"Lord, may everything we do begin with your inspiration, continue with your help, and reach perfection under your guidance …. " Another great Opening Prayer in the season of Lent.
The Enterprise:
Amen!
"When I cry to the Lord, he hears my voice and saves me from the foes who threaten me. Unload your burden onto the Lord, and he will support you." (Psalm 55: 17, 19, 20, 23)
Ten years ago, I confided the reflection below to my journal on the above Psalm.
"The Lord hears me when I cry out to him.
God saves me from the foes who threaten me. Who are these foes? This is Satan appearing under one guise or the other.
Unload your burden onto the Lord and he will support you.
What are my burdens today?
Ten years later, these burdens have become lighter and completely manageable as they come under the authority of faith. Thank you Jesus.
"The man who meditates day and night on the law of the Lord will yield fruit in due season." (Psalm 1: 2,3)
Thank you Jesus for this precious promise. Let it be done to me as your word has said.
The Church affirms positively and strongly God's promise in Psalm 1: 2-3.
But when is the "due season"? It is:
The "due season" is God's secret. God's word asks us to prepare for it. It can come upon us like a thief in the night. Now is the acceptable time to prepare for it through prayer and study.
"Lord, help us to resist temptation by our Lenten works of charity and penance. By this sacrifice may we be prepared to celebrate the death and resurrection of Christ our Savior and be cleansed from sin and renewed in spirit." Prayer in the season of Lent
The above prayer teaches that the Lenten works of alms-giving, prayer and fasting when done in the right spirit in the season of grace help us to resist temptation. Every sacrifice of the Mass cleanses us of venial sins and renews our spirit.
Is there a danger that after many years of Lenten observance one may have no new works to perform? One may have no new initiatives to add to fasting, prayer or alms-giving. But one still has many temptations to resist. One has many imperfections to work on. Every season of Lent should have a new agenda. Since this is an appointed time for grace and favor and one should be resolved to make the most of the period.
"Be on guard against performing religious acts for people to see." (Matthew 6: 1)
Jesus intention in giving the above counsel is not to make a fetish of secrecy in the observance of spiritual works. The idea is rather to point to the purity of intention in which we should approach God in everything. Man's native attitude is self-centeredness. Unaided by grace, our concupiscence comes into play in everything. Jesus is saying, "When you approach your heavenly Father in prayer and spiritual works, forget yourself and focus on God and he wants". This seems almost impossible except for the grace we receive in Baptism to deal with our concupiscence.
"In an acceptable time I have heard you; on a day of salvation I have helped you. Now is the acceptable time! Now is the day of salvation." (2 Corinthians 6:2)
Lent is the acceptable time to gain God's favor. God has ordained this period as a time of grace. I have found that another acceptable time to gain God's favor for me is the month of October. This is the traditional month when Catholics all over the world honor Mary, the Mother of the Son, Jesus. Among the graces I have received in the month of October are the following:
Thank you Lord for your acceptable time of favor.
"We are ambassadors for Christ, God as it were appealing through us … " (2 Corinthians 5: 20)
In 1999, I confided to my journal this reflection on the above scripture:
"I am ambassador for Christ. If my core message is reconciliation to God, then I must beg for the grace of reconciliation myself, completely aware that "nemo dat quod non habet."
