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Tuesday, February 28, 2006

Meditation
Mark 10:28-31

We have left everything and followed you! (Mark 10:28)

When Peter followed Jesus, he gave up his life as he knew it. Can you imagine doing what he did? Lent starts tomorrow. We’re about to dedicate forty days to preparing for Easter. So what will you “give up” or “do” for Lent that will help you follow Jesus and receive him with a pure heart?

When we do give up or do something for Lent, it is important that we hold on to the spiritual reason why we are doing it. Imagine how much grace can flow, for instance, if we decided to fast so that we could have more time for intercession, strengthen our prayer, and develop a deeper hunger for Jesus. What would it be like if we gave up some special food, and we put the money we would have spent on that food in the poor box each week or bought items for a local homeless shelter?

What would happen in our lives and in the lives of those around us if we were to develop some plan for almsgiving that was marked by a desire to be like Jesus, who became poor so we could become rich? How would our lives change if we gave up television and spent the time saying the rosary, reading Scripture, or visiting the sick? Could we give up the radio in the car and instead play a religious tape or even have silent time to reflect on God or time to pray for others traveling around us?

Giving up something can be a powerful reminder that we want to draw closer to God. Take time today to pray about what you should do for Lent. Consider picking one or two sacrifices you can make that will help you draw closer to God and his people. Believe that if you do these things with a pure and humble heart, if you hold fast to the spiritual realities that these actions signify, you will become a vessel of Christ in ways so powerful that you will be speechless come Easter!

“Holy Spirit, I want to grow closer to Jesus this Lent. Please give me your wisdom and guidance so that I will know the best way to prepare my heart for Easter.”

1 Peter 1:10-16; Psalm 98:1-4

One Bread, One Body

<< Tuesday, February 28, 2006 >>

1 Peter 1:10-16

Psalm 98

Mark 10:28-31

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"JESUS IS THE REASON FOR THE SEASON"

"Do not yield to the desires that once shaped you in your ignorance." —1 Peter 1:14

Lent begins tomorrow with the ashes of Ash Wednesday. It's common to hear people plan parties for tonight with huge amounts of sweets and other pleasures. After all, the thinking goes, we won't be able to enjoy ourselves again until Easter.

It's true that Lent is a season to focus on acts of self-denial. Self-denial, however, is not unique to Christians. Athletes (1 Cor 9:25), pregnant women, soldiers (2 Tm 2:4), dieters, Buddhists, and others often perform heroic acts of self-denial that make giving up chocolate for the forty days of Lent pale in comparison. Our Lenten sacrifices must help us grow deeply in our relationship with Jesus. Our Lenten crosses, when joined to the sacrifices of Jesus (1 Pt 4:13; Col 1:24; Phil 1:29), become acts of penance and reparation.

Will your Lenten self-denials simply be acts of self-improvement, or will they help you to "draw close to God" (Jas 4:8)? Is your goal to "make it" to Easter with no failures, or is your goal to be united with the crucified Jesus out of love for Him?

As for not being able to "enjoy ourselves" again until Easter, when we draw close to Jesus in a spirit of repentance, we will find a joy that is heavenly (Lk 15:7, 10), "full" (Jn 16:24), and "inexpressible" (1 Pt 1:8). No Mardi Gras party can begin to compare with sharing in Jesus' joy. So why wait until tomorrow to "draw close to God"? Turn to Jesus today.

Prayer: Jesus, may I be so consumed with love of You that I don't even notice the pleasures of the world.

Promise: "There is no one who has given up home, brothers or sisters, mother or father, children or property, for Me and for the gospel who will not receive in this present age a hundred times as many." —Mk 10:29-30

Praise: George commemorates Shrove Tuesday by going to Confession.