Sisters and brothers in Christ, in this Ash Wednesday reflection, Bishop Joe Vásquez had this to say about the Lenten disciplines: "Prayer draws us ever deeper into an encounter with God. By fasting we create space in our lives for God. Almsgiving helps us move from being self-centered to serving others, like the poor, the hungry, the lonely, and the homeless." This helps us to understand what our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ meant when he said, ""Can the wedding guests mourn as long as the bridegroom is with them? The days will come when the bridegroom is taken away from them, and then they will fast." At that time, Jesus was present with his disciples; however, after he is taken away, they must be discipline is prayer, fasting, and almsgiving to keep Christ's presence in their lives when he is not there with them physically.
It is the same with us, or even more so I think, because we have so many things around us that can distract us from feeling God's presence in our lives that the Lenten disciplines are even more important for us to be intentional about them. That, and it takes us time to get into a routine and form habits. One of the things I want to start doing this Lent (and continue doing) is to pray this blessing over my wife every morning.
May the Lord bless you and keep you!
May the Lord let his face shine upon you, and be gracious to you!
May the Lord look upon you kindly and give you peace! (Numbers 6:24-26)
However, I keep forgetting to say the prayer of blessing over her in the mornings and we are now three days into Lent. I hope to be more mindful and intention and I pray for the grace to do so. Finally, in today' first reading, from the Book of the Prophet Isaiah, God reminds us of a fast that is acceptable to Him, saying (58:6-7):
This, rather, is the fasting that I wish:
releasing those bound unjustly,
untying the thongs of the yoke;
Setting free the oppressed,
breaking every yoke;
Sharing your bread with the hungry,
sheltering the oppressed and the homeless;
Clothing the naked when you see them,
and not turning your back on your own.
Let us commit ourselves wholeheartedly to the Lenten disciplines and approach them with intentionality so that we may experience a Lent that is transformative - heart, mind, body, soul, and spirit.
. . .
Gospel of the Day
The disciples of John approached Jesus and said,
"Why do we and the Pharisees fast much,
but your disciples do not fast?"
Jesus answered them, "Can the wedding guests mourn
as long as the bridegroom is with them?
The days will come when the bridegroom is taken away from them,
and then they will fast."
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