Lord, this Lenten Journey is all about You; help this dear reader in what the journey is all about; in Christ Jesus I pray, amen.
Our text for Ash Wednesday comes from Matthew 6:1 "Be especially careful when you are trying to be good so that you don't make a performance out of it. It might be good theater, but the God who made you won't be applauding. 2 "When you do something for someone else, don't call attention to yourself. You've seen them in action, I'm sure - 'playactors' I call them - treating prayer meeting and street corner alike as a stage, acting compassionate as long as someone is watching, playing to the crowds. They get applause, true, but that's all they get. 3 When you help someone out, don't think about how it looks. 4 Just do it - quietly and unobtrusively. That is the way your God, who conceived you in love, working behind the scenes, helps you out. 5 "And when you come before God, don't turn that into a theatrical production either. All these people making a regular show out of their prayers, hoping for stardom! Do you think God sits in a box seat? 6 "Here's what I want you to do: Find a quiet, secluded place so you won't be tempted to role-play before God. Just be there as simply and honestly as you can manage. The focus will shift from you to God, and you will begin to sense his grace. 16 "When you practice some appetite-denying discipline to better concentrate on God, don't make a production out of it. It might turn you into a small-time celebrity but it won't make you a saint. 17 If you 'go into training' inwardly, act normal outwardly. Shampoo and comb your hair, brush your teeth, wash your face. 18 God doesn't require attention-getting devices. He won't overlook what you are doing; he'll reward you well. A Life of God-Worship 19 "Don't hoard treasure down here where it gets eaten by moths and corroded by rust or - worse! - stolen by burglars. 20 Stockpile treasure in heaven, where it's safe from moth and rust and burglars. 21 It's obvious, isn't it? The place where your treasure is, is the place you will most want to be, and end up being. (The Message)
For many starting the Lenten Journey is like New Year's resolutions all over again. The stress becomes on choosing just the right thing to "give up." And sadly, many who "give up" something usually quit after a week or two and then "take it back." Lent should not be like that. It is a spiritual journey of preparation and fasting is a part of the discipline that helps us "take up" something that we don't usually do or don't do as often as we should. Think about prayer. You might pray once or twice a day or you might limit your prayers to meals or unexpected emergencies. Why not take up prayer as a discipline you're going to commit to for a set amount of time each day? You could commit to pray at least five times a day, using prayer as worship, and using prayer as your personal listening time for God. Set the times and hold to them. And listen carefully to God. If you feel led to give up something, make it something that usually interferes with your prayer time! Your iPod, your tv shows, your recreational time; you know what it is - give it up for 40 days starting Wednesday and see if God doesn't richly bless you for the time you spent praying instead of listening to music or watching television. I have to confess that I still don't see how giving up chocolate helps anything or anyone; hey, but that's just me! (wink).
Jesus talked about a "good life" in the above passage. Jesus knew that most want to live a more spiritual life but either can't or won't. Lent is the Christian Church's response to help in that endeavor. Some will give up meat for these 40 days or soft drinks, but what good does it do if something spiritual doesn't take its place? And where this all matters and where it all takes place is deep inside of you, not on the outside, "look at me! See how wonderful I am" theatre as this version calls it. It's in the quiet times between you and God.
Remember the starting day is Wednesday, but be praying and reflecting on where you will start.
PRAYER: Loving God of all journeys, as I and whoever makes this prayer their own, begin our 40-day journey with You, travel with us, guide, bless, and protect us. But grant to our souls that which we lack so that when that week of all weeks, Holy Week arrives, we will be ready to celebrate and receive what it truly means for us. We pray this in Christ Jesus' precious and powerful name, amen.
Have a great and blessed day in the Lord!
Eradio Valverde
