Be my Alpha and Omega

“Lord, may everything we do begin with your inspiration, continue with your help, and reach perfection under your guidance.  We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son.”

This is the Opening Prayer for today, Thursday After Ash Wednesday.  This prayer delights my heart.  I make it mine because it exactly what I need.

I have very firm conviction today that God is the source of all inspiration and power.  I believe also very strongly that God is the first cause of everything.  The Bible repeats this lesson in many places and in various forms.  If God is the source of all inspiration and power and if I cannot cause anything good on my own, it makes sense to look up to God for His inspiration and power for all my needs.

“Without me, you can do nothing.”  Yes, Jesus.  I believe you.  Grant me the grace to seek your inspiration in everything.  Be always my Alpha and Omega in all things.

Renew within me a steadfast spirit

 "A clean heart create for me, God; renew within me a steadfast spirit. Do not drive me from before your face, nor take from me your holy spirit. Restore to me the gladness of your salvation; uphold me with a willing spirit." (Psalm 51: 12 - 14)

The above scripture is part of the Responsorial Psalm in the Liturgy of today, Ash Wednesday.  The Deacon who preached at the early 6.30 am Mass in my parish touched on it in his homily.  He advised the congregation to pray Psalm 51 everyday of this Lenten season.  At the end of his homily, he repeated the entire Psalm 51 slowly.

Earlier this morning when I read the Mass readings for today as part of my preparation for the Ash Wednesday liturgy, I was moved especially by the verses above.  I told my RCIA class a couple of weeks ago that every Christian should be armed with Psalm 51 ready to use it when the unthinkable happens.  The unthinkable is falling into mortal sin especially the type you imagined you could never do.  If that happens and you are not prepared, your situation could be similar to a man who fell into a deep river and does not know how to swim.  The Liturgy of the Hours of today describes Lent as the beginning of our spiritual warfare.  How appropriate this description is when we reflect on the Original Lent:  Jesus Christ’s 40 days in the desert.  During Lent, we find ourselves in the spiritual desert.   My most trying time in the entire year comes either during Lent or immediately after Lent.  How well I handle the crisis depends on how prepared I am.  How prepared I am depends on how well I use all the tools of grace which Holy Mother Church has constantly provided her children.  These are the tools of prayer, fasting and almsgiving.

As we begin this holy and grace-filled season, I pray with David:

"A clean heart create for me, God; renew within me a steadfast spirit. Do not drive me from before your face, nor take from me your holy spirit. Restore to me the gladness of your salvation; uphold me with a willing spirit." (Psalm 51: 12 - 14)

Disordered Desires

“Where do the wars and where do the conflicts among you come from? Is it not from your passions^* that make war within your members?  You covet but do not possess. You kill and envy but you cannot obtain; you fight and wage war. You do not possess because you do not ask. You ask but do not receive, because you ask wrongly, to spend it on your passions.” (James 4: 1-3)

Disordered desires are the root cause of lack of contentment, quarrels and ultimately war.  When we covet even a good desire, we cause it to be disordered.   Our desire whether good or bad become disordered when we tenaciously embrace it tightly  in hope or against all hope.  This attachment rouses the passion and causes the passion to make war within us. 

The remedy for disordered desire is detachment.   In prayer, we take our desires to God who alone is giver of all good things.  We come to God in prayer in faith asking the One who is both able and willing to grant us what is good for us.   Because we know that God is both able and willing to give us anything that is good for us, we can wait for whatever we ask for in prayer.  This is why Isaiah teaches that faith that is firm is also patient.

“Cast your care upon the LORD, who will give you support.  He will never allow the righteous to stumble.^”  (Psalm 55:23)

 “I would stay in the desert.^c9“I would soon find a shelter from the raging wind and storm.” (Psalm 55: