Lenten Meditations: Tuesday 20 February 2024

Feb 20, 2024 by Jill

TUESDAY- LENT I – St. Leo of Catania, Bishop ( 789)

LITURGICAL THEME FOR THE DAY:  Saint Leo was the bishop of the city of Catania, in Sicily. He was famed for his benevolence and charity, and his Christian love for the poor and the vagrant. The Lord granted him the gift of healing various illnesses. He was especially steadfast in defending the faith against the paganism and sorcery still prevalent in those regions.

MEDITATION OF THE DAY: In the Old Testament Lessons today we are reminded again of God establishing his covenant with Abraham. Let us remember that a covenant is a sacred agreement between two parties. So, God established circumcision as the sign of his covenant with Abraham. God tells Abram to “walk before me, and be blameless.” In other words, Abram’s faith needs to be obedient—a genuine faith that’s manifested in obedience. Then, after Abram falls on his face in reverence, God reaffirms his covenant with Abram and changes his name from Abram to Abraham. This idea of faithful obedience is a challenge for those of us in the church post-Christian world. Who and what are we faithfully obedient to? In a world of self-determination and self-identity humanity tends to be obedient to our wills and ways and this story reminds us that we must be willing to be changed as Abraham was.

PRAYER OF THE DAY: “Lord Jesus, I sin. Grant that I may never cease seeking obedience to you and never let me be content with myself, never think I can reach a point of perfection. Kill my willfulness, command my tongue, trample down self. Give me grace to be holy, kind, gentle, pure, peaceable, to live for Thee and not for self, to copy Thy words, acts, spirit, to be transformed into Thy likeness, to be consecrated wholly to Thee, to live entirely to Thy glory. Amen

LENTEN LYRICS: Teach Me To Obey (Upper Room Sessions)  by  Bria

LENTEN DISCIPLINE – Lent is a season of spiritual cleaning. Spend some time today doing some spiritual cleaning. What behaviors prevent you from being obedient to the commandments of God.

ANCIENT WISDOM/PRESENT GRACE:  “‘Let it be understood that those who are not found living as He taught are not Christian- even though they profess with the lips the teaching of Christ.”- Justin Martyr (The First Apology ).

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