The past few months have been very busy for the family so it is great to get back to do some blogging. I hope you all had a Holy and Joyous Christmas season!
The daily readings leading up to Ash Wednesday and since then have been very beautiful and meaningful. Today’s readings from Psalms 51: 3-4, 12-13 and 18-19 expresses what kind of fasting is really desired by God. “My sacrifice, O God, is a contrite spirit; a heart contrite and humbled, O God, you will not spurn.” And the reading from JON 3:1-10 concerning Jonah’s message to the people of Nineveh to repent. A message which was well received by the people and the king who put repentance into action. Not the usual case, where the messenger is usually rejected and killed!
The Word Among Us today had a fine meditation on Nineveh which follows below. It talks about the importance of a community in living out the faith. Enjoy!
Meditation: Jonah 3:1-10
The people of Nineveh . . . proclaimed a fast and all of them, great and small, put on sackcloth. (Jonah 3:5)
It’s estimated that only about 8 percent of people who make New Year’s resolutions actually stick with them. There are several reasons for this. People tend to make goals that are too general, like “lose weight,” or too hard, like “run ten miles a day.” Another reason may be that they don’t feel connected to other people who share similar goals. They may feel that in the end, it’s a lonely struggle that doesn’t seem worth the effort.
In today’s first reading, notice how quickly the people of Nineveh responded to Jonah’s message. Obviously, they were serious about fulfilling their goal of repentance. But what do you suppose motivated them? It’s apparent that the Ninevites were in this together. All of them fasted and all of them did penance. This is surely what helped them keep their resolve.
That’s something we should consider as well. We may have only recently made Lenten resolutions. We do these things so that we can leave our sinful behaviors behind and grow closer to God. But we may already be struggling with keeping some of them.
If that’s the case, you may need to shift your strategy a bit. Find someone who wants to join you in your Lenten practices. Perhaps you’ve decided that you want to pray the Rosary every day. Maybe your spouse could join you in prayer each evening before bed. You may have decided to fast from lunch once a week. You may be able to find a coworker who is also willing to fast and take a walk with you instead.
Here’s another strategy that may help: ask a friend to encourage you and keep you accountable. That person might be able to give you a phone call—and a pep talk—each week to see how you’re doing. You could do the same for them.
You are not alone; you are part of the body of Christ. There is so much more incentive to stay the course when you have other people running the race with you.
“Lord, give me the humility to reach out to my brothers and sisters for help and encouragement!”
Psalm 51:3-4, 12-13, 18-19
Luke 11:29-32
#StPeterDanbury1
#SeekingJesusinDanbury
Seeking Jesus in Danbury 