FRIDAY AFTER ASH WEDNESDAY - 2022

LENT 2022

DAILY HOLY MASS READINGS

Seek good and not evil so that you may live,
and that the Lord God of hosts may really be with you. AM 5:14

ISAIAH 58:1-9 ©

My Soul's Beloved,

Every Lent we are bombarded with suggestions on how to fast more meaningfully but it is good for us to reflect on the kind of fast that is pleasing and acceptable in God's sight as revealed in Sacred Scripture in general and on today's reading taken from the prophet Isaiah in particular.

It would be ideal to begin Lent with sacramental Confession in order to receive the greatest spiritual benefits from our fast, penance, and almsgiving. We must resolve to resist temptation, we must make time to pray regularly and often. We must discipline our tongue. We must strive to obey God's commandments. We fast to become more aware of our weaknesses and our great need to always depend on God. 

Our fasting becomes scandalous when while fasting we lie, steal, cheat, oppress, hate, are prone to anger, violence, abuse, and deceit. Such fasts are distasteful to You and will invite Your wrath on us.

The prophet goes on to reveal to us the kind of fast that is pleasing to You. We must fast with humility and with a repentant heart and contrite spirit be sorry for our sins and plead for the grace to sin no more. 

We must examine our lives honestly and put an end to all wrongdoing. What we have received we must share generously with the poor for we are only Your stewards and we will be called to give a strict account of our stewardship. 

If we fast with the right attitude and spirit we will receive all the graces we need to continue our journey with renewed faith, hope, and love to the Kingdom of God. Each time we cry out to You we will hear You say, 'I am here.'

MATTHEW 9:14-15 ©

My Soul's Beloved,

The faithful will always be grateful to the Church for instituting the season of Lent. This solemn, poignant period in the Liturgical Calendar gives us pause to reflect on God's unfathomable love for us and the lengths that God has gone to redeem His unworthy, ungrateful creatures. 

In the Gospel passage today we read how John's disciples confront You and ask, ‘Why is it that we and the Pharisees fast, but your disciples do not?’ Good question and in Your response You do not set aside the law because fasting is important and necessary for spiritual growth. However, You point out that no one fasts at a wedding feast to do so would be ridiculous, outrageous, and distasteful. Your disciples would rejoice for as long as they had You, the Bridegroom in their midst. In a few short years, You would depart from them, and as they continued their pilgrim journey on earth fasting, praying, and yearning for the day when they would be reunited with You, they would labor zealously to fulfill the mission that You entrusted to them. 

May this be true for us too, O Lord, our Savior, our Redeemer, and the Bridegroom of our soul.