A Daily Lent

The Fourth Sunday of Lent Daily Reading: Luke 15:1 – 3; 11 – 32 Focus Passage : Now the tax collectors and sinners were all gathering around to hear Jesus. But the Pharisees and the teachers of the law muttered, "This man welcomes sinners and eats with them." Jesus continued: "There was a man who had two sons. . . . "Meanwhile, the older son was in the field. When he came near the house, he heard music and dancing. So he called one of the servants and asked him what was going on. 'Your brother has come,' he replied, 'and your father has killed the fattened calf because he has him back safe and sound.' "The older brother became angry and refused to go in. So his father went out and pleaded with him. But he answered his father, 'Look! All these years I've been slaving for you and never disobeyed your orders. Yet you never gave me even a young goat so I could celebrate with my friends. But when this son of yours ...

Thursday after Ash Wednesday Daily Reading : Luke 9:22 – 25 Focus Passage : Then he said to them all: "Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me. For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will save it. What good is it for you to gain the whole world, and yet lose or forfeit your very self?” (Lk. 9:23 – 25) “Discipline” and “denial” are dirty words for plenty of people. The words reinforce stereotypes many people hold about what it means to follow Jesus. And many Christians feel intimidated because the words suggest something difficult and unattainable. Yet, Jesus said that those who follow and learn from him (disciples) must “deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow.” To be sure, words like “acquisition” and “accumulation” would be friendlier to modern ears. Westerners seem to be wired to “have more” and “do better.” In every facet of life, we live...

Thursday of the Fourth Week of Lent – March 19, 2015 God sells righteousness at a very low price to those who wish to buy it: a little piece of bread, a cloak of no value, a cup of cold water, a small coin. [Benedicta Ward, The Sayings of the Desert Fathers , p. 16] Life in the desert was stark, simple, and meager. The Desert Fathers and Mothers wanted to be freed from accumulating “stuff” so they could attend to their lives in God. If you think about it, any journey into the wilderness must be accompanied by simplicity. Survival in a desert does not depend on how much stuff you can carry into the desert. In the wilderness, you don’t have access to the same resources you might have in the city. You have to go into the wilderness light and lean in order to survive. It’s much the same way when you go camping in a modern sense. Of course, for some of us, camping means “Holiday Inn.” For others, camping means a “camper” or trailer which has many of the conveniences of home. Bu...