5. March 7, 2014- Fifth Day of Lent

Are we really in Lent

During lent we sacrifice something that we like in food or we fast for a time. When we look deep into this action, can we find anything that is really meant to us? The act of leaving something for lent must arise from our heart. It should mold us to a new creation. Leaving food and fasting are just actions that we take but as lent finishes we return back to normal. 

Lent should renew us every time and make us more like the children of God and closer to Him. As Jesus took his friends to the Mount Tabor and showed them how He shined in the glory of God the Father (Mathew 17:1-9) , the transgression should also take place in us and we should shine in the glory of God .

What really Lent means, it is said, 

                     “I will tell you the kind of day I want—a day to set people free. I want a day that you take the burdens off others. I want a day when you set troubled people free and you take the burdens from their shoulders.  I want you to share your food with the hungry. I want you to find the poor who don’t have homes and bring them into your own homes. When you see people who have no clothes, give them your clothes! Don’t hide from your relatives when they need help.”

 If you do these things, your light will begin to shine like the light of dawn. Then your wounds will heal. Your “Goodness” will walk in front of you, and the Glory of the Lord will come following behind you.  Then you will call to the Lord, and he will answer you. You will cry out to him, and he will say, “Here I am.”

Stop causing trouble and putting burdens on people. Stop saying things to hurt people or accusing them of things they didn’t do. Feel sorry for hungry people and give them food. Help those who are troubled and satisfy their needs. Then your light will shine in the darkness. You will be like the bright sunshine at noon. "- Isaiah 58:7-10

This can change us. Let us stop causing trouble with our thoughts or actions to our fellow beings. Let us stop judging others. Let us be able to accept others with a sincere heart and wish them with a pure mind. Let us stop saying things to hurt people. let us stop putting burdens on our dear ones. Let us not be selfish. Because God lives in each and every one, if we hurt them , Our Father will be in pain.

"Whoever is not against us is with us. I can assure you that anyone who helps you by giving you a drink of water because you belong to the Messiah will definitely get a reward.

“If one of these little children believes in me, and someone causes that child to sin, it will be very bad for that person. It would be better for them to have a millstone tied around their neck and be drowned in the sea." -Mark 9:40-42

Let us be in a true lent and ask for His wisdom to find out ourselves and what should be cleansed from us to get more closer to Our dear Father. Let us look to the Cross and see the depth of Love God has for us.

Reading:

Mark 9:33-50