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Friday, March 29, 2019
“You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all you soul, with all your mind,
and with all your strength”. “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.”
Mark 12:30-31
Look at the cross at the top of this page. Our lives take on the form of the cross. The vertical beam is our relationship with God while the horizontal beam is our connection to others.[1] Jesus died on the cross for our redemption. God loves us! We can’t earn, buy or steal His love. It is a free gift, free grace! We are given two greatest commandments to follow - to love God and our neighbor. How do we love God with our whole heart, mind, soul and strength? We show God our love by our daily behavior & decisions, & our love and respect for others by recognizing the image of God in them and loving them as you love yourself. Sounds easy? But how do we get to know and love our God who hides from us? Reading scripture, observing the beauty of creation, spending time in prayer and contemplation are a few ways. The Examen, an Ignatian exercise, helps us reflect or examine our day and see where we saw God, who and how we interacted with others and how we lived the message of peace, charity and love. The Examen allows us to see missed opportunities of being the best version of ourselves.
Brother Lawrence made the love of God the end of all his actions; like he would not pick up straw from the ground except out of the love of God. His day in the kitchen and everything he did working there was done out of the love of God. We can make our daily routine a prayer and an offering of love.
“Not all of us can do great things. But we can do small things with great love.”
St. Mother Teresa
Attend Stations of the Cross or pray the Chaplet of Divine Mercy; call, help, or pray for a ‘neighbor’. Practice the Examen today. (https://godinallthings.com/prayer/evening-examen/). Review March 24th reflection.
Lenten Action: If you are a regular practitioner of Contemplative prayer spend your normal time in such prayer.
If you are new to spending time in silent prayer, sit comfortably in a quiet place, and ask God to be with you and help you silence your thoughts. Concentrate on your breath going in and out and feel the rising and falling of your chest. Feel the rhythm of your breathing, and as you do bring your contemplation to feeling God’s Presence. Sit for 10 minutes silently. Remain at peace and let go of any intruding wayward thoughts bringing yourself back to the quiet Presence of God in you.
Today should be a Fast day if you are physically able. Everyone should abstain from eating meat today and limit the amount of food one eats. Remember not to watch TV, or use your computer or your phone to access social media, computer games, or other unnecessary apps.
[1] Melinda Knight, “The Shape of the Cross,” in The Magnificat Lenten Companion, March 6-April 21, 2019, p 38