Tag Archives: Lent

Prayer, Fasting and Mercy

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The sermon on prayer, fasting and mercy in today’s reading by St. Peter Chrysologus, the 5th century bishop of Ravenna, is a reminder not to forget what this season is about.

Prayer, fasting and mercy are joined together; they are one, the saint says. “They give life to each other…Prayer knocks at the door, fasting obtains, mercy receives…Don’t separate them; they can’t be separated. If you have only one and not all of them together you have nothing.”

Prayer knocks at the door of an ever-present God, whom we so easily forget. We must keep the God who made us and saves us before our eyes and let God inform how we live and act.

Fasting reminds us our common human condition. We are all poor.  Fasting is an effort we make to experience the human condition, especially as it’s reflected in the poor of this world. It counters our tendency to independence and isolation.

Too often today, I feel, fasting becomes a self-help project.  Maybe we can lose a few pounds and be a healthier person, and so in the end it all comes down to us.

That’s why mercy follows prayer and fasting.  It’s the gift of life and love that we give to others.
Without mercy–a better way to describe almsgiving, I think– prayer and fasting are ineffective.

“Give to the poor and you give to yourself. “

How we go to God

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One saint I want to meet someday is St. Irenaeus, the 3rd century bishop of Lyons, because I like the way he thinks. Let me change slightly some of his words from today’s reading.

“God keeps calling us to what is primary by what is secondary, that is, through things of time to things of eternity, through things of the flesh to things of the spirit, through earthly things to heavenly things.”

The saint offers the example of Moses striking the rock and water comes out. People drank and were refreshed, but something more happened–they knew through the water, though dimly, a generous God who slaked their thirst.

No demeaning of creation in Irenaeus. Don’t neglect it, he says.

I’ve just come from a good meal and good company–things of time, things of flesh, earthly things. And it was more than eating and talking.

What does the Pope really think?

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We need more opportunities to hear the Pope when he lets his hair down (and a good head of hair he still has),  One place to hear him is in his informal meeting with the priests of Rome, usually at the beginning of Lent.  Rome is his diocese, after all, and he doesn’t  mind exploring questions with the priests who work its streets.

John Allen has that dialogue translated from Italian at the National Catholic Reporter site: http://ncronline.org/node/12551

Praying with Christ

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The great background theme playing through our Lenten days is the story of the Exodus. Like the children of Israel guided by Moses, we go forward on our desert journey guided by Jesus Christ.

His presence with us is greater than the presence of Moses among the Israelites, however. Like branches on the vine he gathers us to himself.

He is with us when we pray, weak and stumbling as our prayer may be. Remember his presence in prayer, St. Cyprian says in today’s reading.  “Let the Son who lives in our hearts, be also on our lips.”

He’s speaking of the Lord’s Prayer, given to us by Jesus. “To ask the Father in words his Son has given us, to let him hear the prayer of Christ ringing in his ears, is to make our prayer one of friendship, a family prayer.  Let the Father recognize the words of his Son.”

The Lord’s Prayer is not just a prayer to be said by rote; it’s a “pattern of prayer,” according to the saint. We learn how to pray by considering its words and making them our own. See: http://www.cptryon.org/prayer/teach.html

We recognize the place of Christ in liturgical prayer when we end them with the words, “Though Jesus Christ, your Son…”  It’s important to recognize the presence of Jesus as we pray privately and rely on him.

When the disciples were asleep in the Garden of Gethsemani, Jesus prayed a stone’s throw away and his prayer not only strengthened him but strengthened them as well.

Turning to God

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To turn to God– the purpose of Lent– we have to turn first to the gifts God gives us, according to St. Gregory of Nazianzen, in the reading we have for today. Gifts we have now mirror darkly what God prepares for us finally, so turn first to the world you live in.

God’s blessings are there.  “… Look at the beauty of the sky, the sun in its course, the circle of the moon, the countless stars with the harmony and order that is theirs, like the music of a harp. Who has blessed you with rain, with the produce of the fields, with different kind of foods, with houses, with laws, with states, with human life and culture, with friendship and the easy familiarity of family?

Begin Lent by counting the ways you have been blessed, the saint says, not by focusing narrowly on yourself.

Take it all in–sun and moon, stars of heaven, the house you live in, the foods you eat, the streets you walk, the country you belong to, the arts you enjoy, your friends and family. Turn to them again and see them as blessings from God.

Don’t ignore them, or misuse them, or hoard them . Thank God for them and share them with others.

“To all earth’s creatures he has given the broad earth, the springs, the rivers, the forests. He has given the air to the birds, and the waters to those who live in the water. He has given abundantly to all the basic needs of life, not as a private possession, nor restricted by law, not divided by boundaries, but common to all, amply and in rich measure.”

Not a bad vision to strive for, is it? For a 5th century bishop, surprisingly suited for our interdependent world today.

God has given us a world to share.