'Living Lent': Friday after Ash Wednesday - Day 3

PRAY:
Holy Father, I pray to share my blessings with others. When I see the hungry, I will share my bread. When I encounter the poor, I will share my money. When I find the unclothed, I will share my cloak.

READING: Matthew 9:14-15

14 Then John's disciples came to him and said, 'Why is it that we and the Pharisees fast, but your disciples do not?'

15 Jesus replied, 'Surely the bridegroom's attendants cannot mourn as long as the bridegroom is still with them? But the time will come when the bridegroom is taken away from them, and then they will fast.

MEDITATION:
On Fridays during Lent, we fast according to our means. For most people, that means refraining from meat. But we should do more than that if we want to supercharge our spiritual growth.

The purpose of fasting is to release anything that has control over us. When we choose something to give up, then we should choose what is difficult to sacrifice, not what is easy. For some people, this is food. For others it can be social media, or some other vice.

Whatever we sacrifice, it should come at a cost to us. Only by practicing the release of things that control us can we free ourselves to serve God. If money controls us, we should give up money. If it is food, then we should give up food. Social media, television, the internet, whatever it is that compels us each day but isn't God, we should sacrifice it.

When we feel the urge to take up our vice, let us turn those urges into prayers. Use those moments to remember the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross. Isn't He worth our trouble?

LET US PRAY:
Lord God, keep me strong as I fast and begin my Lenten sacrifice. Give me the strength to keep my fast, and to think of you when I feel the urge to break it.

ACTION:
I will carefully consider what I have given up for Lent. Is my sacrifice truly enough? Will this help me to hear the voice of the Lord in my heart?

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