Loving God, may the mark of obedience be upon this dear reader today and all days; in Christ Jesus I pray, amen.
9 At this time, Jesus came from Nazareth in Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan. 10 The moment he came out of the water, he saw the sky split open and God's Spirit, looking like a dove, come down on him. 11 Along with the Spirit, a voice: "You are my Son, chosen and marked by my love, pride of my life." 12 At once, this same Spirit pushed Jesus out into the wild. 13 For forty wilderness days and nights he was tested by Satan. Wild animals were his companions, and angels took care of him. 14 After John was arrested, Jesus went to Galilee preaching the Message of God: 15 "Time's up! God's kingdom is here. Change your life and believe the Message." Luke 1 (The Message)
Today our Lenten Journey begins, and for many of you it has already started earlier today in a quiet setting where you were reminded of your mortality and you thought more about what you were giving up for this forty day journey. The passage for this coming Sunday mentions the forty days of Jesus' temptation and formation in the wilderness/desert. Those forty days made a world of difference for what was to follow Him during His earthly ministry of 40 days. Our journey is not much different, it is a time of spiritual discernment and preparation to allow us to more fully understand Jesus' gift for us. The emphasis is on knowing all that Jesus gave up for us and then how on that Good Friday, He submitted Himself unto death. Come Easter Sunday, we are ready to fully understand and appreciate the power of God over sin and death.
Again, I stress that whatever nourishment you may give up during the Lenten season, replace it with a spiritual nourishment to follow true fasting. In other words if you give up soft drinks, take up Bible reading or if you gave up candy, replace it with a time of prayer. And let it be a time of listening to God.
PRAYER: Loving God, as I and this person who makes this prayer his/her own, journey during these forty days, let us be open to Your voice and leading. Like Jesus we may be tempted to give up or to stray from the path, but instead of hearing the voice of temptation may we be grounded in the voice that leads to life. I ask this in Christ Jesus' precious and powerful name, amen.
Have a great and blessed day in the Lord!
Eradio Valverde
