Lenten Meditations: Monday 5 March
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Mon
Mar 5 |
am: 56, 57, 58
pm: 64, 65 |
Gen 41:46-57
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1 Cor 4:8-21
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Mark 3:7-19a
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SECOND MONDAY OF LENT: St. Kieran/Ciarán of Saigir, Bishop, 530 AD
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LITURGICAL THEME FOR THE DAY: St. Kieran was one of the 12 men known as the 12 Apostles of Ireland who when St. Patrick arrived in Ireland, gave him his much assistance. Eventually, he became the first bishop of Ossory. The diocese of Ossory, "Ireland's oldest bishopric", was probably co-terminus with the ancient kingdom of Ossory. Some hagiography’s credit Kieran, as a pioneer founder of Irish women's convents from which the village called Saigher arose around the monastery. In addition to this some hold that he is one of four bishops to have preceded Saint Patrick (Ailbe Bishop of Emly; Declan of Ardmore; Ciaran, and Ibar of Beg Iri, a small island off the Wexford coast.)
MEDITATION OF THE DAY: When was the last time you withdrew to an out-of-the-way place to pray? A place of quiet!…A place of solitude! A place away from the pressing demands and crowds! It is seemingly important to our Lord based on this and other Gospel passages, so why would it not be an important observation for us to make part of our regular patterns of life? As a matter of fact, when Jesus calls the Apostles to the high place to be set apart for quiet, it is so that there can be a time of readiness to do the work they have been given to do.
It may be difficult for us to truly pay attention to the wisdom of Jesus here as many of us are doers. The fact is that Jesus knows that to do the Father’s work, one must do so with the right heart and mind and the best way to do that is to “retreat”. That word in itself is a panic for many because while it may be a value, it is juxtaposed to the busyness of life at home, work and church that is so important. As Jesus demonstrates today amidst the healing, preaching and teaching, sometimes we need a retreat most desperately in precisely the times when we are the busiest or the demands are the highest. What better time than Lent to find a time for that, perhaps a weekend retreat, a quiet day of reflection or even just participation in the parish holy hour to accomplish what Jesus knew was so important?
PRAYER OF THE DAY: "Lord Jesus Christ, you called the apostles to a place set apart for renewal, please grant me the grace and the will to take time to follow your example. Enable me to make time to experience a true union with you, to know myself better and to get closer to you. Help me to listen attentively, to ponder prayerfully, and to speak wisely so as that I may be better ready to serve you. Amen
ANCIENT WISDOM/PRESENT GRACE: “We therefore grossly deceive ourselves in not allotting more time to the study of divine truths. It is not enough barely to believe them, and let our thoughts now and then glance upon them: that knowledge which shows us heaven, will not bring us to the possession of it, and will deserve punishments, not rewards, if it remains slight, weak, and superficial. By serious and frequent meditation it must be concocted, digested, and turned into the nourishment of our affections, before it can be powerful and operative enough to change them, and produce the necessary fruit in our lives. For this all the saints affected solitude and retreats from the noise and hurry of the world, as much as their circumstances allowed them. – — St. Apollinaris, On the Truth
Lenten Discipline– Use a portion of time today to begin taking quiet times during the day. Start with 15-20 min and try to increase it by 5 -10 min each week so by the end of Lent you may be in the habit of taking a holy hour each day.
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