Beginning today for the season of Lent, we will provide a meditation based on daily scripture passages that is written by a member of our faith community. Heres todays meditation. Date: March 5, 2014, Ash Wednesday 1st Reading: Amos 5:6-15 (inspired today’s meditation) 2nd Reading: Hebrews 12:1-14 (inspired today’s meditation) Gospel: Luke 18:9-14 (inspired today’s meditation) Meditation: It was very interesting having the very first readings for Lent! We wondered why they were selected. Amos and Hebrews? We don’t often hear from them. No matter, we had good old Luke to make things clear! Well we waded through, resorting to several other translations to help us out. So Lent seems to start off with several themes: repentance, love, justice, and humility. Very Lent indeed. Amos is classic Old Testament fire and brimstone. Change your evil ways! Do what is right! You have committed many sins and treat people horribly and unjustly. If you turn to the Lord he might show mercy, that is if anybody is left. Yet in his message is a ray of hope, a reminder that the Lord is merciful if we recognize the injustice around us. “It is not too late to be good again.” The part of Hebrews that resonated, especially in a family discussion, was the analogy of God as a father. Are we all not scolded and punished by our parents? Do they do it out of love or hatred? We learn to respect our parents and ultimately become better people. The same is true with God. Our suffering on earth is punishment, but it is out of love and for our own good. We can’t be perfect. We must make mistakes but “by being punished you learn about love.” “Being scolded is a way of telling someone loves you.” Luke tells the famous parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector illustrating the “upside down” and “backwards” nature of the Kingdom of God that he teaches. “If you think you’re perfect the less perfect you actually are.” God is not looking for public displays of worship like sacrifices or public displays of wealth. Rather He is looking for us to acknowledge where we have erred and ask forgiveness. We can all do that. By the Miani Family Prayer: From Amos 5:8: The Lord made the stars the Pleiades and Orion. He turns darkness into daylight and day into night. He calls for the waters of the sea and pours them out on the earth. His name is the Lord. Amen.
Posted on: Wed, 05 Mar 2014 15:26:05 +0000
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