struggle to live into the fullness of Christian life balancing between the mandate of law and the call of the Spirit.  In this section it is difficult to miss  the battle of the divided self that Paul struggled with namely the ravages of  sin and the joy of new life in Christ. For Paul (a canon lawyer of his day) the Law can be a matter of the life-giving work of the Spirit. This passage asks us in Lent to take a good look at ourselves in relation to the self and our response to the Spirit and is our response one that is on a solid basis, solid formation, namely the law?  It is a good filter for us at this point in Lent perhaps to assess our Spiritual Disciplines.

ANCIENT WISDOM/PRESENT GRACE:  “The Spirit Himself is in the Law and in the Gospel; He is ever with the Father and the Son; like the Father and the Son He always is and was and will be.”. – Origen

PRAYER OF THE DAY– Father, I know that I have broken your laws and my sins have separated me from you. I am truly sorry, and now I want to turn away from my past sinful life toward you. Please forgive me, and help me avoid sinning again. I believe that your son, Jesus Christ died for my sins, was resurrected from the dead, is alive, and hears my prayer. I invite Jesus to become the Lord of my life, to rule and reign in my heart from this day forward. Please send your Holy Spirit to help me obey You, and to do Your will for the rest of my life. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen

Lenten Discipline – Living a faithful Gospel witness can be very challenging as the words of Paul remind us today. For many the balance of law and spirit goes to the heart of f forgiveness and reconciliation. In the hope of demonstrating that balance, reach out to a person you know who has a need to be forgiven and whom you need to forgive. If it is a person far away write a note asking for the opportunity, to have a time to share your heart as you seek to lean the balance of these things yourself on the journey toward forgiveness.

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