15/02/07, week of Epiphany 6
[Please remember this is a sort of "menu" from which to select. No one has to pray it all]
If you would like these meditations to come directly to your in box, please click here:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/KnitternunMeditation/
Collect
O God, the strength of all who put their trust in you: Mercifully accept our prayers; and because in our weakness we can do nothing good without you, give us the help of your grace, that in keeping your commandments we may please you both in will and deed; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
++++++++++
Today's Scripture http://www.satucket.com/lectionary/
Ps 105:1-22 * 105:23-45; Isaiah 65:1-12; 1 Tim 4:1-16; Mark 12:13-27
++++++++++
From Forward Day by Day: http://www.forwardmovement.org/todaysreading.cfm
Isaiah 65:1-12. I was ready to be sought by those who did not ask for me...
"I hope I don't live to regret this," the young man said. He and his girlfriend had just broken up; he couldn't commit to marriage, and after four years, she had concluded that he never would.
Well, I imagine he will live to regret it. There are windows of opportunity in human life, and--after a time--they close. Human beings have some melancholy phrases to describe this fact: "too late" is one. "Might have been" is another.
God is not human. God is greater than we are. This is, perhaps, the greatest blessing of all: that God stands perpetually ready to relate to us, even when we have no interest in relating to him. He is transmitting all the time, even when we have stopped our ears.
So it is never too late to come to God. To the very end of life, we can always turn toward him.
There's a wideness in God's mercy
like the wideness of the sea;
there's a kindness in his justice,
which is more than liberty.
There is welcome for the sinner,
and more graces for the good;
there is mercy with the Savior;
there is healing in his blood.
--Frederick William Faber
++++++++++
Today we remember: http://satucket.com/lectionary/Calendar.htm
Thomas Bray, priest and missionary
Psalm 102:15-22 or 85:8-13; Isaiah 52:7-10; Luke 10:1-9
O God of compassion, who opened the eyes of your servant Thomas Bray to see the needs of the Church in the New World, and led him to found societies to meet those needs: Make the Church in this land diligent at all times to propagate the Gospel among those who have not received it, and to promote the spread of Christian knowledge; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen
++++++++++
Today in the Anglican Cycle of Prayer we pray for the Diocese of Matana (Burundi)
http://www.anglicancommunion.org/acp/index.cfm
++++++++++
Carmelite.com: Reflections http://www.carmelite.com/spirituality/reflection.php
She lived in solitude, and now in Solitude has built her nest; and in Solitude her beloved alone guides her, who also bears in solitude the wound of love.
St John of the Cross
Spiritual Canticle, 35.
++++++++++
Reading from the Desert Christians http://www.cin.org/dsrtftin.html
On Joy
Amma Syncletica said, "In the beginning there are a great many battles and a good deal of suffering for those who are advancing towards God and, afterwards, ineffable joy. It is like those who wish to light a fire. At first they are ckoked with smoke and cry, until they obtain what they seek. As it is written, "Our God is a consuming fire" (Hebrews 12:24); so we also must kindle the divine fire in ourselves through tears and hard work."
++++++++++
Daily Meditation (Henri Nouwen) http://www.henrinouwen.org/home/free_eletters/
The Meal That Makes Us Family and Friends
We all need to eat and drink to stay alive. But having a meal is more than eating and drinking. It is celebrating the gifts of life we share. A meal together is one of the most intimate and sacred human events. Around the table we become vulnerable, filling one another's plates and cups and encouraging one another to eat and drink. Much more happens at a meal than satisfying hunger and quenching thirst. Around the table we become family, friends, community, yes, a body.
That is why it is so important to "set" the table. Flowers, candles, colorful napkins all help us to say to one another, "This is a very special time for us, let's enjoy it!"
++++++++++
From the Principles of the Third Society of St. Francis:
Day Fifteen - The First Way of Service (cont)
The heart of our prayer is the Eucharist, in which we share with other
Christians the renewal of our union with our Lord and Saviour in his
sacrifice, remembering his death and receiving his spiritual food.
God, by the life of blessed Francis you moved your people to a love of
simple things: may we , after his example, hold lightly to the things of
this world and store up for ourselves treasure in heaven; through Jesus
Christ our Lord. Amen.
At one time Blessed Francis kept a little lamb with him in the city of Rome,
in reverence of the most meek Lamb of God, which he committed to the care of
a noble lady. And the lamb, as if it had been trained in spiritual things by
the holy man, would go with the lady to church.If the lady were late in
rising in the morning, the lamb would come and push her with its little
horns, and excite her by its bleating, signs and gestures to hasten to the
church. Therefore this lamb.was kept by the lady as a marvelous and precious
thing. - from "The Life of St Francis of Assisi," from the "Legenda Santi
Francsci" of St Bonaventure
++++++++++
Upper Room Daily Reflection http://www.upperroom.org/reflections/
I RETURN TO GOD: To live the life of prayer means to emerge from my drowse, to awaken to the communing, guiding, healing, clarifying, and transforming current of God’s Holy Spirit in which I am immersed. But to awaken is not necessarily to return. Awareness, no matter how vivid, must be accompanied by “a longing aye to dwell within the beauty of his countenance,” and until prayer knows and is the expression of this longing, it is still callow and is likely to melt away at the first sharp thaw. …
In order to pray, you have to stop being “too elsewhere” and to be there. … You have to care enough so that you will collect yourself, move back into your own soul from the distant suburbs where much of life tends to be spent, and honestly be there.
- Douglas V. Steere
Dimensions of Prayer
From pages 12-13 of Dimensions of Prayer by Douglas V. Steere. Copyright © 1997 by Dorothy Steere.
+++++++++++
Richard Rohr's Daily Reflection
http://cacradicalgrace.org/getconnected/getconnected_index.html
"Spirit Versus Sin"
Sin is to claim the self as an independent possession or as a private right. Sin is always a type of self-absorption, which is a lie about the nature of reality; whereas the Spirit, who teaches all truth, celebrates and reconciles that which is fragmented. The Spirit of God makes all things one by reminding them that they are first one - more one than many fragmented parts of a larger whole. What looks like discovery is really recognition. What appears to be exploration is much more homecoming. The Spirit unites; sin always separates. The work of God is total and full reconciliation. In other words, our only real badness consists in the repression of our goodness, which is the Spirit given and promised. And that is indeed bad. Empirically, this badness shows itself in hardness, non-listening, the refusal to feel, self-hatred in its many disguises and superficiality in general. This is the great sin of nonbelief, which aborts the human soul a thousand times a day: We refuse to believe who the Son has told us we are - sons and daughters of the living God. We hate ourselves mercilessly, and in many ways our preoccupation with sins has kept us from the recognition of this great sin. It is the unforgivable and unrecognized sin against the Holy Spirit, because it is unrecognized disbelief in what God has done.
from Sojourners, "The Holiness of Human Sexuality"
++++++++++
From John E. Rotelle, O.S.A., Tradition Day by Day: Readings from Church Writers. Augustinian Press. Villanova, PA, 1994.
http://www.artsci.villanova.edu/dsteelman/tradition/sources.html
Repentance
We have only to recall past generations to see that the Lord has always offered the opportunity of repentance to those willing to return to him. This was the burden of Noah's preaching, and all who listened to him were saved. Jonah told the Ninevites they were going to be destroyed; they repented and their pleas for mercy placated God's anger and saved them, even though they were not of his chosen people.
The ministers of God's grace have all been inspired by the Holy Spirit to speak of repentance. The Lord of the universe himself has spoken of it with an oath.
Thus, by his own almighty will, God has ratified his desire to give all his loved ones the chance to return to him. Let us bow then to that sublime and glorious will, throw ourselves on his mercy, and humbly beseech his goodness and compassion. No more energy must be wasted in the wrangling and jealousy that can only lead to death.
Clement of Rome, (~101), bishop of Rome from 92 to 101. His letter to the Corinthians is the earliest Christian writing apart from the New Testament.
++++++++++
Today's reading from the Rule of St. Benedict http://www.osb.org/rb/
Chapter 13: How the Morning Office Is to Be Said on Weekdays
On weekdays
the Morning Office shall be celebrated as follows.
Let Psalm 66 be said without an antiphon
and somewhat slowly,
as on Sunday,
in order that all may be in time for Psalm 50,
which is to be said with an antiphon.
After that let two other Psalms be said according to custom,
namely:
on Monday Psalms 5 and 35,
on Tuesday Psalms 42 and 56,
on Wednesday Psalms 63 and 64,
on Thursday Psalms 87 and 89,
on Friday Psalms 75 and 91,
and on Saturday Psalm 142 and the canticle from Deuteronomy,
which is to be divided into two sections
each terminated by a "Glory be to the Father."
But on the other days let there be a canticle from the Prophets,
each on its own day as chanted by the Roman Church.
Next follow the Psalms of praise,
then a lesson of the Apostle to be recited from memory,
the responsory, the Ambrosian hymn, the verse,
the canticle from the Gospel book,
the litany, and so the end.
Commentary: http://www.eriebenedictines.org/Pages/INSPIRATION/insights.html
site needs to be updated
++++++++++
Project Canterbury http://anglicanhistory.org/lent/busy.html
Some thoughts about Lent for Busy People
By E.F. Pemberton
London: Mowbray, no date
THE word Lent means "Spring;" we use it now when we speak of the spring fast--the forty days before Easter Day--I mean forty days not including Sundays, for Sundays are never fast days.
Does the word "fast" frighten you? Does it mean something hard, something very distasteful, or perhaps something that does not concern you at all? If so, it is because you have not yet learnt for yourself (as I hope you will this Lent) its true meaning and happiness.
This is the invitation which our LORD sends to each one of us this Lent--listen to His Voice, and then read the following hymn.
Jesus speaks, "Come ye yourselves (here mention your own name) apart into a desert place, and rest awhile."
Read this hymn.
With tender look, and voice of thrilling grace,
The SAVIOUR once to His disciples said,
"Come ye apart into a desert place.
And rest awhile the aching heart and head."
He says so still to all who are His own,
To all aweary with the world's sad strife,
"Come, spend with me a little while alone,
Leave the hot fever and the fret of life.
"Come from the world's hard struggle and its din,
Discords that pain the ear and never cease,
Wild stormy passions, tumults of man's sin,
Which put to shame the angel's song of peace.
"Come, when perplexed by doubt or anxious fear,
And I will make dark things all clear and plain,
Will shed the light of hope on dull despair,
And give true peace where now is only pain."
C. D. Bell.
Yes; JESUS is calling you and me into a "desert place"--"desert" because for a time, at least, we shall give up some earthly joys; but what wonderful joy instead--if we go into this desert place, we shall find JESUS there! It is to rest awhile with Hint that He calls us.
Let us now divide our thoughts under three headings, viz.:
1. Why we should fast or practise self-denial.
2. About some of the ways in which Satan will try to hinder our fasting.
3. Of some ways in which even the busiest of us can fast or deny ourselves.
(i) Why should we fast?
The greatest reason of all is, because Jesus fasted. And all that JESUS did, we, His followers, must try to imitate. There is a poem by George Herbert which says:
''Who goes the way that CHRIST hath gone,
Is much more like to meet with Him,
Than one, who journeys by byways."
JESUS fasted for forty days. Shall we refuse to imitate Him? No; let us each one resolve "to go the way that CHRIST hath gone," that is the only right way for us.
The Church, too, bids us fast. If you look in your Prayer Book you will find that, among other fast days, the forty days of Lent are set apart to be observed by every member of the Church. If we do not fast we are not trying to imitate Jesus; we are disobeying the Church.
(2) Hindrances to Fasting.
The devil does not like us to fast. Why? Because he knows too well that if we fast we are stronger in grace, we are more able to resist his temptations. The devil is sure to come to you if you fast. He came, you know, to our LORD, when He fasted, to tempt Him, and he still comes to us, His followers. He tempts us in different ways; some he tempts to irritability of temper, making them perform their acts of self-denial grudgingly, making them cross and gloomy became of their self-denial, thus making the self-denial lose its whole value, for what we decide to give up, we must give up cheerfully, as a loving offering to GOD in sorrow for our sins.
Some he tempts in an opposite way, he makes the fasting seem very easy and delightful, so those persons are tempted to think, "How good I must be to give up all so easily;" thus, as in the first case, spoiling the whole value of those acts of self-denial, for any pride is as a scorching sun which takes all freshness from our acts and makes them utterly unworthy to be offered to GOD. If we are tempted in this way, let us increase our self-denial, and dedicate each act to GOD, saying, "LORD, help me to do this to show my love to Thee, help me through this to be stronger in my fight against sin, and especially the deadly sin of spiritual pride."
(3) Some Rules of Fasting or Self-denial.
I want you either to make some rules for yourself, or to choose two or three from the following list. (Of course those who work hard, or are delicate, must not deny themselves in the quantity of food they take, for that would unfit them for the work which is their duty, or would increase their delicacy.)
Get a notebook and write down at the beginning the rules you intend to keep, numbered i, 2, 3, etc., and then make a little table like this at the beginning of each week, and then at the end of each day read your resolutions, and ask yourself after each one if you have kept it. If you can answer "Yes," put a mark like this (i) in the space you have made for your first resolution mark; if "No," put a mark like this (o) instead. You will find this little plan a great help to you for making you careful in keeping resolutions. You can choose, if you like, one or more rules from each of the following sets. It is right for our Lent resolutions to include Fasting, Almsgiving, and Prayer.
Fasting or Self-denial.
I. Not to eat sweet things.
2. Not to eat salt, pepper, or mustard.
3. Not to take sugar in tea, etc.
4. To eat no meat on one or two days in the week.
5. Not to read amusing papers or books.
Almsgiving.
1. To give to GOD what you would have spent in sweet things, sugar, etc.
2. To make up your mind to do some little thing, strictly to please another, every day.
Prayer.
1. To get up five minutes, or more, earlier, and to give that five minutes to special prayer or religious reading.
2. To practise (if it is not already your custom) short prayer at midday.
3. To use the Collect for Ash Wednesday every day.
4. To read a short Lent reading every day.
In making these resolutions, do not let us forget the real object of our fast. We deny ourselves to subdue our bodies, so that our spiritual life may increase. We fast that we may be stronger to fight against our besetting sin, our bad habits, and faults. If you do not know, find out at once what is your besetting sin, i.e., the sin you most frequently commit; fight hard against it, and pray for the opposite virtue every day.
For instance--
Is it Pride? Pray for Humility.
Is it Anger? Pray for Gentleness.
Is it Sloth? Pray for Diligence.
Is it over-anxiety? Pray for trust in GOD.
Is it impurity in thought, word, or deed? Pray for purity, and resolve at once to give up all bad companions, books, or conversation--anything which you know encourages this sin.
Spring time is such a helpful time, everything reminds us of growth: the trees budding, the flowers coming into bloom, the birds building their nests, all nature becoming more and more beautiful. O may GOD find that same growth of beauty in our souls by Eastertide!
One word more. Do not get discouraged if you feel it is a "desert place." It is hard to give up even very small earthly pleasures. If you fail, do not give up in despair, try again. JESUS will be there to help you.
"Well I know thy trouble,
O my servant true;
Thou art very weary,
I was weary too;
But that toil shall make thee
Some day all Mine own.
And the end of sorrow
Shall be near My Throne."
Hymns A. & M.
If you would like these meditations to come directly to your in box, please click here:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/KnitternunMeditation/
Collect
O God, the strength of all who put their trust in you: Mercifully accept our prayers; and because in our weakness we can do nothing good without you, give us the help of your grace, that in keeping your commandments we may please you both in will and deed; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
++++++++++
Today's Scripture http://www.satucket.com/lectionary/
Ps 105:1-22 * 105:23-45; Isaiah 65:1-12; 1 Tim 4:1-16; Mark 12:13-27
++++++++++
From Forward Day by Day: http://www.forwardmovement.org/todaysreading.cfm
Isaiah 65:1-12. I was ready to be sought by those who did not ask for me...
"I hope I don't live to regret this," the young man said. He and his girlfriend had just broken up; he couldn't commit to marriage, and after four years, she had concluded that he never would.
Well, I imagine he will live to regret it. There are windows of opportunity in human life, and--after a time--they close. Human beings have some melancholy phrases to describe this fact: "too late" is one. "Might have been" is another.
God is not human. God is greater than we are. This is, perhaps, the greatest blessing of all: that God stands perpetually ready to relate to us, even when we have no interest in relating to him. He is transmitting all the time, even when we have stopped our ears.
So it is never too late to come to God. To the very end of life, we can always turn toward him.
There's a wideness in God's mercy
like the wideness of the sea;
there's a kindness in his justice,
which is more than liberty.
There is welcome for the sinner,
and more graces for the good;
there is mercy with the Savior;
there is healing in his blood.
--Frederick William Faber
++++++++++
Today we remember: http://satucket.com/lectionary/Calendar.htm
Thomas Bray, priest and missionary
Psalm 102:15-22 or 85:8-13; Isaiah 52:7-10; Luke 10:1-9
O God of compassion, who opened the eyes of your servant Thomas Bray to see the needs of the Church in the New World, and led him to found societies to meet those needs: Make the Church in this land diligent at all times to propagate the Gospel among those who have not received it, and to promote the spread of Christian knowledge; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen
++++++++++
Today in the Anglican Cycle of Prayer we pray for the Diocese of Matana (Burundi)
http://www.anglicancommunion.org/acp/index.cfm
++++++++++
Carmelite.com: Reflections http://www.carmelite.com/spirituality/reflection.php
She lived in solitude, and now in Solitude has built her nest; and in Solitude her beloved alone guides her, who also bears in solitude the wound of love.
St John of the Cross
Spiritual Canticle, 35.
++++++++++
Reading from the Desert Christians http://www.cin.org/dsrtftin.html
On Joy
Amma Syncletica said, "In the beginning there are a great many battles and a good deal of suffering for those who are advancing towards God and, afterwards, ineffable joy. It is like those who wish to light a fire. At first they are ckoked with smoke and cry, until they obtain what they seek. As it is written, "Our God is a consuming fire" (Hebrews 12:24); so we also must kindle the divine fire in ourselves through tears and hard work."
++++++++++
Daily Meditation (Henri Nouwen) http://www.henrinouwen.org/home/free_eletters/
The Meal That Makes Us Family and Friends
We all need to eat and drink to stay alive. But having a meal is more than eating and drinking. It is celebrating the gifts of life we share. A meal together is one of the most intimate and sacred human events. Around the table we become vulnerable, filling one another's plates and cups and encouraging one another to eat and drink. Much more happens at a meal than satisfying hunger and quenching thirst. Around the table we become family, friends, community, yes, a body.
That is why it is so important to "set" the table. Flowers, candles, colorful napkins all help us to say to one another, "This is a very special time for us, let's enjoy it!"
++++++++++
From the Principles of the Third Society of St. Francis:
Day Fifteen - The First Way of Service (cont)
The heart of our prayer is the Eucharist, in which we share with other
Christians the renewal of our union with our Lord and Saviour in his
sacrifice, remembering his death and receiving his spiritual food.
God, by the life of blessed Francis you moved your people to a love of
simple things: may we , after his example, hold lightly to the things of
this world and store up for ourselves treasure in heaven; through Jesus
Christ our Lord. Amen.
At one time Blessed Francis kept a little lamb with him in the city of Rome,
in reverence of the most meek Lamb of God, which he committed to the care of
a noble lady. And the lamb, as if it had been trained in spiritual things by
the holy man, would go with the lady to church.If the lady were late in
rising in the morning, the lamb would come and push her with its little
horns, and excite her by its bleating, signs and gestures to hasten to the
church. Therefore this lamb.was kept by the lady as a marvelous and precious
thing. - from "The Life of St Francis of Assisi," from the "Legenda Santi
Francsci" of St Bonaventure
++++++++++
Upper Room Daily Reflection http://www.upperroom.org/reflections/
I RETURN TO GOD: To live the life of prayer means to emerge from my drowse, to awaken to the communing, guiding, healing, clarifying, and transforming current of God’s Holy Spirit in which I am immersed. But to awaken is not necessarily to return. Awareness, no matter how vivid, must be accompanied by “a longing aye to dwell within the beauty of his countenance,” and until prayer knows and is the expression of this longing, it is still callow and is likely to melt away at the first sharp thaw. …
In order to pray, you have to stop being “too elsewhere” and to be there. … You have to care enough so that you will collect yourself, move back into your own soul from the distant suburbs where much of life tends to be spent, and honestly be there.
- Douglas V. Steere
Dimensions of Prayer
From pages 12-13 of Dimensions of Prayer by Douglas V. Steere. Copyright © 1997 by Dorothy Steere.
+++++++++++
Richard Rohr's Daily Reflection
http://cacradicalgrace.org/getconnected/getconnected_index.html
"Spirit Versus Sin"
Sin is to claim the self as an independent possession or as a private right. Sin is always a type of self-absorption, which is a lie about the nature of reality; whereas the Spirit, who teaches all truth, celebrates and reconciles that which is fragmented. The Spirit of God makes all things one by reminding them that they are first one - more one than many fragmented parts of a larger whole. What looks like discovery is really recognition. What appears to be exploration is much more homecoming. The Spirit unites; sin always separates. The work of God is total and full reconciliation. In other words, our only real badness consists in the repression of our goodness, which is the Spirit given and promised. And that is indeed bad. Empirically, this badness shows itself in hardness, non-listening, the refusal to feel, self-hatred in its many disguises and superficiality in general. This is the great sin of nonbelief, which aborts the human soul a thousand times a day: We refuse to believe who the Son has told us we are - sons and daughters of the living God. We hate ourselves mercilessly, and in many ways our preoccupation with sins has kept us from the recognition of this great sin. It is the unforgivable and unrecognized sin against the Holy Spirit, because it is unrecognized disbelief in what God has done.
from Sojourners, "The Holiness of Human Sexuality"
++++++++++
From John E. Rotelle, O.S.A., Tradition Day by Day: Readings from Church Writers. Augustinian Press. Villanova, PA, 1994.
http://www.artsci.villanova.edu/dsteelman/tradition/sources.html
Repentance
We have only to recall past generations to see that the Lord has always offered the opportunity of repentance to those willing to return to him. This was the burden of Noah's preaching, and all who listened to him were saved. Jonah told the Ninevites they were going to be destroyed; they repented and their pleas for mercy placated God's anger and saved them, even though they were not of his chosen people.
The ministers of God's grace have all been inspired by the Holy Spirit to speak of repentance. The Lord of the universe himself has spoken of it with an oath.
Thus, by his own almighty will, God has ratified his desire to give all his loved ones the chance to return to him. Let us bow then to that sublime and glorious will, throw ourselves on his mercy, and humbly beseech his goodness and compassion. No more energy must be wasted in the wrangling and jealousy that can only lead to death.
Clement of Rome, (~101), bishop of Rome from 92 to 101. His letter to the Corinthians is the earliest Christian writing apart from the New Testament.
++++++++++
Today's reading from the Rule of St. Benedict http://www.osb.org/rb/
Chapter 13: How the Morning Office Is to Be Said on Weekdays
On weekdays
the Morning Office shall be celebrated as follows.
Let Psalm 66 be said without an antiphon
and somewhat slowly,
as on Sunday,
in order that all may be in time for Psalm 50,
which is to be said with an antiphon.
After that let two other Psalms be said according to custom,
namely:
on Monday Psalms 5 and 35,
on Tuesday Psalms 42 and 56,
on Wednesday Psalms 63 and 64,
on Thursday Psalms 87 and 89,
on Friday Psalms 75 and 91,
and on Saturday Psalm 142 and the canticle from Deuteronomy,
which is to be divided into two sections
each terminated by a "Glory be to the Father."
But on the other days let there be a canticle from the Prophets,
each on its own day as chanted by the Roman Church.
Next follow the Psalms of praise,
then a lesson of the Apostle to be recited from memory,
the responsory, the Ambrosian hymn, the verse,
the canticle from the Gospel book,
the litany, and so the end.
Commentary: http://www.eriebenedictines.org/Pages/INSPIRATION/insights.html
site needs to be updated
++++++++++
Project Canterbury http://anglicanhistory.org/lent/busy.html
Some thoughts about Lent for Busy People
By E.F. Pemberton
London: Mowbray, no date
THE word Lent means "Spring;" we use it now when we speak of the spring fast--the forty days before Easter Day--I mean forty days not including Sundays, for Sundays are never fast days.
Does the word "fast" frighten you? Does it mean something hard, something very distasteful, or perhaps something that does not concern you at all? If so, it is because you have not yet learnt for yourself (as I hope you will this Lent) its true meaning and happiness.
This is the invitation which our LORD sends to each one of us this Lent--listen to His Voice, and then read the following hymn.
Jesus speaks, "Come ye yourselves (here mention your own name) apart into a desert place, and rest awhile."
Read this hymn.
With tender look, and voice of thrilling grace,
The SAVIOUR once to His disciples said,
"Come ye apart into a desert place.
And rest awhile the aching heart and head."
He says so still to all who are His own,
To all aweary with the world's sad strife,
"Come, spend with me a little while alone,
Leave the hot fever and the fret of life.
"Come from the world's hard struggle and its din,
Discords that pain the ear and never cease,
Wild stormy passions, tumults of man's sin,
Which put to shame the angel's song of peace.
"Come, when perplexed by doubt or anxious fear,
And I will make dark things all clear and plain,
Will shed the light of hope on dull despair,
And give true peace where now is only pain."
C. D. Bell.
Yes; JESUS is calling you and me into a "desert place"--"desert" because for a time, at least, we shall give up some earthly joys; but what wonderful joy instead--if we go into this desert place, we shall find JESUS there! It is to rest awhile with Hint that He calls us.
Let us now divide our thoughts under three headings, viz.:
1. Why we should fast or practise self-denial.
2. About some of the ways in which Satan will try to hinder our fasting.
3. Of some ways in which even the busiest of us can fast or deny ourselves.
(i) Why should we fast?
The greatest reason of all is, because Jesus fasted. And all that JESUS did, we, His followers, must try to imitate. There is a poem by George Herbert which says:
''Who goes the way that CHRIST hath gone,
Is much more like to meet with Him,
Than one, who journeys by byways."
JESUS fasted for forty days. Shall we refuse to imitate Him? No; let us each one resolve "to go the way that CHRIST hath gone," that is the only right way for us.
The Church, too, bids us fast. If you look in your Prayer Book you will find that, among other fast days, the forty days of Lent are set apart to be observed by every member of the Church. If we do not fast we are not trying to imitate Jesus; we are disobeying the Church.
(2) Hindrances to Fasting.
The devil does not like us to fast. Why? Because he knows too well that if we fast we are stronger in grace, we are more able to resist his temptations. The devil is sure to come to you if you fast. He came, you know, to our LORD, when He fasted, to tempt Him, and he still comes to us, His followers. He tempts us in different ways; some he tempts to irritability of temper, making them perform their acts of self-denial grudgingly, making them cross and gloomy became of their self-denial, thus making the self-denial lose its whole value, for what we decide to give up, we must give up cheerfully, as a loving offering to GOD in sorrow for our sins.
Some he tempts in an opposite way, he makes the fasting seem very easy and delightful, so those persons are tempted to think, "How good I must be to give up all so easily;" thus, as in the first case, spoiling the whole value of those acts of self-denial, for any pride is as a scorching sun which takes all freshness from our acts and makes them utterly unworthy to be offered to GOD. If we are tempted in this way, let us increase our self-denial, and dedicate each act to GOD, saying, "LORD, help me to do this to show my love to Thee, help me through this to be stronger in my fight against sin, and especially the deadly sin of spiritual pride."
(3) Some Rules of Fasting or Self-denial.
I want you either to make some rules for yourself, or to choose two or three from the following list. (Of course those who work hard, or are delicate, must not deny themselves in the quantity of food they take, for that would unfit them for the work which is their duty, or would increase their delicacy.)
Get a notebook and write down at the beginning the rules you intend to keep, numbered i, 2, 3, etc., and then make a little table like this at the beginning of each week, and then at the end of each day read your resolutions, and ask yourself after each one if you have kept it. If you can answer "Yes," put a mark like this (i) in the space you have made for your first resolution mark; if "No," put a mark like this (o) instead. You will find this little plan a great help to you for making you careful in keeping resolutions. You can choose, if you like, one or more rules from each of the following sets. It is right for our Lent resolutions to include Fasting, Almsgiving, and Prayer.
Fasting or Self-denial.
I. Not to eat sweet things.
2. Not to eat salt, pepper, or mustard.
3. Not to take sugar in tea, etc.
4. To eat no meat on one or two days in the week.
5. Not to read amusing papers or books.
Almsgiving.
1. To give to GOD what you would have spent in sweet things, sugar, etc.
2. To make up your mind to do some little thing, strictly to please another, every day.
Prayer.
1. To get up five minutes, or more, earlier, and to give that five minutes to special prayer or religious reading.
2. To practise (if it is not already your custom) short prayer at midday.
3. To use the Collect for Ash Wednesday every day.
4. To read a short Lent reading every day.
In making these resolutions, do not let us forget the real object of our fast. We deny ourselves to subdue our bodies, so that our spiritual life may increase. We fast that we may be stronger to fight against our besetting sin, our bad habits, and faults. If you do not know, find out at once what is your besetting sin, i.e., the sin you most frequently commit; fight hard against it, and pray for the opposite virtue every day.
For instance--
Is it Pride? Pray for Humility.
Is it Anger? Pray for Gentleness.
Is it Sloth? Pray for Diligence.
Is it over-anxiety? Pray for trust in GOD.
Is it impurity in thought, word, or deed? Pray for purity, and resolve at once to give up all bad companions, books, or conversation--anything which you know encourages this sin.
Spring time is such a helpful time, everything reminds us of growth: the trees budding, the flowers coming into bloom, the birds building their nests, all nature becoming more and more beautiful. O may GOD find that same growth of beauty in our souls by Eastertide!
One word more. Do not get discouraged if you feel it is a "desert place." It is hard to give up even very small earthly pleasures. If you fail, do not give up in despair, try again. JESUS will be there to help you.
"Well I know thy trouble,
O my servant true;
Thou art very weary,
I was weary too;
But that toil shall make thee
Some day all Mine own.
And the end of sorrow
Shall be near My Throne."
Hymns A. & M.
posted by Gloriamarie Amalfitano @ 7:36 AM
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