Wednesday February 18th, 2015 Ash Wednesday Matthew 6:1-6,16-21
"Beware of practicing your piety before others?" (verse 1)
As you prepare to enter this journey of Lent, God’s blessing of peace be upon you. I find that every year I set out to do great things-a lofty goal of being super spiritual or taking on 10 new spiritual practices for this journey to Easter.
A friend then quietly reminds me of today’s passage. Lent isn’t about letting other people know how holy you are or how well you can fast and pray. It’s time with God. Listen to God in whatever way helps you focus. For some, taking time to pray at the start of the day helps them hear God in new ways. For others, giving up a meal in order to take time to think of those who have no food helps them give thanks and pray for those who are in need. And for others, it’s sharing what they have been given with those who don’t have what they need.
So this Lent I hope to not take on these spiritual practices to prove my spiritual worth but rather to simply live some of these things, prayer, fasting and almsgiving to experience God in a new way on the journey.
God, this Lent may our journey be one of purposeful experience. Amen. — AA
Contributed by Spiritual Practices
As you prepare to enter this journey of Lent, God's blessing of peace be upon you. I find that every year I set out to do great things-a lofty goal of being super spiritual or taking on 10 new spiritual practices for this journey to Easter.
A friend then quietly reminds me of today's passage. Lent isn't about letting other people know how holy you are or how well you can fast and pray. It's time with God. Listen to God in whatever way helps you focus. For some, taking time to pray at the start of the day helps them hear God in new ways. For others, giving up a meal in order to take time to think of those who have no food helps them give thanks and pray for those who are in need. And for others, it's sharing what they have been given with those who don't have what they need.
So this Lent I hope to not take on these spiritual practices to prove my spiritual worth but rather to simply live some of these things, prayer, fasting and almsgiving to experience God in a new way on the journey.
