During a sermon last Sunday, 15 July 2012, i got to understand from the priest that we can sum everything (the Holy Bible) into a single word.
And that word is "HOSPITALITY"
Showing posts with label Religious. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Religious. Show all posts
Holy Bible Vs HandPhone
I never thought of it this way, but its an eye opener.
Ever wonder what would happen if we treated our Bible like we treat our cell phone?
What if we carried it around in our purses or pockets?
What if we flipped through it several times a day?
What if we turned back to go get it if we forgot it?
What if we used it to receive messages from the text?
What if we treated it like we couldn't live without it?
What if we gave it to Kids as gifts?
What if we used it when we traveled?
What if we used it in case of emergency?
This is something to make you go....hmm...where is my Bible?
Oh, and one more thing.
Unlike our cell phone, we don't have to worry about our Bible being
disconnected because Jesus already paid the bill.
Makes you stop and think 'where are my priorities? And no dropped calls!
When Jesus died on the cross, he was thinking of you & me !
Ever wonder what would happen if we treated our Bible like we treat our cell phone?
What if we carried it around in our purses or pockets?
What if we flipped through it several times a day?
What if we turned back to go get it if we forgot it?
What if we used it to receive messages from the text?
What if we treated it like we couldn't live without it?
What if we gave it to Kids as gifts?
What if we used it when we traveled?
What if we used it in case of emergency?
This is something to make you go....hmm...where is my Bible?
Oh, and one more thing.
Unlike our cell phone, we don't have to worry about our Bible being
disconnected because Jesus already paid the bill.
Makes you stop and think 'where are my priorities? And no dropped calls!
When Jesus died on the cross, he was thinking of you & me !
Take my Son
A wealthy man and his son loved to collect rare works of art. They had everything in their collection, from Picasso to Raphael. They would often sit together and admire the great works of art.
When the Vietnam conflict broke out, the son went to war. He was very courageous and died in battle while rescuing another soldier.. The father was notified and grieved deeply for his only son.
About a month later, just before Christmas, there was a knock at the door. A young man stood at the door with a large package in his hands...
He said, 'Sir, you don't know me, but I am the soldier for whom your son gave his life. He saved many lives that day, and he was carrying me to safety when a bullet struck him in the heart and he died instantly... He often talked about you, and your love for art.' The young man held out this package. 'I know this isn't much. I'm not really a great artist, but I think your son would have wanted you to have this.'
The father opened the package. It was a portrait of his son, painted by the young man. He stared in awe at the way the soldier had captured the personality of his son in the painting. The father was so drawn to the eyes that his own eyes welled up with tears. He thanked the young man and offered to pay him for the picture.. 'Oh, no sir, I could never repay what your son did for me. It's a gift.'
The father hung the portrait over his mantle. Every time visitors came to his home he took them to see the portrait of his son before he showed them any of the other great works he had collected.
The man died a few months later. There was to be a great auction of his paintings. Many influential people gathered, excited over seeing the great paintings and having an opportunity to purchase one for their collection.
On the platform sat the painting of the son. The auctioneer pounded his gavel.. 'We will start the bidding with this picture of the son. Who will bid for this picture?'
There was silence...
Then a voice in the back of the room shouted, 'We want to see the famous paintings. Skip this one.'
But the auctioneer persisted. 'Will somebody bid for this painting? Who will start the bidding? $100, $200?'
Another voice angrily. 'We didn't come to see this painting. We came to see the Van Gogh's, the Rembrandts. Get on with the Real bids!'
But still the auctioneer continued. 'The son! The son! Who'll take the son?'
Finally, a voice came from the very back of the room. It was the longtime gardener of the man and his son. 'I'll give $10 for the painting...' Being a poor man, it was all he could afford.
'We have $10, who will bid $20?'
'Give it to him for $10. Let's see the masters.'
The crowd was becoming angry. They didn't want the picture of the son.
They wanted the more worthy investments for their collections.
The auctioneer pounded the gavel.. 'Going once, twice, SOLD for $10!'
A man sitting on the second row shouted, 'Now let's get on with the collection!'
The auctioneer laid down his gavel. 'I'm sorry, the auction is over.'
'What about the paintings?'
'I am sorry. When I was called to conduct this auction, I was told of a secret stipulation in the will... I was not allowed to reveal that stipulation until this time. Only the painting of the son would be auctioned. Whoever bought that painting would inherit the entire estate, including the paintings.
The man who took the son gets everything!'
God gave His son 2,000 years ago to die on the cross. Much like the auctioneer, His message today is: 'The son, the son, who'll take the son?'
Because, you see, whoever takes the Son gets everything.
FOR GOD SO LOVED THE WORLD HE GAVE HIS ONLY BEGOTTEN SON, WHOSOEVER BELIEVETH IN HIM, SHALL HAVE ETERNAL LIFE...THAT' S LOVE
|
WHEN YOU THOUGHT I WASN'T LOOKING
A message every adult should read because children are watching you and doing as you do, not as you say.
When you thought I wasn't looking I saw you hang my first painting on the refrigerator,
and I immediately wanted to paint another one.
When you thought I wasn't looking I saw you feed a stray cat,
and I learned that it was good to be kind to animals.
When you thought I wasn't looking I saw you make my favourite cake for me,
and I learned that the little things can be the special things in life.
When you thought I wasn't looking I heard you say a prayer,
and I knew that there is a God I could always talk to, and I learned to trust in Him.
When you thought I wasn't looking I saw you make a meal and take it to a friend who was sick,
and I learned that we all have to help take care of each other.
When you thought I wasn't looking I saw you take care of our house and everyone in it,
and I learned we have to take care of what we are given.
When you thought I wasn't looking I saw how you handled your responsibilities, even when you didn't feel good,
and I learned that I would have to be responsible when I grow up.
When you thought I wasn't looking I saw tears come from your eyes,
and I learned that sometimes things hurt, but it's all right to cry.
When you thought I wasn't looking I saw that you cared,
and I wanted to be everything that I could be.
When you thought I wasn't looking I learned most of life's lessons that I need to know
to be a good and productive person when I grow up.
When you thought I wasn't looking I looked at you and wanted to say,
'Thanks for all the things I saw when you thought I wasn't looking'
I AM SENDING THIS TO ALL OF THE PEOPLE I KNOW WHO DO SO MUCH FOR OTHERS,
BUT THINK THAT NO ONE EVER SEES.
LITTLE EYES SEE A LOT.
LENT
Fasts have a tendency to be oriented toward things like giving up food or television. But there are many other creative ways we can welcome Jesus' healing touch.
Here are suggestions you! may want to consider.
1. Fast from anger and hatred.
Give your family an extra dose of love each day.
2. Fast from judging others.
Before making any judgments, recall how Jesus overlooks our faults.
3. Fast from discouragement.
Hold on to Jesus' promise that He has a perfect plan for your life.
4. Fast from complaining.
When you find yourself about to complain, close your eyes and recall some of the little moments of joy Jesus has given you.
5. Fast from resentment or bitterness!
Work on forgiving those who may have hurt you.
6. Fast from spending too much money.
Try to reduce your spending by ten percent and give those savings to the poor.
Please pass this to as many as possible and surely, you will be blessed abundantly.
Wishing you all Peace, Love, and Happiness during Lent.
SMILE ... Jesus Loves You!
Here are suggestions you! may want to consider.
1. Fast from anger and hatred.
Give your family an extra dose of love each day.
2. Fast from judging others.
Before making any judgments, recall how Jesus overlooks our faults.
3. Fast from discouragement.
Hold on to Jesus' promise that He has a perfect plan for your life.
4. Fast from complaining.
When you find yourself about to complain, close your eyes and recall some of the little moments of joy Jesus has given you.
5. Fast from resentment or bitterness!
Work on forgiving those who may have hurt you.
6. Fast from spending too much money.
Try to reduce your spending by ten percent and give those savings to the poor.
Please pass this to as many as possible and surely, you will be blessed abundantly.
Wishing you all Peace, Love, and Happiness during Lent.
SMILE ... Jesus Loves You!
SCARS OF LIFE
SCARS OF LIFE
Some years ago,
on a hot summer day
in South Florida ,
a little boy decided to go
for a swim in the old swimming hole behind his house.
In a hurry to dive into
the cool water,
he ran out the back door, leaving behind shoes, socks, and shirt as he went...
He flew into the water,
not realizing that as he swam toward the middle of the lake,
an alligator was swimming toward the shore.
His father, working in the yard,
saw the two as they got closer and closer together.
In utter fear,
he ran toward the water,
yelling to his son as loudly
as he could.
Hearing his voice,
the little boy became alarmed and made a U-turn
to swim to his father.
It was too late.
Just as he reached his father, the alligator reached him.
From the dock,
the father grabbed his little boy by the arms
just as the alligator
snatched his legs..
That began an incredible
tug-of-war between the two..
The alligator was much stronger than the father,
but the father was much
too passionate to let go.
A farmer happened to drive by, heard his screams,
raced from his truck,
took aim and shot the alligator.
Remarkably, after weeks and weeks in the hospital,
the little boy survived.
His legs were extremely scarred by the vicious attack
of the animal.
And, on his arms,
were deep scratches
where his father's fingernails dug into his flesh in his effort
to hang on to the son he loved.
The newspaper reporter
who interviewed the boy
after the trauma,
asked if he would
show him his scars.
The boy lifted his pant legs.
And then, with obvious pride, he said to the reporter,
'But look at my arms.
I have great scars
on my arms, too..
I have them because
my Dad wouldn't let go.'
You and I can identify
with that little boy.
We have scars, too.
No, not from an alligator,
but the scars of a painful past. Some of those scars
are unsightly and have
caused us deep regret.
But, some wounds,
my friend,
are because God has refused
to let go.
In the midst of your struggle, He's been there
holding on to you..
The Scripture teaches that
God loves you.
You are a child of God.
He wants to protect you
and
provide for you in every way.
But sometimes we foolishly wade into dangerous situations,
not knowing what lies ahead.. The swimming hole of life
is filled with peril -
and we forget
that the enemy is waiting
to attack.
That's when the tug-of-war begins - and if you have
the scars of His love
on your arms,
be very, very grateful.
He did not and will not ever let you go.
GOD BLESS YOU
Renewal
After attended the CCR conference in 20th – 22nd February 2009. I manage to understand at least the term 'RENEWAL' in faith. The speaker (Mr. Francis De Souza) who is from India, explain what it 'martyrdom', i quote some of his sharing, saying ;
"It is believed there will be martyrdom in Asia as we are entering the 3rd Millennium because planting of the cross – faith always grows on the blood of martyrs. They are the seed of the church. This should discourage us"
he say also ;
"A prophesy by Pope John Paul II in 1995 – in the first millennium (Europe), second millennium (America & Africa) and third millennium (ASIA) as there will be rich harvest in faith. We in ASIA are going to experience something great"
Apparently, i'am facing difficulties in serving the Lord in my church. These matters arises when people are not in favor in that priest. Why? What? When? Who? How? all these questions seem to be very hard to answer, even i received many opinion but it did not satisfy my paradigm. I realise that some churches may facing the same problem... but, how do the people the community or individual look and act on it.... ????
Few days back, still in confusion... an e-mail came to me, sent by a dear friend of mine... title "Psalm 18:18" - answered one of the question, WHO?
Flashback at the CCR conference, answered another question, WHY? = "martyrdom",
slowly, an answers came to me, at least to my agreement... and it came when i'm in total silence (meditation/pray/entering sleep).
WHEN? = "in His time"
WHAT? = "Lent"
HOW? = "Intercession"
~ John 15:16 “You did not chose me, I chose you, bear fruit that will last”.
Songs title "If you Believe" ~ Life is The Answer.... AMEN
"It is believed there will be martyrdom in Asia as we are entering the 3rd Millennium because planting of the cross – faith always grows on the blood of martyrs. They are the seed of the church. This should discourage us"
he say also ;
"A prophesy by Pope John Paul II in 1995 – in the first millennium (Europe), second millennium (America & Africa) and third millennium (ASIA) as there will be rich harvest in faith. We in ASIA are going to experience something great"
Apparently, i'am facing difficulties in serving the Lord in my church. These matters arises when people are not in favor in that priest. Why? What? When? Who? How? all these questions seem to be very hard to answer, even i received many opinion but it did not satisfy my paradigm. I realise that some churches may facing the same problem... but, how do the people the community or individual look and act on it.... ????
Few days back, still in confusion... an e-mail came to me, sent by a dear friend of mine... title "Psalm 18:18" - answered one of the question, WHO?
Flashback at the CCR conference, answered another question, WHY? = "martyrdom",
slowly, an answers came to me, at least to my agreement... and it came when i'm in total silence (meditation/pray/entering sleep).
WHEN? = "in His time"
WHAT? = "Lent"
HOW? = "Intercession"
~ John 15:16 “You did not chose me, I chose you, bear fruit that will last”.
Songs title "If you Believe" ~ Life is The Answer.... AMEN
John 3:16
A little boy was selling newspapers on the corner, the people were in and out of the cold. The little boy was so cold that he wasn't trying to sell many papers. He walked up to a policeman and said, "Mister, you wouldn't happen to know where a poor boy could find a warm place to sleep tonight would you? You see, I sleep in a box up around the corner there and down the alley and it's awful cold in there for tonight. Sure would be nice to have a warm place stay."
The policeman looked down at the little boy and said, "You go down the street to that big white house and you knock on the door. When they come out the door you just say John 3:16, and they will let you in."
So he did.. He walked up the steps and knocked on the door, and a lady answered. He looked up and said, "John 3:16." The lady said, "Come on in, Son." She took him in and she sat him down in a split bottom rocker in front of a great big old fireplace, and she went off.
The boy sat there for a while and thought to himself: John 3:16...I don't understand it, but it sure makes a cold boy warm.
Later she came back and asked him "Are you hungry?" He said, "Well, just a little. I haven't eaten in a couple of days, and I guess I could stand a little bit of food," The lady took him in the kitchen and sat him down to a table full of wonderful food. He ate and ate until he couldn't eat any more. Then he thought to himself: John 3:16...Boy, I sure don't understand it but it sure makes a hungry boy full.
She took him upstairs to a bathroom to a huge bathtub filled with warm water, and he sat there and soaked for a while. As he soaked, he thought to himself: John 3:16... I sure don't understand it, but it sure makes a dirty boy clean. You know, I've not had a bath, a real bath, in my whole life. The only bath I ever had was when I stood in front of that big old fire hydrant as they flushed it out.
The lady came in and got him. She took him to a room, tucked him into a big old feather bed, pulled the covers up around his neck, kissed him goodnight and turned out the lights. As he lay in the darkness and looked out the window at the snow coming down on that cold night, he thought to himself: John 3:16...I don't understand it but it sure makes a tired boy rested.
The next morning the lady came back up and took him down again to that same big table full of food. After he ate, she took him back to that same big old split bottom rocker in front of the fireplace and picked up a big old Bible. She sat down in front of him and looked into his young face. "Do you understand John 3:16?" she asked gently. He replied, "No, Ma'am, I don't. The first time I ever heard it was last night when the policeman told me to use it," She opened the Bible to John 3:16 and began to explain to him about Jesus.
Right there, in front of that big old fireplace, he gave his heart and life to Jesus. He sat there and thought: John 3:16 -- don't understand it, but it sure makes a lost boy feel safe.
You know, I have to confess I don't understand it either, how God was willing to send His Son to die for me, and how Jesus would agree to do such a thing. I don't understand the agony of the Father and every angel in heaven as they watched Jesus suffer and die. I don't understand the intense love for ME that kept Jesus on the cross till the end. I don't understand it, but it sure does make life worth living.
John 3:16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
A little boy was selling newspapers on the corner, the people were in and out of the cold. The little boy was so cold that he wasn't trying to sell many papers. He walked up to a policeman and said, "Mister, you wouldn't happen to know where a poor boy could find a warm place to sleep tonight would you? You see, I sleep in a box up around the corner there and down the alley and it's awful cold in there for tonight. Sure would be nice to have a warm place stay."
The policeman looked down at the little boy and said, "You go down the street to that big white house and you knock on the door. When they come out the door you just say John 3:16, and they will let you in."
So he did.. He walked up the steps and knocked on the door, and a lady answered. He looked up and said, "John 3:16." The lady said, "Come on in, Son." She took him in and she sat him down in a split bottom rocker in front of a great big old fireplace, and she went off.
The boy sat there for a while and thought to himself: John 3:16...I don't understand it, but it sure makes a cold boy warm.
Later she came back and asked him "Are you hungry?" He said, "Well, just a little. I haven't eaten in a couple of days, and I guess I could stand a little bit of food," The lady took him in the kitchen and sat him down to a table full of wonderful food. He ate and ate until he couldn't eat any more. Then he thought to himself: John 3:16...Boy, I sure don't understand it but it sure makes a hungry boy full.
She took him upstairs to a bathroom to a huge bathtub filled with warm water, and he sat there and soaked for a while. As he soaked, he thought to himself: John 3:16... I sure don't understand it, but it sure makes a dirty boy clean. You know, I've not had a bath, a real bath, in my whole life. The only bath I ever had was when I stood in front of that big old fire hydrant as they flushed it out.
The lady came in and got him. She took him to a room, tucked him into a big old feather bed, pulled the covers up around his neck, kissed him goodnight and turned out the lights. As he lay in the darkness and looked out the window at the snow coming down on that cold night, he thought to himself: John 3:16...I don't understand it but it sure makes a tired boy rested.
The next morning the lady came back up and took him down again to that same big table full of food. After he ate, she took him back to that same big old split bottom rocker in front of the fireplace and picked up a big old Bible. She sat down in front of him and looked into his young face. "Do you understand John 3:16?" she asked gently. He replied, "No, Ma'am, I don't. The first time I ever heard it was last night when the policeman told me to use it," She opened the Bible to John 3:16 and began to explain to him about Jesus.
Right there, in front of that big old fireplace, he gave his heart and life to Jesus. He sat there and thought: John 3:16 -- don't understand it, but it sure makes a lost boy feel safe.
You know, I have to confess I don't understand it either, how God was willing to send His Son to die for me, and how Jesus would agree to do such a thing. I don't understand the agony of the Father and every angel in heaven as they watched Jesus suffer and die. I don't understand the intense love for ME that kept Jesus on the cross till the end. I don't understand it, but it sure does make life worth living.
John 3:16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
Lent
It Took 40 Days …
On Ash Wednesday the Church begins her great Lenten journey with Jesus on the road to Jerusalem. For centuries, Lent has been a very intense spiritual journey and experience for the followers of Jesus Christ.
Why are there 40 days in Lent?
· It took 40 days for sinfulness to drown in the flood before a new creation could inherit the earth.
· It took 40 years for the generation of slaves to die before the freeborn could enter the Promised Land.
· For 40 days Moses, Elijah and Jesus fasted and prayed to prepare themselves for a life's work.
Lent invites us to turn from our own selves, from our sin, to come together in community.
Self-denial is the way we express our repentance.
Self-denial is threefold, advises Matthew's Gospel.
v We pray: "Go to your room, close your door, and pray to your Father in private."
v We fast: "No one must see you are fasting but your Father."
v We give alms: "Keep your deeds of mercy secret, and your Father who sees in secret will repay you."
Through the Lenten exercise of prayer, fasting and almsgiving, we spring-clean our lives, sharpen our senses, put tomorrow in its place and treasure the day at hand.
One of the three Lenten practices open to most misinterpretation today is that of fasting. Fasting has become an ambiguous practice. In antiquity, only religious fasting was known; today, political and social fasting exists (hunger strikes), health and ideological fasting (vegetarians), pathological fasting (anorexia), aesthetic fasting (the cult of the body -- believing that thinner is better). There is, above all, a fast imposed by necessity: that of millions of human beings who lack the indispensable minimum and die of hunger.
These fasts in themselves have nothing to do with religious or aesthetic reasons. In aesthetic fasting at times one can even "mortify" the vice of gluttony only to obey another capital vice, that of pride or vanity.
Fasting, in itself, is something good and advisable; it translates some fundamental religious attitudes: reverence before God, acknowledgment of one's sins, resistance to the desires of the flesh, concern for and solidarity with the poor. ...
As with all human things, however, it can fall into "presumption of the flesh." Remember the words of the Pharisee in the temple: "I fast twice a week" (Luke 18:12).
Lent is a time for us to discover the reasons for the pious practices, disciplines and devotions of our Catholic Christian tradition. What have we done with the important Lenten practice of fasting? If Jesus were here to speak to disciples of today, what would he stress most?
We regard as more important the need to "share bread with the hungry and clothe the naked"; we are in fact ashamed to call ours a "fast," when what would be for us the height of austerity -- to be on bread and water -- for millions of people would already be an extraordinary luxury, especially if it is fresh bread and clean water.
In his message for Lent 2009, Benedict XVI writes: "At the same time, fasting is an aid to open our eyes to the situation in which so many of our brothers and sisters live. In his First Letter, St. John admonishes: 'If anyone has the world's goods, and sees his brother in need, yet shuts up his bowels of compassion from him -- how does the love of God abide in him?' Voluntary fasting enables us to grow in the spirit of the Good Samaritan, who bends low and goes to the help of his suffering brother.
"By freely embracing an act of self-denial for the sake of another, we make a statement that our brother or sister in need is not a stranger. It is precisely to keep alive this welcoming and attentive attitude towards our brothers and sisters that I encourage the parishes and every other community to intensify in Lent the custom of private and communal fasts, joined to the reading of the Word of God, prayer and almsgiving. From the beginning, this has been the hallmark of the Christian community, in which special collections were taken up, the faithful being invited to give to the poor what had been set aside from their fast. This practice needs to be rediscovered and encouraged again in our day, especially during the liturgical season of Lent."
Fasting helps us not to be reduced to pure "consumers"; it helps us to acquire the precious "fruit of the Spirit," which is "self-control," it predisposes us to the encounter with God.
We must empty ourselves in order to be filled by God. Fasting creates authentic solidarity with millions of hungry people throughout the world.
But we must not forget that there are alternative forms of fasting and abstinence from food. We can practice fasting from smoking and drinking. This not only benefits the soul but also the body. There is fasting from violent and sexual pictures that television, movies, magazines and Internet bombard us with daily as they distort human dignity. There is the fasting from condemning and dismissing others -- a practice so prevalent in today's Church.
"For now is the acceptable time! Now is the day of salvation!"
We need Lent to help us recognize that our identity and mission are rooted in Jesus' dying and rising. Prayer, fasting and almsgiving are the pillars of the Lenten journey for Christians.
Lent is a time to fast from certain things, but also a time to feast on others.
Fast from discontent, anger, bitterness, self-concern, discouragement, laziness, suspicion, guilt.
Feast on gratitude, patience, forgiveness, compassion for others, hope, commitment, truth, and the mercy of God.
Lent is just such a time of fasting and feasting!
On Ash Wednesday the Church begins her great Lenten journey with Jesus on the road to Jerusalem. For centuries, Lent has been a very intense spiritual journey and experience for the followers of Jesus Christ.
Why are there 40 days in Lent?
· It took 40 days for sinfulness to drown in the flood before a new creation could inherit the earth.
· It took 40 years for the generation of slaves to die before the freeborn could enter the Promised Land.
· For 40 days Moses, Elijah and Jesus fasted and prayed to prepare themselves for a life's work.
Lent invites us to turn from our own selves, from our sin, to come together in community.
Self-denial is the way we express our repentance.
Self-denial is threefold, advises Matthew's Gospel.
v We pray: "Go to your room, close your door, and pray to your Father in private."
v We fast: "No one must see you are fasting but your Father."
v We give alms: "Keep your deeds of mercy secret, and your Father who sees in secret will repay you."
Through the Lenten exercise of prayer, fasting and almsgiving, we spring-clean our lives, sharpen our senses, put tomorrow in its place and treasure the day at hand.
One of the three Lenten practices open to most misinterpretation today is that of fasting. Fasting has become an ambiguous practice. In antiquity, only religious fasting was known; today, political and social fasting exists (hunger strikes), health and ideological fasting (vegetarians), pathological fasting (anorexia), aesthetic fasting (the cult of the body -- believing that thinner is better). There is, above all, a fast imposed by necessity: that of millions of human beings who lack the indispensable minimum and die of hunger.
These fasts in themselves have nothing to do with religious or aesthetic reasons. In aesthetic fasting at times one can even "mortify" the vice of gluttony only to obey another capital vice, that of pride or vanity.
Fasting, in itself, is something good and advisable; it translates some fundamental religious attitudes: reverence before God, acknowledgment of one's sins, resistance to the desires of the flesh, concern for and solidarity with the poor. ...
As with all human things, however, it can fall into "presumption of the flesh." Remember the words of the Pharisee in the temple: "I fast twice a week" (Luke 18:12).
Lent is a time for us to discover the reasons for the pious practices, disciplines and devotions of our Catholic Christian tradition. What have we done with the important Lenten practice of fasting? If Jesus were here to speak to disciples of today, what would he stress most?
We regard as more important the need to "share bread with the hungry and clothe the naked"; we are in fact ashamed to call ours a "fast," when what would be for us the height of austerity -- to be on bread and water -- for millions of people would already be an extraordinary luxury, especially if it is fresh bread and clean water.
In his message for Lent 2009, Benedict XVI writes: "At the same time, fasting is an aid to open our eyes to the situation in which so many of our brothers and sisters live. In his First Letter, St. John admonishes: 'If anyone has the world's goods, and sees his brother in need, yet shuts up his bowels of compassion from him -- how does the love of God abide in him?' Voluntary fasting enables us to grow in the spirit of the Good Samaritan, who bends low and goes to the help of his suffering brother.
"By freely embracing an act of self-denial for the sake of another, we make a statement that our brother or sister in need is not a stranger. It is precisely to keep alive this welcoming and attentive attitude towards our brothers and sisters that I encourage the parishes and every other community to intensify in Lent the custom of private and communal fasts, joined to the reading of the Word of God, prayer and almsgiving. From the beginning, this has been the hallmark of the Christian community, in which special collections were taken up, the faithful being invited to give to the poor what had been set aside from their fast. This practice needs to be rediscovered and encouraged again in our day, especially during the liturgical season of Lent."
Fasting helps us not to be reduced to pure "consumers"; it helps us to acquire the precious "fruit of the Spirit," which is "self-control," it predisposes us to the encounter with God.
We must empty ourselves in order to be filled by God. Fasting creates authentic solidarity with millions of hungry people throughout the world.
But we must not forget that there are alternative forms of fasting and abstinence from food. We can practice fasting from smoking and drinking. This not only benefits the soul but also the body. There is fasting from violent and sexual pictures that television, movies, magazines and Internet bombard us with daily as they distort human dignity. There is the fasting from condemning and dismissing others -- a practice so prevalent in today's Church.
"For now is the acceptable time! Now is the day of salvation!"
We need Lent to help us recognize that our identity and mission are rooted in Jesus' dying and rising. Prayer, fasting and almsgiving are the pillars of the Lenten journey for Christians.
Lent is a time to fast from certain things, but also a time to feast on others.
Fast from discontent, anger, bitterness, self-concern, discouragement, laziness, suspicion, guilt.
Feast on gratitude, patience, forgiveness, compassion for others, hope, commitment, truth, and the mercy of God.
Lent is just such a time of fasting and feasting!
***The Beatitudes***
Blessed are the poor in spirit,
For theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are those who mourn,
For they shall be comforted.
Blessed are the meek,
For they shall be inherit the earth.
Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for rightenousness,
For they shall be filled.
Blessed are the merciful,
For they shall obtain mercy.
Blessed are the pure in heart,
For they shall see God.
Blessed are the peacemakers,
For they shall be called sons of God.
Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake,
For theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
For theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are those who mourn,
For they shall be comforted.
Blessed are the meek,
For they shall be inherit the earth.
Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for rightenousness,
For they shall be filled.
Blessed are the merciful,
For they shall obtain mercy.
Blessed are the pure in heart,
For they shall see God.
Blessed are the peacemakers,
For they shall be called sons of God.
Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake,
For theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
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