Meditation Moment for Lent: Day Three: Give Up, Take On, Pray for Friday, February 16, 2024
The Season of Lent conjures up a
dreary and lengthy period of time centered around self-denial, fasting, and
hours on your knees. But, as said here yesterday, let's fast from
more than just food or addictive substances during this time. Let us
voluntarily give up conscious and discover our unconscious
habits that are physically and spiritually unhealthy. We can seek ways to take
on a new daily spiritual activity in this Lenten season, even if we
already have a regular practice. Trying out different forms of prayer or
meditation, reading a biography of or the writings of a current or classic
biblical scholar or authors on different forms of spiritual/prayer practices
can give us ideas for fresh ways of living our faith. Look for a variety of
inspirational quotes or readings in and out of Christianity for a broader
perspective. Search for names such as Dietrich Bonhoeffer, the Dali Lama, Amy-Jill
Levine, the poet Rumi, Pema Chodron, mystic monk Thomas Merton, or Evelyn
Underhill, to name a very few. Start slowly. This soul work isn’t meant to be
difficult or overwhelming but rather to spend a few minutes a day to whet our
appetites for continuing to grow in Christ. As we dedicate those acts to God, or a Higher Power, for the benefit of our spiritual/inner life, we can pray as
we go that, by the end of this Lent, we will find new ways of living a
more positive and fulfilling Christian/Faithful life
beyond these 40 days.
Dear God of Us All,
Every day “civilization” seems to be
getting ever more crass and distasteful. Even TV entertainment seems to revolve
around the "reality" of watching people's "real lives"
crash and burn, with no dignity attached. Illegal “outlaw” activities, 90 day
relationships, too easy online gambling, lots of naked and nearly, and so much
more. Even the commercials are mostly 30 second sound bites or full-on
infomercials with explicit details of intimate self-care and every conceivable
“clinically tested but not FDA approved" remedy for everything. But if big
football heroes, tv doctors hawking their own expensive brands, and aging
actors approve… I wonder, in what basement is that “clinic?” What does this do
to the souls of those participating let
alone my own if I watch beyond the promos?
For today, I'm going to give up tv
and take on gathering those usable clothes and
household things that I’ve been meaning to donate and actually do it. I
saw a Lent-like meme that said to fill “40 bags in 40 days” and I’m 2 bags
behind! But while I’m filling the bags I'll pray for
those who will use what’s in them and then I’ll spend time in prayers of
thanksgiving for all the blessings of life that I have. I'll also work on
reducing the amount of time I spend on unkind thoughts about people on certain
types of tv, and oh yeah, especially those people I encounter while I'm
driving. amen.
All compositions remain the property of the owner of this blog but may be used with attribution and edited for local use as long as they are not sold or charged for in any way. For more information or comments, contact: Leeosophy@gmail.com
Like particularly giving up muttering too much about tv and political personalities, and about junk cures. “Focus, damn it! Focus!” That’s my prayer…wait, what’s that? A squirrel! (Me and my dog are one in our lack of focus.)
ReplyDeleteI’m on as anonymous. But I’m not …Mark Harris, a fan.
ReplyDeleteAs I remember, both of your dogs have focus issues, unless of course, they are clamoring for my attention ~ or, barking at the front door because a leaf fell! Thank you, Anonymous Mark!
Delete