Prayers and Reflections for the Season of Lent. Vicariate Apostolic of Kuwait. All Rights Reserved.
"Create in me a clean heart, O God, and put a new and right spirit within me" (Ps 50:12).
ONE MINUTE MEDITATIONS FOR LENT
THE DESERT WILL BLOOM
Have you ever been in a real desert? There are many kinds, some
with huge sand dunes and others with just rocks. Some are very hot,
others quite cold. The important thing about deserts are that they are
usually empty and quiet.
After a rain shower, things change. It does not rain very often
in deserts, but when it happens it is beautiful. Suddenly bright,
colorful flowers spring up overnight. They don’t last long, but for a
while, the desert flowers spread a glow. This shows that even in the
most unfriendly places, beauty can appear.
People in the bible often used to go off into the desert. Even today, people
still do it to find quiet and avoid distractions. If they are patient they see the
beauty.
You need to be alone sometimes. You need a quiet place where you
can think about your life and where you are going. This is especially
true during the season of Lent. Give yourself a rest. Find a
"desert" in your room, in the woods or in church. Wait for the flowers
of God’s love to come to life. Be patient. They won’t blossom right
away, but they will bloom eventually.
THE ROOM OF CROSSES
The young man was at the end of his rope. Seeing no way out,
he dropped to his knees in prayer. "Lord, I can't go on," he said,
"My cross is too heavy to bear."
The Lord replied, "My son, if you cannot bear its weight, just place
your cross inside this room. Then open another door and pick out any
cross you wish."
The man was filled with relief. "Thank you, Lord," he sighed,
and did as he was told. As he looked around the room he saw many
different crosses; some so large the tops were not visible. Then he
spotted a tiny cross leaning against a wall. "I'd like that one,
Lord," he whispered.
And the Lord replied, "My son, that's the cross you came in with."
A SINGLE RIGHTEOUS ACT
Paul gives his explanation of what the Church would
later call "Original Sin". The selfishness of Adam,
the first human, brought about a pollution of the human
race. The result of this sin was death for all who
followed Adam. Even those who did not commit a serious
sin suffered from the corruption of humanity. Paul
suggests that Jesus is the new Adam. His unselfish
death on the cross has removed the effects of the sin
of Adam. Paul uses the term "just" to refer to the right
(or correct) relationship with God that has been restored
by Jesus.
THE NEW COVENANT
A Covenant is a personal agreement or contract between two or more
people. Unlike a commercial contract, a Covenant is a commitment to
share lives. The best human examples are the marriage vows in which a
man and a woman agree to share a common life with faithfulness, love and honor.
In the Sundays of Lent we shall look at the Covenants that
God made with his people in the past. These included Covenants with Noah,
Abraham, Moses and the people of Judah during the exile. God agreed to protect
these people and their descendants provided that they agree to follow a path
to holiness. To be "holy" is to be "like God". Sadly, though God kept His part
of the bargain, the people rarely did.
Jeremiah predicted that God would create a new permanent Covenant.
Jeremiah was a prophet who lived in the 6th century B.C. He taught that
under this new agreement, people would instinctively know God and His
guidance. God would "engrave" it on our hearts. Jesus brought the New
Covenant into being by His obedient death and resurrection.
LEGEND OF THE DOGWOOD
There is a legend, that at the time of the Crucifixion the dogwood had been
the size of the oak and other forest trees. So firm and strong was the tree, that
it was chosen as the timber of the Cross. To be used thus for such a cruel purpose
greatly distressed the tree, and Jesus, nailed upon it, sensed this, and in His
gentle pity for all sorrow and suffering said to it:
"Because of your regret and pity for my suffering, never again shall the dogwood
tree grow large enough to be used as a Cross. Henceforth it shall be slender and
bent and twisted and its blossoms shall be in the form of a Cross...two long and
two short petals. And in the center of the outer edge of each petal there will be
nail prints, brown with rust and stained with red, and in the center of the flower
there will be a crown of thorns, and all who see it will remember."
ONE SOLITARY LIFE
He was born in an obscure village, the child of a peasant woman.
He grew up in still another village where He worked in a a carpenter shop
until He was thirty.
Then for three years He was an itinerant preacher.
He never wrote a book.
He never held an office.
He didn't go to college.
He never visited a big city.
He never traveled two hundred miles from the place where He was born.
He did none of the things one usually associates with greatness.
He had no credentials but himself.
He was only thirty-three when the tide of public opinion turned against Him.
His friends ran away.
He was turned over to His enemies and went through the mockery of a trial.
He was nailed to a cross between two thieves.
While He was dying His executioners gambled for His clothing, the only property
He had on earth.
When He was dead, He was laid in a borrowed grave through the pity of a friend.
Nineteen centuries have come and gone, and today He is the central figure of the
human race and the leader of humanity's progress.
All the armies that have ever marched, all the navies that have ever sailed,
all the parliaments that have ever sat, all the kings that ever reigned
put together have not affected the life of humanity on earth as much
as that One Solitary Life.
For all the negative things we have to say to ourselves,
God has positive answers:
You say: "It's impossible."
God says: All things are possible. (Luke 18:27)
You say: "I'm too tired."
God says: I will give you rest. (Matthew 11:28-30)
You say: "Nobody really loves me."
God says: I love you. (John 3:16 & John 13:34)
You say: "I can't go on."
God says: My grace is sufficient. (II Corinthians 12:9 & Psalm 91:15)
You say: "I can't figure things out."
God says: I will direct your steps. (Proverbs 3:5-6)
You say: "I can't do it."
God says: You can do all things. (Philippians 4:13)
You say: "I'm not able."
God says: I am able. (II Corinthians 9:8)
You say: "It's not worth it."
God says: It will be worth it. (Romans 8:28)
You say: "I can't forgive myself."
God says: I FORGIVE YOU. (I John 1:9 & Romans 8:1)
You say: "I can't manage."
God says: I will supply all your needs. (Philippians 4:19)
You say: "I'm afraid."
God says: I have not given you a spirit of fear. (II Timothy 1:7)
You say: "I'm always worried and frustrated."
God says: Cast all your cares on ME. (I Peter 5:7)
You say: "I don't have enough faith."
God says: I've given everyone a measure of faith. (Romans 12:3)
You say: "I'm not smart enough."
God says: I give you wisdom. (I Corinthians 1:30)
You say: "I feel all alone."
God says: I will never leave you or forsake you. (Hebrews 13:5)
THE CARPENTER
An elderly carpenter was ready to retire. He told his employer-contractor of
his plans to leave the house-building business and live a more leisurely life
with his wife enjoying his extended family. He would miss the paycheck, but he
needed to retire. They could get by.
The contractor was sorry to see his good worker go and ask if he could build
just one more house as a personal favor. The carpenter said yes, but in time
it was easy to see that his heart was not in his work. He resorted to shoddy
workmanship and used inferior materials. It was an unfortunate way to end his
career. When the carpenter finished his work and the builder came to inspect
the house, the contractor handed the front-door key to the carpenter.
"This is your house," he said, "my gift to you." What a shock! What a shame!
If he had only known he was building his own house, he would have done it
all so differently. Now he had to live in the home he had built none too well.
So it is with us. We build our lives in a distracted way, reacting rather
than acting, willing to put up less than the best. At important points we
do not give the job our best effort. Then with a shock we look at the
situation we have created and find that we are now living in the house
we have built. If we had realized that, we would have done it differently.
Think of yourself as the carpenter. Think about your house. Each day
you hammer a nail, place a board, or erect a wall. Build wisely. It is
the only life you will ever build. Even if you live it for only one day
more, that day deserves to be lived graciously and with dignity. The plaque
on the wall says, "Life is a do-it-yourself project." Who could say it more
clearly? Your life today is the result of your attitudes and choices in the past.
Your life tomorrow will be the result of your attitudes and the choices you make today.
GARDENING GOD'S WAY IN THE 'SPRING' OF LENT
Plant three rows of peas:
Peace of mind
Peace of heart
Peace of soul
Plant four rows of squash:
Squash gossip
Squash indifference
Squash grumbling
Squash selfishness
Plant four rows of lettuce:
Lettuce be faithful
Lettuce be kind
Lettuce be obedient
Lettuce really love one another
Plant three rows of turnips:
Turnip for meetings
Turnip for service
Turnip to help one another
Water freely with patience and cultivate with love.
There is much fruit in your garden because you reap what you sow.
To conclude our garden
We must have thyme:
Thyme for God
Thyme for study
Thyme for prayer
IF GOD SHOULD GO ON STRIKE
How good it is that God above has never gone on strike -
If only once He'd given up on us and said, "That's it, I'm through,
I've had enough of you on earth, so this is what I'll do."
"I'll give My orders to the sun, cut off the heat supply,
And to the moon give no more light and run the oceans dry.
Then just to make things really rough and put the pressure on,
Turn off the vital oxygen till every breath is gone."
You know He would be justified, if fairness were the game.
For no one has been more abused or met with more disdain
Than God, and He carries on, supplying you and me
With all the favors of His grace, and everything for free.
Folks say they want a better deal, and so on strike they go,
But what a deal we've given God to whom all things we owe.
We don't care who we hurt to gain the things we like,
But what a mess we'd all be in if God should go on strike.
Picture of the Cross:
Courtesy: www.freefoto.com