The priest shall then receive the basket from you and shall set it in front of the altar of the Lord, your God. Then you shall declare before the Lord, your God, 'My father was a wandering Aramean who went down to Egypt with a small household and lived there as an ailen. But there he became a nation grat, strong and numerous. When the Egyptians maltreated and oppresed us, imposing hard labor upon us, we cried to the Lord, the God of our fathers, and he heard our cry and saw our affliction, our toil and our oppression. He brought us out of Egypt with his strong hand and outstretched arm, with terrifying power with signs and wonders, and bring us into this country, he gave us this land flowing with milk and honey. Tehrefore, I have now brought you the firsfruits of the products of the soil which you, O Lord have given me. And having set them bfore the Lord, your God, you shall bow down in his presence. -Deuteronomy 27: 4-10.
What is it he does say? "The word is near you, on your lips and in your heart" (that is, the word of faith which we preach). For if you confess with your lips that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. Faith in the heart leads to justification, confession on the lips to salvation. Scripture says, "No one who belives in him will be put to shame." Here there is no difference between Jew and Greek; all have the same Lord, rich i mercy toward all who call upon him. "Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved. Romans 10:8-13
Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit in the desert, where for forty days he was tempted by the devil. He ate nothing during those days, and at the end of them he was hungry. The devil said to him, "If you are the Son of God, tell this stone to become bread." Jesus answered, "It is written: 'Man does not live on bread alone.'The devil led him up to a high place and showed him in an instant all the kingdoms of the world. And he said to him, "I will give you all their authority and splendor, for it has been given to me, and I can give it to anyone I want to. So if you worship me, it will all be yours." Jesus answered, "It is written: 'Worship the Lord your God and serve him only. The devil led him to Jerusalem and had him stand on the highest point of the temple. "If you are the Son of God," he said, "throw yourself down from here. For it is written: 'He will command his angels concerning you to guard you carefully; they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.' Jesus answered, "It says: 'Do not put the Lord your God to the test.' When the devil had finished all this tempting, he left him until an opportune time. Luke 4:1-13.
I think here, the issue is of trust. Temptation comes when were are in a situation where we're forced to decide if we really believe or we really trust. Do we trust that God will save us from tempation? Do we believe that Jesus is Lord? Or do we just depend on knowlege?
It's about the heart, as I said in the past. Lent is not so much about the rituals, but what you are expressing from your heart through those rituals. We may be tempted to drink that soda, or whatever we gave up, but ultimately, you will take that temptation out of your mind, simply as Jesus did: "Do not put God to the test."
More on this later.
Monday, February 26, 2007
Thursday, February 22, 2007
Do it for the heart.
My friend sent me this in response to a question:
Lent isn't like Advent. I enjoy Advent. I tolerate (read: do not dislike, but do not relish either) Lent. Advent is low key, something that many folks outside of Catholicism or Christendom don't even know is happening. It is the low key and less public nature of Advent that I think is more reasonable than the rather public and emphasized nature of Lent.
Every Ash Wednesday the same readings are said (which is good); the the one about being rewarded for the things you do in private is my favorite, it is the Gospel reading. I firmly believe in the "actions and activities done in private" being rewarded. However Lent is not done in private. It gets news coverage and is very public. Advent is basically "done in private". So, we are asked as individuals to conduct our observances of Lent in private, but Lent itself is the most public of special seasons in the Catholic Church. Seems like a paradox.
What do you think?
Wednesday, February 21, 2007
Ash Wednesday Scriptures
Yet even now, says theLord, return to me with your whole heart, with fasting, and weeping and mourning; Rend your hearts, not your garments, and return to the Lord, your God. Forgracious and merciful is he, slow to anger, rich in kindness, and relenting in punishment. Perhaps he will again relent and leave behind him a blessing, Offerings and libations for the Lord your God.
Blow the trumpet in Zion! proclaim a fast, call an assembly; Gather the people, notify the congregation; Assemble the elders, gather the children and the infants at the breast; Let the bridegroom quit his room, and the bride her chamber. Between the porch and the altar let the priests, the ministers of the Lord, weep, And say "Spare, O Lord, your people, and make not your heritage a reproach, with the nations ruling over them! Why should they say among the peoples, 'Where is their God?" Then the Lord was stirred to concern for his land and took pity on his people. -joel 2:12-18
This makes us ambassadors for Christ, God as if were appealing through us. We implore you, in Christ's name: be reconciled to God! For our sakes God made him who did not know sin, to be sin, that in him we might become the very holiness of God. As your fellow workers we beg you to receive the grace of God in vain. For he says, In an acceptable time I have heard you; on a day of salvation I have helped you. Now is the acceptable time! Now is the day of Salvation. -2 corinthians 5:20-6:2
Be on guard against performing religious acts for people to see. Otherwise expect no recompese from you heavenly Father. When you give alms, for example, do not blow a horn before you in synagogues and streets like hypocrites looking for applause. You can be sure of this much, they are already repaid. In giving alms you are not to let your heft hand know what your right hand is doing. Keep your deeds of mercy secret, and your Father who sees in secret will repay you. When you are praying do not behave like the hypocrites who love to stand and pray in synagogues or street corners in order to be noticed. I give you my word, they are already repaid. Whenever you pray, go to your room, close your door and pray to your father in Private. Then your Father who sees what no man sees will repay you... When you fast , you are not to look glum as the hypocrites do. They change the appearance of their faces so that others may see they are fasting. I assure you, they are already repaid. When you fast, see to it that you groom your hair and wash your face. In that way no one can see you are fasting but your father who is in hidden; and your Father who sees what is hidden will repay you. -Matthew 6:1-6, 16-18.
***
Ash Wednesday is the beginning of the journey. And these passages are so appropriate. The journey to reconciliation. But it's a journey that is to be taken seriously. The presense of Christ is at hand!
I am ready. The rewards are not immediate, but for 40 days I must learn to be patient. To wait. To trust God that in my journey, I will ultimately be rewarded by my Father in Heaven. Not here on Earth.
I feel like Lent came at a good time. I have been suffering through transition for a couple of weeks now, and now it's time to put that aside and realize why I'm truly here. What my true purpose is. To wait in anticipation for Christ to come.
Blow the trumpet in Zion! proclaim a fast, call an assembly; Gather the people, notify the congregation; Assemble the elders, gather the children and the infants at the breast; Let the bridegroom quit his room, and the bride her chamber. Between the porch and the altar let the priests, the ministers of the Lord, weep, And say "Spare, O Lord, your people, and make not your heritage a reproach, with the nations ruling over them! Why should they say among the peoples, 'Where is their God?" Then the Lord was stirred to concern for his land and took pity on his people. -joel 2:12-18
This makes us ambassadors for Christ, God as if were appealing through us. We implore you, in Christ's name: be reconciled to God! For our sakes God made him who did not know sin, to be sin, that in him we might become the very holiness of God. As your fellow workers we beg you to receive the grace of God in vain. For he says, In an acceptable time I have heard you; on a day of salvation I have helped you. Now is the acceptable time! Now is the day of Salvation. -2 corinthians 5:20-6:2
Be on guard against performing religious acts for people to see. Otherwise expect no recompese from you heavenly Father. When you give alms, for example, do not blow a horn before you in synagogues and streets like hypocrites looking for applause. You can be sure of this much, they are already repaid. In giving alms you are not to let your heft hand know what your right hand is doing. Keep your deeds of mercy secret, and your Father who sees in secret will repay you. When you are praying do not behave like the hypocrites who love to stand and pray in synagogues or street corners in order to be noticed. I give you my word, they are already repaid. Whenever you pray, go to your room, close your door and pray to your father in Private. Then your Father who sees what no man sees will repay you... When you fast , you are not to look glum as the hypocrites do. They change the appearance of their faces so that others may see they are fasting. I assure you, they are already repaid. When you fast, see to it that you groom your hair and wash your face. In that way no one can see you are fasting but your father who is in hidden; and your Father who sees what is hidden will repay you. -Matthew 6:1-6, 16-18.
***
Ash Wednesday is the beginning of the journey. And these passages are so appropriate. The journey to reconciliation. But it's a journey that is to be taken seriously. The presense of Christ is at hand!
I am ready. The rewards are not immediate, but for 40 days I must learn to be patient. To wait. To trust God that in my journey, I will ultimately be rewarded by my Father in Heaven. Not here on Earth.
I feel like Lent came at a good time. I have been suffering through transition for a couple of weeks now, and now it's time to put that aside and realize why I'm truly here. What my true purpose is. To wait in anticipation for Christ to come.
Working
Dear God,
Help me learn to work for you, not the grade givers in my head. Or in real life.
Amen.
Some keys in my fasting from work.
1.) I will get into work at 8:30 a.m. But prior to coming in to work, I will spend 1/2 hour in prayer.
2.) I will strive to seek his presense while I am at work.
3.) I will not talk, think or dwell on work hours when work is over.
4.) When I come home from work I will spend 1/2 hour in reflection and prayer.
Help me learn to work for you, not the grade givers in my head. Or in real life.
Amen.
Some keys in my fasting from work.
1.) I will get into work at 8:30 a.m. But prior to coming in to work, I will spend 1/2 hour in prayer.
2.) I will strive to seek his presense while I am at work.
3.) I will not talk, think or dwell on work hours when work is over.
4.) When I come home from work I will spend 1/2 hour in reflection and prayer.
Ash Wednesday
I am celebrating Lent once again, and I am looking forward to a time of spirtual discernment and growth.
I have gone to the Ash Wednesday service and the ash of Christ is on my forhead.
After much thought, I have decided to give up work for Lent. Don't get me wrong I will still be working. However, I have spent so much energy and time outside of work talking about it and that's the part I want to give up.
I want to spend time talking to my friends about uplifting things, not work. I want to give up my bad attitude about work to God. I want to trust him in everything I do, including work. Instead of spending an hour trying to unwind from work, I want to spend it with God, reflecting on his beauty and grace.
Dear God,
As I enter this Lenten season, may I realize the your fullness, your love and your grace. Amen.
I have gone to the Ash Wednesday service and the ash of Christ is on my forhead.
After much thought, I have decided to give up work for Lent. Don't get me wrong I will still be working. However, I have spent so much energy and time outside of work talking about it and that's the part I want to give up.
I want to spend time talking to my friends about uplifting things, not work. I want to give up my bad attitude about work to God. I want to trust him in everything I do, including work. Instead of spending an hour trying to unwind from work, I want to spend it with God, reflecting on his beauty and grace.
Dear God,
As I enter this Lenten season, may I realize the your fullness, your love and your grace. Amen.
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