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Thursday, February 18, 2021
“Prayer is always alive in our lives, like embers, even when the mouth does not speak, but the heart speaks. Every thought, even apparently “profane” ones, can be permeated by prayer. There is even a prayerful aspect in human intelligence; it is, in fact, a window peering into the mystery: it illuminates the few steps in front of us and then opens up to the entire reality, this reality that precedes it and surpasses it.”Pope Francis
| “You number and record my wanderings; put my tears into Your bottle – are they not in Your book … This I know, for God is for me … In God have I put my trust and confident reliance; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me? – Psalm 56:8-11 AMPC The psalmist David admitted that there were times when he wandered. He also realized that God would “number and record [his] wanderings.” These were times when he failed God and strayed from the right path. He made mistakes and doubted God many times. Perhaps David was disappointed that his efforts fell short of his expectations. He was disappointed when he sinned against God. Perhaps he did not receive the answers he expected or failed to experience God’s blessing. In every situation, God knew his actions. He had numbered and recorded everything before he even did it. When the psalmist cried out because of his pain and failures, he knew that God was prepared to forgive and restore him. If he genuinely repented, God was ready to put his tears into a bottle (v. 8). His experience reminds us that even our closest friends have limited understanding, and the smartest person only has limited wisdom. How much better it is for us to trust in God! Right now, no matter what you face, remember that you can trust Him. Be honest with Him. Tell Him every need, worry, and fear. Admit your failings, wanderings, and sins. Accept His forgiveness and restoration. Let Him give you a fresh start. Be so confident that you can say, “I will not be afraid. What can man do to me?” Remember, God is for you in every situation! Prayer: Father, I need Your help in this situation: _________. I will not be afraid no matter what others do or say. I trust You. In Jesus’ name, amen. Extended Reading: Psalm 56 |
There are two moments that matter. One is when you know that your one and only life is absolutely valuable and alive. The other is when you know your life, as presently lived, is entirely pointless and empty. You need both of them to keep you going in the right direction. Lent is about both. The first such moment gives you energy and joy by connecting you with your ultimate Source and Ground. The second gives you limits and boundaries, and a proper humility, so you keep seeking the Source and Ground and not just your small self.
The paradox, of course, is that you find yourself anyway: your Big Self in God and your little self in you. God loves them both. Saint Teresa of Avila summed it up when she said, “We find God in ourselves, and we find ourselves in God.” With such a maxim, she did not likely need a therapist. Yet, I would add, that it is always much more like being found than actually finding anything! As Paul put it, “then I shall know as fully as I am known” (1 Corinthians 13:12).
So during these forty days of Lent, let’s allow ourselves to be known! All the way through. Nothing to hide from, in ourselves, from ourselves, or from God. Allow yourself to be fully known, and you will know what you need to know. This is my desire in writing these meditations. It is in this wondrous loop of divine disclosure, our own now safe self-disclosure, and a healing mutual acceptance—that we grow “in wisdom, maturity, and grace” (Luke 2:40). In fact, that is the way that all love happens, and the only way we grow at all.
—from the book Wondrous Encounters: Scriptures for Lent
by Richard Rohr, OFM
//Franciscan Media//
Bl. Fra Angelico (1387-1455) was born Guido di Pietro in Tuscany, Italy. Little is known of his early life, but he became a famous early Italian Renaissance master painter. Fra Angelico would pray earnestly before he painted, being convinced that in order to paint Christ perfectly, one must also be Christlike. His paintings then became tools for contemplating the theological mysteries hidden in the biblical events he depicted. He joined the Dominican Order in 1407 and was given the name Brother John, often called “Angelic Brother John”, or Fra Angelico (Angelic Friar) because of his holiness. He lived and worked in several friaries until moving to the Friary of San Marco in Florence. While in Florence he was surrounded by an artistic community, and, due to his great talent, gained the patronage of the famous Medici family. In 1445 he was summoned to Rome to work on St. Peter’s Basilica in various chapels. From 1449 until shortly before his death, Fra Angelico was also prior of the convent in Fiesole. He passed away while working again in Rome and is buried in the Dominican church of Santa Maria Sopra Minerva. Fra Angelico was beatified by Pope St. John Paul II and is the patron saint of Catholic artists. His feast day is February 18.
//The Catholic Company//
“I will go anywhere and do anything in order to communicate the love of Jesus to those who do not know Him or have forgotten Him.”
— St. Frances Xavier Cabrini
