Lent, brings to mind, the significance of that 40 days of fasting, the location....wilderness away from the crowds and the distractions, the call of the world.....It is in itself a beautiful lesson that solitude , calm, quiet and space is required to forge togetherness with God. Space?? Yes space...you do not want anything in the way to prevent you from holding hands with your God....and that holding of hands is so vital, because then His spirit will be able to communicate with you, fortify you, that you stand on solid grounds all the time. Where He is, the angels are..... and so you shall be sheltered. You would want Him to yourself, mediate and just enjoy the silence to connect with Him. The short silence after the Eucharist this morning, was movingly poignant , because bread had been broken and the body shared.. and .....hmm ..how should I describe that feeling ??? Warm ...yes warm holiness enveloping you, arousing emotions and a prayerful state ... that you reach out to the Lord God on a personal capacity,...spontaneously thanking Him.. that He gives you the Spirit of resilience, discipline, to make this period of Lent meaningful.
Wild creatures not only abound in the wilderness...they are also within us, monsters of our nature and constitution . Lord, that you give us the strength to resist and overcome the mountains of weaknesses and negative excesses...that we have the strength to turn our backs on the seductions of Satan. and the devil in ourselves. .
Can we do it ourselves and succeed without prayers??? Even the Lord constantly prayed and call upon the presence of the Father, all the time, yes, all the time... what more we, mere humans??. In the wilderness of this earthly realm, no one can claim to be in total control of his human nature......and being his own Script Master. Let's just look at something very, very basic ........... fasting and abstinence from food and the excesses of life....I don't know about you guys, but over here, strangely, the first few days of Lent were really quite draining. The list of "must do", drains away faster than water from a burst pipe! Your pledge of fruits only for lunch became big plate of rice...and funnily, you still get hungry, right after that! Each time, you tell yourself.. Fast!, the stomach growls.... krooo kroooing away......and a little voice whispers in your ears...what's the harm???just a little...eat! eat! eat! On days, when you tell yourself firmly, veg, you suddenly develop the cravings for meat. Hell! , and you are not even a great fan of the meaty stuff!! Without the Lenten pledges, we actually did a better job, abstaining from our vices, and the daily indulgences. What's your say people? Satan and his army of tempters having a roaring time at our expense??? . Thank God, for prayers huh???Believe it or not, prayers does sustains us, in many, many ways. We stumble and fall but kneeling and calling out to the Divine brings us upright again.The significance of Lent goes far beyond mere daily abstinence, fasting and conquering of personal weakness.......but let us tackle the basics first, work within our limitations, before looking so far ahead... ...(you achieve far more that way,) .instead of attempting to conquer the whole wide world and falling flat on your face. Me? I am taking it slow, I would be satisfied if some of my resolutions has a tick at the end of it.....it is better than making no efforts at all.
This is a time of self renewal; .....a treasure hunting expedition ..when you are given a chance to accrue marks for yourself in the Book of Life. Slowly but surely.... you accumulate and chalk up enough of virtues for that welcome into your heavenly home when your time on earth is finally done. Have you stepped out of that starting point yet ??
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