lent 2017: day four

TO GIVE UP:

overeating
vomiting
eating from jars
chips
chocolate
sugar
peanut butter
luxury foods
shopping at wegmans

 
TO DO MORE:

pray daily books
read holy books
give money to poor
reimburse all taken from family

 

day four: saturday, 030417

isaiah 58  psalm 86  luke 5

 

1. go to confession

 focus on God's tender mercy and love, the grace of which will lift you out of repeated sins.

 

2. give $2.

got a letter from the st francis de sales missions concerning the 7.8 earthquake in equador.
I will be donating $25.

 see jesus in those "condemned to death" by hunger, war, and poverty. reflect on this, and help if possible.

 

3. Jesus is the divine physician. turn to him in your sickness of sin, for he is all-loving, and he will heal you.

 remember that God loves you even in your physical ills, and that he seeks the healing of your soul and heart above all else.

 

4. following Jesus requires no preliminary steps or preparation. there is only one step: follow him.

 leap into that following Christ wholeheartedly.
 visit an elderly person.

 

5. Jesus was not politically correct, He upheld Truth, and the dignity of all human persons.

 the Church is opposed to homosexual acts & marriage, abortion, cloning, euthanasia, contraception, divorce, & remarriage.
 the Church is also called to actively respect and care for the unborn, handicapped, sick, and dying.

 follow Jesus even if no one else comes with you, at all.
 give special thought and prayer to all those affected by the above issues, and clean your heart of any leaning towards them.

 Jesus came to call sinners, not the righteous; gently bring His Truth to someone affected by one of the above issues today?

 

6. Christ reached out to save sinners, to heal those who needed healing.

 today, I will find a way to minister to the outcasts in my own community, like Christ did.

 

7. pray for Jesus to be with you at EVERY moment and EVERY place, for the strength & courage to be faithful through Lent until Easter.

 pray for this especially at mealtimes.

 

8. Good Friday is God's Valentine's Day, when He revealed His Heart for all the world to see, sparing no expense to draw us closer to Him. God's love is an infinite well we can reach into when ours becomes worn; it is the endless source of our love for others.

 pray for God to pour His love into my heart today, that I may love others from the depth of my soul, as He loved me.
 practice feeling this deep Christlike love towards those in my life that are "hard to love" for whatever reason. make it soft instead!

 

9. at the center of our worship is a table, and a meal. God, becoming food, saves us for life in a literal sense as well as a spiritual one.

 "there is always a bare table awaiting our contribution." practice more spiritual and corporal acts of mercy.

 who is welcome at your table-- literally and figuratively? is it wide enough to include the folks Jesus ate with?
 who eats with you? who do you invite?

 I usually eat alone; this feels selfish. open your heart and SHARE your mealtime.
 table talk: helps deepen understanding and friendship.

 grandpa always talks to me. so does mom! listen to them both more wholeheartedly.
 who is in need of a share of your food-- literally and figuratively?

 practice welcoming more people to your table. practice sharing more of your food with those in need. be generous like Christ.

 

10. "coming out" is difficult for people. even if this goes against our belief, we must not be pharisees, but Christ. accept, don't reject, the person.

 say this to all it applies to: "I love you. You're still my friend/ brother. I'll always be by your side. How can I help? What do you need?"
 it is not my job to convict or condemn. Jesus calls me instead to show compassion and unconditional love for all. I am a sinner too, remember.

 

11. trust Jesus and follow him, right now, no matter where he leads you. we must make friends in those new places for His sake-- and those friends are often those that the world does not want to befriend. those people are the ones Christ came to save and embrace, though.

 visit a food pantry or soup kitchen this week. offer your food AND your company to the hungry.

 try to make a new friend FROM an "outcast" group-- someone poor, handicapped, elderly, and/or sick.
 treasure your friendship with Linda.

 

12. do good for God, not for recognition and approval by family and friends. do good for the sake of God, even if no one sees or knows, ever, but God. living in God's presence is a far greater joy than any earthly glory. live in relation to Him at all times, in secret but deeply zealous and honest love.

 how might I better remember God's loving presence in ALL my daily actions?
 do a solid work of good in secret. bonus points if you really want someone to notice-- sacrifice that feeling and feel loving service to God instead.

 

13. the Gospel allows us to know the real Jesus, who speaks to our hearts so profoundly He changes our life in an instant, and we too leave all to follow Him. the Gospel is the source of Christian joy, the source of all our treasure and hope.

 reflect extra on the Gospel today, to get to know Jesus better.
 carry a little Gospel with you, in a pocket or purse, to keep on hand and turn to always..

 I always carry a NT with me-- now write down your favorite verses and carry them to share them!

 

14. because God first loved us, we are compelled to act on that divine impulse. in spite of fear or timidity, God gives us the grace to move forward in love. we must evangelize in that same spirit of unconditional love that Jesus called us to Him with, and we must do so in that same salvation-rooted joy.

 read Isaiah 58: 9-14, and reflect on it.
 seek those who have fallen away-- stand at the crossroads and welcome the outcast.

 respond to the needs of others, especially when you feel inner resistance.
 restore what is wounded and/or lost in your life, or in the lives of those around you.

 hold with tenderness the brokenness of others, as well as your own.

 

15. the Christian Sabbath is on Sunday, representing the day Jesus rose from the dead-- when God brought His light into the darkness of our sinful world, effectively "recreating" us through His Son.

 rest in God on this Sabbath day, putting aside your own duties to do so. delight in Him instead, and in everything you do today.
 reflect on the new Creation brought to us through Jesus' birth and death-- the gates of heaven opened, the power of sin and death broken, our own souls redeemed to life.