Lenten Meditations: Wednesday 10 March

Mar 10, 2021 by Jill

LENT III:  Saint Anastasia the Patrician, 6th Century.

LITURGICAL THEME FOR THE DAY: Saint Anastasia the Patrician was the daughter of an Egyptian nobleman and a lady-in-waiting in the court of Emperor Justinian in Constantinople, now Istanbul. Justinian pursued her amorously, and she fled the court to take up a religious vocation in a convent in Alexandria, Egypt. When Justinian’s consort, Theodora, died, Anastasia had to flee again, as he was seeking her. She went out into the Egyptian desert where she was allowed to dress as a monk and to remain in place. For twenty-eight years Anastasia remained in solitude in the desert, in constant prayer.

MEDITATION OF THE DAY In reading the Old Testament Lesson today, we are reminded of the many layers of human drama that is contained in the story of Joseph. Here in the 49th chapter we see that Judah has changed so much from the man who came up with the idea of selling his own brother into slavery, the man who slept with his own daughter in law thinking she was a prostitute into a man who is prepared to sacrifice everything to avoid hurting his father. This story should move each of us especially when we are feeling at our worst  because we see again that  when God is at work in our lives, we can experience change. Not to be

too simplistic but it is about  allowing the Holy Spirit to change us from within, to make us more Christ like. But it will only happen if we allow it as God has given us free will and will not enforce change on us.

PRAYER OF THE DAY: Merciful Father, fill my heart a desire for  your love and keep me ever open to the gospel of Christ.  Give me the grace to rise above my human weakness.  Grant this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God for ever and ever.

ANCIENT WISDOM/PRESENT GRACE:  “God never deserts a man, unless He is deserted by that man first. For even if a man shall have committed grievous sins once, twice, and a third time, God still looks for him, “so that he may be converted and live.”— St. Caesarius of Arles

LENTEN DISCIPLINE –  Go to https://www.prisonfellowship.org/campaigns/biblesforprisoners and donate a bible so that a person who needs to have a change of heart in prison can be exposed to the Word of God. Demonstrate your witness by challenging another person in Christ to do the same.

Related Posts

Tags

Share This