LENTEN REFLECTIONS 2005: REFLECTIONS ON
THE PROPHET ISAIAH
Ash Wednesday,
February 9, 2005:
"Cry our
full-throated and unsparingly" (Isaiah 58:1)
Lord, today is
Ash Wednesday, the first day of Lent. You
spoke to Isaiah and asked him to cry out Your
message of repentance to a people uneager to hear
it. Do I hear You calling out to me today?
"Turn away from sin and believe the Gospel."
The priest or
deacon, as a representative of You, Lord, marks
my forehead with ashes in the shape of a cross.
What cross are You asking me to carry for You
today, Lord? What has to die in me
to become ashes, so that I may carry my cross
well?
Give me a few
moments, Lord, to to hear Your full-throated and
unsparing cry, calling me again to You. Amen.
Thursday after Ash Wednesday,
February 10, 2005
".. . lift up your voice like a trumpet blast
. . . (Isaiah 58:1)
My goodness, my Lord, a trumpet blast is not a
gentle whisper. The sound of a trumpet carries
far and startles the inattentive soul. If you
aren't expecting it, a hearty trumpet blast can
make you jump out of your socks.
You told the prophet Isaiah to lift up his voice
like a trumpet blast. You can't expect me to do
the same, can you? You know that I'm a bit of a
wimp. I don't want to startle anyone. I don't
want to be noticed. Let me just whisper Your
message, please. A gentle whisper. Or is that
not what you want this Lent? Do You want me to
speak out on issues of life and morality? Do You
want me to write that letter to the editor or
call in to that radio talk show? Do you want me
to say something when I hear my co-workers
denigrating Catholics? A trumpet blast, Lord? A
trumpet blast is a clear, distinct, and sharp
call. If there is something I ought to be
trumpet blasting about, then show me what it is
and give me the courage to blow! Amen.
Friday after Ash Wednesday, February 11, 2005
"Tell my people their wickedness,
and the house of Jacob their sins" (Isaiah 58:1)
Oh, goodness, Lord, this verse was meant for Isaiah
only, wasn't it? Surely You are not asking me to go
out and point out someone's sinfulness! Are you? How
can I do that when I am a sinner, too?
You know how I don't like to
rock anybody's boat. All I have to do is tell my
co-worker that he ought to pay for the supplies
he's sneaking off with or ask my sister how her
husband feels about her secret boyfriend or tell
my teen that his language with his buddies is
about as clean as a pig sty. You know what kind
of a reaction I'm going to get, don't You? Do
You really think that people who justify their
sins are going to stop committing them just
because I speak up?
What do You mean by asking if
the people of Israel and the house of Jacob
turned from their sins because Isaiah pointed
them out? Are You saying that sometimes the
value comes in us speaking up rather than in
others changing? That not accepting sin is the
first step in conquering it? Oh, Lord, I am
going to need a lot of help here. Please give it
to me! Amen.
Saturday after Ash Wednesday,
February 12, 2005
"They seek me day after day."
(Isaiah 58:2)
Hmm, Lord. The Israelites sought You
day after day, or so they wanted to believe. Am I
seeking You even part of my day? What does seeking
You mean?
When we were children, we used to play "Hide and
Go Seek." One of us would hide and the others
would go to seek him or her. Then we would
reverse the process and the one hidden would
become the seeker.
Do I see You as hidden from
me, and do I seek You? Or do I think I am hidden
from You? You know me in and out, my God, so
nothing I think or do or say is ever hidden from
You. And You are always seeking me. But am I
always seeking You? Do I want You in my life,
Lord, all the time? Or am I like the child who
wants to prolong the game of "Hide and Go Seek"
and who purposely looks in every place where he
knows the hidden one isn't, because he doesn't
want to find him too quickly?
Give me insight today, Lord,
into if I am really seeking You and, if I am,
how I'm honestly looking for You. Amen.
Sunday after Ash Wednesday, February 13, 2005
" and desire to know my ways . . ." (Isaiah
58:2)
Lord, the Israelites claimed to "desire to know"
Your ways. But this admonition from You bears a
tone of sarcasm. Did they really desire to know
them? Or was the desire only so much lip
service?
You make me look at myself, my God. Do I really
desire to know Your ways? Or do I brush off that
thought with, "Who can possibly understand the
ways of God?" Certainly I cannot know all Your
plans and surely I cannot understand the whys of
Your actions. But I have to admit that there are
some of Your ways that I ought to know. I know
You want me to forgive my enemy and to pray for
those who persecute me. I know You want me to
help the needy, to comfort the sorrowing, to do
justice to those who are wronged. I know that
You want me to obey Your commandments and the
laws of Your Church.
I know these ways of Yours because You've told
us them plainly through Scripture and through
our Church. I know, too, that these commands of
Yours are meant to be more than general
platitudes. They are meant for each one of us
personally, and that includes me, to put into
practice in specific instances in our lives.
Help me to honestly desire to know Your ways, my
God, and to give You Your way in the messy parts
of my life, the parts that need to be turned
over to You and the actions that need to be done
as You would have them be done. What are Your
ways for me today, Lord? I desire to know them.
Give me the grace to walk in them. Amen.
Monday, First
Week of Lent, February 14, 2005
"Like a nation that has done what is just and
not abandoned the law of their God" (Isaiah 2:2)
Lord, only if we do what is just will we be
following You, for You are a just God. When we
abandon You, we fall into injustice and the
complacent blindness which accompanies it. How
many times have we justified revenge by calling
it fair return for what has been dished out to
us? How often have we bent or disregarded God's
directives by claiming that our conscience tells
us we can't be wrong? Then we justify our
ill-formed conscience by portraying ourselves as
open-minded in a Church that is medieval. Your
laws of morality, just distribution of wealth,
and care for creation are clear in both
Scripture and the teachings of the Church. Yet
we make excuses, find exceptions, and
misinterpret whenever Your wishes don't suit us.
Lord, how many times have I pretended to do what
is just while abandoning Your Will? Am I doing
anything of that sort now, Lord? Open my eyes,
Lord, to my justifications and to my moral and
ethical tweakings of Your law. Give me the
courage to do what is what is truly just so that
I may truly follow You. Amen.
Tuesday, First
Week of Lent, February 15, 2005
"They ask me to
declare what is due them. . . . " (Isaiah 58:2)
Goodness, Lord, dare
I ask You to declare what is due me? The Israelites
thought that they were completely in Your Will,
offering up their sacrifices and keeping all the
fine points of the law. Yet they were far from You
because they did not show love to their neighbors.
What was due them, Lord, for keeping the outward
sign of religion but missing its core? Am I like
that, my Lord, keeping all the rules but missing out
on the fruit of the Spirit?
What is due to me,
Lord, if I neglect the poor, if I gossip about my
neighbor, and if I retain bitterness against my
enemy? What is due me, my Lord, if I make excuses
when I could help, if I do what I prefer instead of
showing compassion, and if I am too cowardly to
speak up for what is morally right?
Lord, forgive me. Do
not give me what is due or even tell me what I
deserve. I could not bear to know, my God. Declare
to me what I must do, my God, to make amends, to
turn my life around, to clean up the shadowy parts
of my faith walk, and to become truly Yours. Amen
Wednesday, First Week of Lent, February 16, 2005
" . . .
.pleased to gain access to God." (Isaiah 58:2)
Lord, this phrase seems odd to me. We need a key
to gain access to a locked house and a password
to gain access to our email account. But You are
not a locked house or a private email account,
Lord. You are God, and You are always
accessible. I don't have to have any special
quality, good work, or prayer to gain access to
You. I don't even have to come to You, Lord,
because You are always with me. I merely have to
recognize Your Presence. I do not have to gain
access to my heart or my mouth because they are
part of my body and always with me. But You are
superior to every physical part of me, for Your
Spirit permeates mine. Your Spirit created me--
body, soul, mind, and spirit. You have complete
access to me always and I have complete access
to You. Any attempts to keep You out of my life
are pure foolishness, Lord, for You continually
know my every action, thought, word. You are
always with me. Thank You, Lord, for being
perpetually available to me. Amen.
Thursday, First Week of Lent,
February 17, 2005
"Why do we fast, and you do not see it?
Afflict ourselves, and you take no note of it?"
(Isaiah 58:3)
Oh, goodness, Lord. You told us to fast in
secret so that people would not know we were
fasting and be able to commend us for being
holy. But do we think that You ought to commend
us for being holy because we fast? Are we
fasting to wrench Your good favor from You? Or
are we fasting to discipline ourselves and give
You glory by giving up what we want? What merit
is there in fasting? Don't folks on diets fast?
Likewise, are we doing other penances to gain
Your favor? Ought they not, instead, be intended
to foster our conversion, that is our giving of
ourselves totally to You? Lord, purify my fasts
and penances this Lent. Prevent me from using
them as bargaining chips to obtain from You
spiritual or physical or material ends. Amen.
Friday of the First Week of Lent, February
18, 2005
"Lo, on your fast day you carry out your own
pursuits . . ." (Isaiah 58:3)
Lord, these are Your words to the Israelites,
and they are Your words to me. Where did You
ever say that fasting and carrying out our own
pursuits were incompatible? Yet You say it here.
Are my pursuits not compatible with Your Love,
with Your goals? Am I refraining from food so
that I have more time to do my own things? Has
the lack of food not changed my lack of charity?
Am I not to be pursuing Your pursuits, my God?
What do You want me to do, Lord? Give me insight
into Your Holy Will and help me to give up my
unholy will. Amen.
Saturday, First Week
of Lent, February 19, 2005
". . . . and drive all your laborers."
(Isaiah58:3)
Well, Lord, I don't have any laborers so this
does not apply to me . . . Or does it? Who do I
expect to do things for me and why have I
focused on them? Do I expect fellow workers or
committee members to do things just the way I
would, and, if they don't, do I find fault with
their efforts? Do I leave certain chores undone,
which I could easily do, thinking, "It's not my
job?" How do I treat the clerk, wait person, gas
station attendant, phone operator, my child, my
spouse? Do I find fault with the way my food is
prepared, my clothes are made, or my mail
delivered? How do I treat those who are working
for me, if not because they are employed by me
but because I use their services? Do I give them
encouragement and compliments? Am I courteous?
Maybe, in some ways, I am a slave driver, Lord.
Open my eyes to how I treat and talk about
others. Help me to do better, for love of You.
Amen.
Second Sunday of Lent, February
20, 2005
"Yes, your fast ends in quarreling and
fighting, striking with wicked claw." (Isaiah
58:4)
Oh, Lord, that drives a punch right to the
heart. The verbs here increase in violence from
arguing to fighting to striking with wicked
claw. Fasting was intended to sanctify the
Israelites, but, despite their fasting, they
were behaving like clawed beasts trying to
overpower one another. What is the purpose of
fasting, Lord? It has to be more than just
obedience to a law. Fasting from food is
intended to make us fast from selfishness. By
doing without what we want to eat, we ought to
learn to do without what we want to say or do.
By giving God our fasting, we ought to learn to
give others our respect. But if the fast is only
a discipline that we don't allow to penetrate
our spirits, then we continue to act like
animals who can't get enough to eat in the
winter but who remain animalistic nevertheless.
Let me take a few moments, Lord, to see if my
bodily fasting is influencing my fasting from
selfishness. Where can I do better in my
thoughts, words, actions, or lack of actions?
With whom do I have to make peace and how may I
do it? Lord, I want to be an animal no more.
Make me Your holy child instead. Amen.
Monday of the Second Week of Lent, February 21,
2005
"Would that today you might fast so as to
make your voice heard on high!" (Isaiah
58:4)
My Lord, this verse says to me that You wish me
to fast correctly and that You long to have my
voice heard on high. You are asking for a fast
that will reach you as a prayer, for prayer is
what You "hear." What is prayer, Lord, but a
conversation with You? A conversation means that
I speak but I also listen. A conversation is not
a list of demands or chattering along without
giving the other a chance to speak. Do You mean
that You wish to converse with me through my
fasting? Do I think of my fasting as a prayer,
Lord? Help me to see that it is, indeed, a
prayer of the body, offered up to You. Help me
to fast prayerfully, Lord. Amen.
Tuesday of the
Second Week of Lent, February 22, 2005
"Is this
the manner of fasting I wish . . . " (Isaiah
58:5)
Lord, this tells me that You do wish us to fast.
But You have Your own thoughts about what a fast
ought to be. And those thoughts may not be mine.
You had said that our fast was not acceptable,
despite the penances we performed, because it
was not accompanied by a change of heart. What
kind of fast do You want, Lord? Enlighten me and
help me to know. Amen.
Wednesday of
the Second Week of Lent, February 23, 2005
" . . . of keeping a day of penance." (Isaiah
58:5)
My Jesus, for us in the Confraternity of
Penitents, every day must be a day of penance
(conversion). Every moment must be a moment of
penance (conversion). Always our lives must be
turned continually toYou. There is no time when
we ought to be doing just what we like without
regard for Your Will. Lord, help me to keep on
keeping on in the penitential (converted) life
until my life is completely Yours forever. Amen.
Thursday of
the Second Week of Lent, February 24, 2005
"That a man bow his head like a reed . . ."
(Isaiah 58:5)
Lord, this speaks to me of prayer. A reed can
bow before the wind and portray a prayerful
aspect but it is only a reed. No prayer rises to
You. No humility enters in. No change takes
place because the reed is bowed. When the wind
dies down, the reed is again erect, the same as
ever it was. Are my prayers like this, Lord? Do
I pray inattentively so that, when I rise from
prayer, I am no m ore changed than if I had
never prayed at all? Do I revert to my pride and
self-righteousness, completely unaware of the
needs of those around me. Oh, Lord, let the wind
of Your Spirit pierce my soul so that prayer
changes me into who You wish me to become. Amen.
Friday of the
Second Week of Lent, February 25, 2005
". . . .
and lie in sackcloth and ashes?" (Isaiah
58:5)
You know, Lord, I think I'm doing pretty good
with giving up chocolate for Lent. Or maybe I've
stopped watching television or I check my emails
only on Saturdays as a Lenten penance. Compared
to those Old Testament penitents, however, am I
really doing all that great? Did they really
dress in itchy sackcloth and lay down in ashes
to go to sleep? How did they ever sleep not to
mention rise refreshed to do their labor? A
penance like sleeping in sackcloth and ashes
would effect you twenty four hours a day. I know
You're not telling me to imitate these old time
penitents, but maybe You are saying that I ought
not be so smug about what I am doing. Give me
the humility to admit that my penances are
pretty tame. Help me to do honest penance which
is to fast from self-righteousness and spiritual
pride. Amen.
Saturday of
the Second Week of Lent, February 26, 2005
"Do you
call this a fast, a day acceptable to the Lord?"
(Isaiah 58:5)
Lord, I want all my days to be acceptable to
You. I thought a fast was pleasing to You. It is
pleasing, but only if the outward fasting has an
effect on the heart. Help me to make today
acceptable to You, my Lord, by fasting from my
own willfulness and seeking to do Your Will.
Help me to put others before myself and to show
compassion, gentleness, patience. The best
fasting I can do, Lord, is to fast from
concentrating on ME, isn't it? Help me, O Lord!
Amen.
Third Sunday
of Lent, February 27, 2005
"This,
rather, is the fasting that I wish . . ."
(Isaiah 58:6)
Lord, You do wish us to fast. You desire that we
fast in ways that are pleasing to You. Lord, I
want to do Your Will. Grant me Your grace to
know what the Will is in regard to fasting and
to all things, and give me every virtue I need
to follow your Holy Will. Amen.
Monday, Third
Week of Lent, February 28, 2005
" . . .
releasing those bound unjustly, untying the
thongs of the yoke; Setting free the oppressed,
breaking every yoke; " (Isaiah 58:6)
Lord, You wish us to release those bound
unjustly. Who do I know who has or may have been
unjustly accused? What have I done to try to
discover the truth? Have I given that person the
benefit of the doubt? Have I spread gossip, told
half truths, believed rumors? Have I lied or
exaggerated about someone to make myself look
better? Have I been silent when I ought to have
spoken up to clear someone's good name or to
defend someone? Have I made excuses for not
helping an overburdened neighbor or family
members? Have I overworked someone or given them
busy work? Who do I know who is bound by guilt
or shame? Have I encouraged them to seek
forgiveness and healing? Am I supposed to listen
to them, Lord? Am I to absorb their grief,
confusion, or rage until their spiritual yoke is
broken? Open my eyes to those who are bound, my
God. What do You want me to do to help release
them? Give me insight, Lord. Give me courage to
act. Amen.
Tuesday of the
Third Week of Lent, March 1, 2005
"Sharing
your bread with the hungry . . ." (Isaiah 58:7)
Lord, how can I do this better? Might I tithe a
certain percentage of my income and give it to
an agency that supplies food to the needy? Can I
purchase two canned goods each time I go to the
grocery store and give them to the food pantry?
How about bringing a casserole to a new mom or
sending over a tray of cold cuts and rolls to
the family when someone has died? If a wife is
in the hospital or dies, can I invite her
husband over for dinner? Might I offer to buy
breakfast or lunch for a homeless person? How
about helping at the soup kitchen or sending an
extra cupcake in my child's lunch so he or she
can share with a friend? Show me ways to help,
my God. Open my heart to give. Amen.
Wednesday of
the Third Week of Lent, March 2, 2005
" . . .
sheltering the oppressed and the homeless . . ."
(Isaiah 58:7)
Oh, boy, Lord, I've read this closely and You
are calling from a very personal response from
me here. You are asking me to consider
sheltering the oppressed and the homeless. You
mean here in my own house? Isn't it enough to
give money to homeless shelters and to agencies
that help the oppressed? Are you really asking
me to take someone in? Maybe you are. Pregnant
young women, thrown out of their homes by irate
parents, need a place to stay. Immigrants need
someone to vouch for them and offer them
shelter. A relative loses his or her job and
can't pay the rent. A college student needs a
bedroom. Older children are waiting for adoptive
homes. You could not be asking me to open up my
house to one of these folks or someone else?
Could You? Help me, Lord, as I ponder what You
are asking of me. Amen.
Thursday of
the Third Week of Lent, March 3, 2005
"Clothing
the naked when you see them . . ." (Isaiah 58:7)
Well, Lord, in Isaiah's day, the destitute were
everywhere and it was possible to see them as
one went about one's business. Did a good
servant of the Lord carry along an extra garment
to give to a naked person? I wonder . . . Today
the naked come to me in appeals sent through the
mail or via email. We have clothing drives and
good will stores. I have so many clothes, my
Lord. Do I really need all of them? What can I
give away? And might you be asking me for
something deeper here, my God? To clothe those
naked of virtue with Your grace so that I see
them wrapped in Your love? Knowing that You love
those whom I find hard to love, Lord, is
clothing them in the dignity You created them to
have. Let me clothe the naked today, my God.
Amen.
Friday of the
Third Week of Lent, March 4, 2005
". . . and
not turning your back on your own." (Isaiah
58:7)
My Lord, You call me back here to my own family,
immediate neighbors, and close friends.
Sometimes I get so caught up in doing for others
that I brush aside those whom I love the most
and who deserve my main attention. Give me
patience the next time my child interrupts me
when I am talking on the telephone. Give me
super patience as I potty train our toddler.
When my spouse leaves the newspapers strewn
across the couch for the zillionth time, put
love in my voice as I ask yet again that they be
folded and placed on the end table. When You
nudge me to call my parents, nudge me hard
enough so that I don't procrastinate. And when
my friend can't seem to get past an old wound,
make my shoulder sturdy enough to bear those
tears yet again. Give me, Lord, the virtues of a
saint as I deal with those so very close to me.
Amen.
Saturday of
the Third Week of Lent, March 5, 2005
" . .. Then
your light shall break forth like the dawn. . .
. " (Isaiah 58:8)
Lord, are You telling me that I can be a light?
You had promised your servant Jesus, through the
prophets, that He would be a light to all
nations. But are You asking me to be a light?
But, of course. Didn't you say that we ought not
hide our lamps but let the light of our faith
shine to all the world so that we can, by Your
grace, show You as a light in the spiritual
darkness of our world? Oh, Lord, You say that if
I follow You in truth and love, not just in
outer actions but in inner transformation that
touches the lives of others, then I will be one
of Your little lights. Oh, Lord, let my little
light shine! Amen.
Fourth Sunday
in Lent, March 6, 2005
" . . . and
your wound shall quickly be healed . . . "
(Isaiah 58:8)
My Jesus, I do have wounds. Sometimes I am all
too aware of them. Other times I try to hide
them from others and even from myself. But I
cannot hide them from You. You know the depth
and the pain of my wounds. Oh, Lord, some of
these wounds have come from well meaning people
who meant me no harm, while others were
inflicted by my enemies or through what we like
to think of as "accidents" or the "trials of
life." But You, O God, are Lord of all, and You
knew about each of my wounds before they
occurred. You permitted them to come to me, many
times for reasons which I may never know. You
Who still bear Your wounds offer to heal mine.
If I become more like You, my God, by loving
both You and my neighbor in sincerity that leads
to loving response, You pledge to heal my
wounds. My Father, grant me the grace to move
forward so that my wounds may be healed. Amen.
Monday of the
Fourth Week of Lent, March 7, 2005
"Your
vindication shall go before you, and the glory
of the LORD shall be your rear guard." (Isaiah
58:8)
My Lord, You assure me that, if my fast is just,
You will protect me from spiritual attack. You
will precede me as my vindication--that is, my
avenger, my defender, my protection. Your glory
will follow me as a rear guard. All around me
shall be Your spiritual protection so that I
shall be like a king surrounded by his
protective guards. In my case, however, I who
ought to be defending Your goodness before the
people, shall be defended by You. The King of
kings protects the soldier of the Lord rather
than the soldier guarding the King. How awesome
You are, my God, to turn everything to my
advantage! Let me serve You rightly, my Lord, so
that I may always enjoy your spiritual
protection. Amen.
Tuesday of the
Fourth Week of Lent, March 8, 2005
"Then you
shall call, and the LORD will answer . . . "
(Isaiah 58:9)
How I want You to answer when I call, Lord! So
often You are silent, or so it seems. Or maybe I
am not tuned in enough to hear Your answer. When
I call, and You seem to be silent, are You
really telling me to be patient, to trust, to
wait? Am I looking for the answer I want to hear
instead of hearing the answer You are giving? My
Lord, help me to pray and fast and give alms
with the right spirit, so that my spirit is
attuned to Yours and I can comprehend Your
answers to my questions, however those answers
may come. Amen.
Wednesday of
the Fourth Week of Lent, March 9, 2005
" . . . you
shall cry for help, and he will say: Here I am!"
(Isaiah 58:9)
My Lord, how many times do I fail to call on You
for help? I am so centered in my own problems,
trying to do things my own way, that I neglect
to stop and ask for Your guidance. Maybe I am
secretly fearful that You really will help me,
but not in the way I desire. Help me to cry out
to You in my need and to trust You to answer in
the best way possible. Your way may not be mine,
my Lord. But it will be the best way. Are You
not always with me, my God? Oh, Lord, let me
always be with You! Amen.
Thursday of
the Fourth Week of Lent, March 10, 2005
"If you
remove from your midst oppression, false
accusation and malicious speech . . ." (Isaiah
58:9)
Oh, my Lord, open my spiritual eyes. Am I
oppressing anyone by my continual complaining or
by placing too high standards on them? Do I
spread gossip or insinuate untruths? Have I
habit of saying things to make others look bad
or to hint at their dishonesty or other faults?
Do I hold onto grudges against those who have
talked badly about me or who have hurt me? You
are asking for love here, my God. If I truly
loved, I would never oppress, accuse, or speak
maliciously. I would, if I loved, try to find
the motivation behind another's actions, and I
would seek to understand and pray to forgive.
You call me to become as You are, my God, You
Who are Truth, Mercy, and Love. Make me, my God,
fully into Who You call me to be. Amen.
Friday of the
Fourth Week of Lent, March 11, 2005
"If you
bestow your bread on the hungry and satisfy the
afflicted . . . "(Isaiah 58:10)
My Lord, You mentioned earlier, through the
prophet Isaiah, that You ask for "Sharing your
bread with the hungry, sheltering the oppressed
and the homeless, Clothing the naked when you
see them, and not turning your back on your
own." Once again You emphasize these works of
charity. "If you bestow your bread on the hungry
and satisfy the afflicted." Are You trying to
drive the message deep into my heart, my God?
Who is hungry whom I have not fed? Was it the
person who wanted to talk when I wanted to hang
up the phone? Is there someone who ought to have
a card, an email, a phone call from me and I've
been putting off the contact because I'm too
busy? Is it up to me to satisfy the afflicted? I
thought You did that, my God, if they put their
trust in You. But do You want to use me as a
partial answer to their prayers? Where am I
lacking in charity, my Lord? Is the time I have
my time? Isn't it Your time? What do You want of
me today, Lord? How may I show Your love? Amen.
Saturday of
the Fourth Week of Lent, March 12, 2005
"Then light
shall arise for you in the darkness . . ."
(Isaiah 58:10)
My Lord, I do not even know how deep my darkness
is. I look at my present situation, and there is
so much I cannot control. I gaze into the future
and can see no resolution to my trials. I come
back and peer into my soul, and I shudder at the
hidden sins that are not hidden from You. Oh,
Lord, how I need Your light! Show me a way out
of my misery. Give me the graces to overcome my
sins. Grant me a trust that clings to You in my
spiritual night. Every day is fraught with
terrors and worries. Every night brings desolate
thoughts. How I need Your light, my God! How I
need trust in that light! Let Your light arise
for me, Lord. Shine in my darkness. Give me
hope. Amen.
Fifth Sunday
of Lent, March 13, 2005
" . . . and
the gloom shall become for you like midday; "
(Isaiah 58:10)
Oh, Lord, what a promise You give! Midday is
such a glorious time, with the sun at its zenith
and the air as bright as it will be that day!
You promise that, if we follow Your way of love
and charity, the gloom of our sins and the
darkness we allow to engulf us will be
transformed. We will be flooded with Son light.
No longer will we grope in the shadows of our
own reasoning but will see clearly Your work in
our lives. My Lord, grant me true charity and
love so that my penance is genuine. Let Your Son
flood me with His light. Amen.
Monday of the
Fifth Week of Lent, March 14, 2005
"Then the
LORD will guide you always . . . " (Isaiah
58:11)
Oh, Lord, how I desire this! At least, I think I
do. Do I really want You to guide me? Do I trust
You enough to go where You lead? What if You
lead me into self-sacrifice, trial, surrender?
What if You ask me to relinquish what is closest
to my heart? Suppose You ask more than I want to
give? These and others are the fears that hold
me back, my God. You promise, through the
prophet Isaiah, that, if I exercise charity and
true repentance, You will guide me always. But,
oh, I see now my lack of trust in You. How I
want to believe that You ordain all for my
ultimate good! Yet I am so afraid that what You
see as being for my good, I will see as being
for my destruction. Father, I have to get out of
my own way so that I will allow You to guide me.
I am like a dog pulling against the master's
leash, wanting to go my way instead of Yours.
Help me, Lord, to trust You with all of my life.
Amen.
Tuesday of the
Fifth Week of Lent, March 15, 2005
" . . . and
give you plenty even on the parched land."
(Isaiah 58:11)
Oh, my Father, my soul is as a parched land. How
it thirsts for the living water of Your grace!
You are the only One who can green it with
virtues and bud forth the flowers of good deeds
and the fruits of love in action. It is I, my
God, who have kept the rains of Your life giving
Spirit from falling on the dryness of my spirit.
I have erected tents of my own self will,
stubbornness, and pride, and have hidden myself
within them to keep from being washed by Your
love. Father, give me the courage to stop
resisting You, to strike down and fold up my
tents, and to stand free in the gentle and
persistent rain of Your love. Let the parched
land of my soul become fruitful and let me live
there always, trusting in Your goodness and
spreading it to others. Allow me to permit You
to replace my barrenness with plentitude. Amen.
Wednesday of
the Fifth Week of Lent, March 16, 2005
"He will
renew your strength . . . " (Isaiah 58:11)
My Father, how I need You to renew my strength!
I am so weak spiritually and I fall into sin so
easily. Words I should never say slip out of my
mouth. Thoughts I should never think dance in my
mind. Things better left undone are completed by
my hands. My Lord, I fight not against outside
forces but against my own sinfulness. I am Your
greatest enemy. Lord, I grow weary in the trials
of my life, and so often these, which You
created for my perfection, become the very
sources of my failure to follow You. Strengthen
me with Your graces so that I will turn from sin
and cling to You. Give me trust that You will
see me through the hard times, that You will be
my strength when I have none of my own, and that
You can keep me in Your care as long as I may
live. Amen.
Thursday of
the Fifth Week of Lent, March 17, 2005
". . . and
you shall be like a watered garden, like a
spring whose water never fails." (Isaiah 58:11)
Father, how I thirst for Your will and Your
love! I have lived, quenching this inner thirst
with everything but the life giving water You
promise. Now I know that, all my life, I have
thirsted for You. Convert my parched soul into a
lush garden watered by Your Spirit. Become in me
a fountain o f living, rushing, endless water
that will sustain me into eternity. My God, turn
me back to You so that I may live for the first
time in my life. Amen.
Friday of the
Fifth Week of Lent, March 18, 2005
"The ancient ruins shall be rebuilt for your
sake . . . " (Isaiah 58:12)
My Father, You speak of ancient ruins. The ruins
of my life are recent as far as time goes, for I
have not yet lived a hundred years, barely a
shadow in the eons of time. Could the ancient
ruins be the pride that infects us all? But
pride is a towering edifice, not a ruin in
today's world. No, Lord. You speak of ancient
ruins. What has been in ruin from time
immemorial? Is it not humility, my God?
Simplicity? Selflessness? The ruins are the
opposite of pride. They are every virtue which
pride has struck down. If we act with love and
charity, my God, You promise to rebuild these
ancient ruins. Are You saying that the virtues
need not precede our works of charity, but that
they shall surely eventually follow? Are You
saying that doing good, even if for the wrong
reasons, will eventually begin to sow good in
our souls? When we show love, my Lord, Your
Spirit will slowly but surely restore in us
humility, simplicity, and selflessness. Let me
see, my God, how I can give love today. Amen.
Saturday of
the Fifth Week of Lent, March 19, 2005
" . . . and
the foundations from ages past you shall raise
up . . ." (Isaiah 58:12)
My Father, what are the foundations of ages past
if not the precepts underlying the Ten
Commandments? In these, You call us to honor You
and to obey Your laws. You have told us that, if
we seek Your Will and follow it with love, Your
law will be written in our hearts. It is a an
unchangeable law of love for You and for our
neighbor. The foundation that as destroyed by
the sin of our first parents You shall raise up
again. We shall love and trust You and do what
You command, following not our own ways but
Yours. Oh, Father, how our world needs these
foundations to be raised up! Begin with me, my
God. Amen.
Palm Sunday,
March 20, 2005
"'Repairer
of the breach,' they shall call you, . . . "
(Isaiah 58:12)
My Father, where are the breaches in this world?
Are they not everywhere? Every injury to a
neighbor, every grudge, bad feeling, slander,
calumny is a breach that rends the love we are
to bear to one another. Every selfish act, pride
of heart, abuse and misuse of another, every act
against human life, is a breach that cries to
You for repair. Every time one turns his back on
You, every neglect of You, every blasphemy and
mockery, widens the gap between You and us. We
live in a broken world, my God, filled with more
breaches against love than there are sands on
the seashore. Give me the courage to look at my
own life, my God. Where do I find broken
relationships and bruised egos? What breaches
can I, with Your grace, begin to repair? Set my
life in order, my God. Give me pure motives and
right actions so that I may begin to act in
love. Amen.
Monday of Holy
Week, March 21, 2005
"Restorer
of ruined homesteads." (Isaiah 58:12)
My Lord, You assure me that, if I follow Your
ways in love and humility, people will think of
me as a "Restorer of ruined homesteads." So many
natural disasters, Lord, have shown the world
many ruined homesteads. So much outpouring of
aid is helping to restore these. Indeed, love of
God and of neighbors, whom most of us will never
meet, have brought about this promise. Do You
not also mean something deeper than framing in
houses and replacing roofs? Are You not also
speaking of that temple within, of our souls in
which You are to dwell? Sin destroys Your
homestead within us, Lord. Charity restores it.
Will not our kindness to others bring them to a
greater realization of Your actions in their
lives? In our love, will they sense Yours? Lord,
grant me an ever deeper love in thoughts, words,
and deeds so that I may truly help restore Your
dwelling place, not only in my own soul but also
in the souls of others. Amen.
Tuesday of
Holy Week, March 22, 2005
"If you hold back your foot on the Sabbath
from following your won pursuits on my holy day
. . . ." (Isaiah 58:13)
Lord God, You gave us a commandment to keep the
Sabbath day holy. How many of us do that these
days? So often we tend to think this Sabbath day
rest was intended for field laborers, so they
could get a break from hoeing and harvesting. We
are just as busy these days with all our own
pursuits. Yes, our pursuits of work and pleasure
leave so little time for You, Lord. Your call to
keep the Sabbath holy is a call to take the
focus of us and of what we consider to be our
all important pursuits and to put the focus on
You. It's a call to give You time in our lives
which can be totally consumed with countless
things that easily shut You out. The Sabbath was
meant to relieve our work so that we could
comprehend that we do not live on bread alone
but on every moment to moment breath of Your
grace. The ultimate Sabbath for each of us is
death when all our so precious activities will
stop. The world goes on when we don't. Help us
to find that lesson in the Sabbath rest, my God.
Amen.
Wednesday of Holy Week, March 23, 2005
"If you
call the Sabbath a delight, and the LORD'S day
honorable . . ." (Isaiah 58:13)
My Father, of all the days of the week, I have
never thought of the Sabbath as a delight or
used the word "honorable" in its regard. To me,
it's been a day off from work, a time to go to
Mass, and the last day of the weekend. I've
never focused on it, in its own right. You ask
us to delight in Sunday and to recognize its
honor. This is the day when Our Lord rose from
the dead, the day when all of history was
transformed and the promise of life eternal
assured to those who believe in You. Sunday is
the day when despair was transformed into joy
and hopelessness into hope. With how much honor
ought we treat the day in which our faith in
Christ was confirmed? Oh, Lord, open my eyes to
the meaning of Sunday. Let me celebrate this
Easter as the first Easter of the fifty two
"Easters" that come each year. Amen.
Holy Thursday,
March 24, 2005
"If you
honor it by not following your ways, seeking
your own interests, or speaking with malice --"
(Isaiah 58:13)
My Lord, You call us to follow Your ways, not
our own, because, good as our ways may sometimes
be, Yours are better. We see only our little
corner of the world, but You, Lord, see all. We
may never know why You lead us as You do, but
all is for a greater purpose than we can often
understand. Lord, often our ways are tinged with
hidden self interest and even malice. We may
want to show others what we can do or even prove
to ourselves that we are great and capable. What
humility You call us to, Lord, when You call us
to follow Your ways, to seek the interests of
others, and to leave all malice and self
righteousness behind! Give us purity of motive,
my Lord, so that our service to You is honestly
done in love. Amen.
Good Friday,
March 25, 2005
"Then you
shall delight in the LORD . . . " (Isaiah 58:14)
My Lord and my God, on this day we commemorate
Your Passion and death. We delight in what You
have done for us. You, by dying, have given us
eternal life. In the words of the prophet
Isaiah, in Chapter 58, You have called us to die
to ourselves and to live for love of you and of
our neighbor. How can we deeply delight in what
Your death, because of Your love, gained for us
if we do not undergo death of self for a similar
love? Oh, Father, You show us that living for
You is not easy but it is supremely good. Give
us the graces this day to enter deeply into the
meaning of Your Passion and to embrace our own
in love. Amen.
Holy Saturday,
March 26, 2005
" . . . and I will make you ride on the
heights of the earth . . ." (Isaiah 58:14)
Father, You are Lord and God. You promise that,
if I treat all with love in actions, not only in
words, You will make me "ride on the heights of
the earth." Father, so much here is evil. We see
the results of evil playing out before our eyes,
my God. You promise that love will raise us
above the selfishness, self-interest, and unfair
dealings we see. If we follow Your law and not
our own self centered ideas, You will make us
"ride on the heights of the earth." We shall be
close to You in the heights of prayer and our
journey will be easier because we will be riding
and not walking or straining on our own. When we
do things Your way, You carry us, O Lord. You
are Lord of heaven and earth, and You are Lord
of my life. Help me to give my life over to You.
Amen.
Easter Sunday,
March 27, 2005
"I will
nourish you with the heritage of Jacob, your
father, for the mouth of the LORD has spoken."
(Isaiah 58:14)
My Father, if only we follow Your ways in love,
real love, for You and for one another, You
promise to nourish us with the "heritage of
Jacob." Jacob's heritage was a covenant "I shall
be Your God and you shall be My people." You
promised to bring Jacob's descendents into a
land "flowing with milk and honey," a land so
rich in sustenance that the Israelites would
never be hungry again. You promised them peace
and prosperity on property of their own. If we
follow Your ways in love, Your promise of
eternal life will nourish us. You will become
within us the "fountain of living water" which
is spiritually complete as milk is a naturally
complete food and which is sweet as honey. With
Your Spirit within us, we shall never hunger or
thirst for love again for we will know You Who
are love. Despite what troubles swirl around us
or even consume us, You will fill us with a
"peace beyond all understanding" so that our
spirits will prosper in holiness and our souls
be possessed by You. Lord, give us the graces to
embrace You and all You ask with love and trust
so that Your promises may be fulfilled in us.
Amen.
Confraternity of Penitents
520 Oliphant Lane
Middletown RI USA
02842-4600
401/849-5421
bspenance@hotmail.com
copenitents@yahoo.com
