Lenten Reflection for March 7th

Hello friends, 

Today marks day twenty-three of our Lenten journey and if you include the Sundays during Lent, which I do, today is the half-way point from Ash Wednesday to Easter!

I want to use today’s reflection to offer encouragement to you. If you made a Lenten commitment in regard to prayer, fasting and alms-giving but have felt like you’ve been slipping over the past few weeks, it’s not too late to renew your commitment and continue to journey onward to Easter. 

Unlike many New Year’s resolutions where we might focus more on self improvement or ‘to-do’ lists, Lent can be a time to focus on our relationship with God, listening for His voice, learning from His Word, growing closer to Him in love and faithfulness. It is God’s will to work in us and transform our heart, as Saint Paul says to the Philippians,

“...it is God who is at work in you, enabling you both to will and to work for his good pleasure.” (Philippians 2:13)

If you feel you’ve been slipping in your Lenten commitment, don’t be discouraged! Today is a perfect day to realign ourselves and get back on the path on our journey to the Joy of Easter.

For our younger brothers and sisters in Christ:

At the beginning of Lent, around Ash Wednesday, do you remember perhaps making a Lenten promise or commitment? This may have been your parents or teachers asking you if you would consider giving something up for Lent, maybe chocolate or sweets, limiting time playing video games or watching television. Maybe you were asked if you wanted to do some extra chores or spend some time volunteering. Today we are halfway through Lent as we look forward to Easter. If you feel you haven’t been doing so well with the Lenten promise you made, don’t give up! Today is a perfect day to renew that promise and keep trying!

In the Bible, Saint Paul offers us this encouragement, “Yes, God is working in you to help you want to do what pleases him. Then he gives you the power to do it.” (Philippians 2:13 ICB Translation) Let’s take some time to pray today and ask God to help us get back on track with our Lenten promises so we can fully share in the Easter Joy!

God bless you!

Lenten Reflection for March 6th

Years ago a friend of mine got a job working at a front desk for a sales company, she would take calls from customers and forward them to the sales people in order of seniority and down. The business was quite competitive and the sales staff were always trying to figure out ways to get more contacts for sales before any of their co-workers could take the calls. 

More than once she was offered bribes of cash by some of the less senior sales staff if she would give them the next few calls rather than distributing them in the order she was instructed to. She said she would just laugh and shake her head, treating it like a joke.

She could have decided to take the money, treating it as a sort of ‘finders fee’. There were gray areas which could have made it seem a justifiable decision, but she knew that wouldn’t be doing right by the other sales people. What was apparent is that she valued acting with integrity higher than any price that could be bought with money.

I can see this as one example of the Holy Spirit’s Gift of Right Judgment, also called Counsel. As we have seen with the other Gifts of the Spirit, in my reflections I can see at least two ways to experience the Gift of Counsel. An inward growth and outward in the way it affects the world around us.

When we are faced with a difficult decision which may fall into that ‘gray’ area, we can call upon the Lord for guidance and discernment on how to proceed. In Saint Paul’s letter to the Hebrews, he offers these words of encouragement, “Because he himself was tested by what he suffered, he is able to help those who are being tested.” (Hebrews 2:18), reminding us of when Christ was faced with temptations, he relied on the foundation of Scripture and on the Lord to stand in strength. 

Let’s pray that the Gift of the Spirit of Counsel and Right Judgement will continue to guide us though any decisions we are faced with.

For our younger brothers and sisters in Christ:

When I was in elementary school I remember there was a girl in my class who seemed to have trouble fitting in. Every day she came to school she dressed really nicely, wearing nice dresses, pristine white stockings and her shoes were always polished and shiny. 

She tried hard to make friends but for some reason, many of the other children would make fun of her, ignoring her attempts to join in. I would see her stand near groups of other girls and smile, waiting to be included. This made me sad, she tried so hard and was very nice. One recess I asked if she would like to skip rope with me and her face lit up with a smile. My other friends made fun of me too for being her friend, but I knew it was the right thing to do.

For me, this was a small example of the Holy Spirit’s Gift of Right Judgement. When we are faced with a hard decision, the Holy Spirit can help us figure out if it is a good decision or bad.

We may feel tempted to make a choice we feel is wrong, and in those times we can pray and ask for Jesus’ help to make the right choice. Jesus knows how we feel when we are tempted and we read in the Bible that “He is able to help because he himself suffered and was tempted.” (Hebrews 2:18 ICB Translation) So we can know when we ask Him, He will help us too!

God bless you!

Lenten Reflection for March 5th

If you enjoy learning about history, I would highly encourage you to take time to read through the Book of Nehemiah in the Scriptures. The book is written as Nehemiah’s first-person memoir, detailing his journey from royal cup-bearer to the Persian King, to governor of Judah where he was tasked with rebuilding the walls of Jerusalem and re-populating the city after if had been decimated by the Babylonians.

In chapter 8 of Nehemiah, we read how he, Ezra and the Levites gathered the Jewish community together to listen to the Laws of Moses and through translation, understand the Scriptures they as a people had been given. Hearing the words read out to them affected all those who were listening and could understand, calling them to repentance for not following the Law God had established for them. Nehemiah writes, “…all the people wept when they heard the words of the law.” (Nehemiah 8:9).

Ezra, Nehemiah and the Levite priests stop them from weeping and mourning, they tell the people that this day when they finally received and understood the word of the Lord is to be considered a holy day. They were told to go and feast with each other to celebrate with great rejoicing!

God gives us the Word in Christ, Jesus says this to us in John’s Gospel, “I have said these things to you so that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be complete.” (John 15:11) When we open the Bible to receive the Word of God, we can also pray to ask the Lord for Understanding. In dwelling in His Word, we too can experience great Joy!

For our younger brothers and sisters in Christ:

Sometimes the Bible is referred to as ‘the living Word’, In Saint Peter’s first letter in the Bible he  calls it “...God’s living message…” (1 Peter 1:23 ICB Translation).  This may be a bit of a confusing term, how can a mere book be ‘alive’? 

There are a few examples of how the phrase ‘the living Word’ defines Scripture. One is that with any other books, whether novels, school books, or other books we read, we can get all the information we need from them and then not need to read them again. The Bible however, can give advice to us when we are looking for answers, can inspire us when we need hope. The Bible has been read by millions of people for over a thousand years, and it helped people in their faith all those years ago just as it can give us help and comfort when we need it and read our Bible today.

God’s Word to us is something to rejoice and to celebrate! Jesus gives us this gift, he says,“I have told you these things so that you can have the same joy I have. I want your joy to be the fullest joy.” (John 15:11 ICB Translation) The next time you open your Bible to read, take a moment to pray and ask God to help you understand what He is saying to you through His words and to give you Joy!

God bless you!