Adult / Couple
Pray!
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Reflect on this poem by Jessica Powers
The Garments of God God sits on a chair in the darkness of my soul. He is God alone, supreme in His majesty. I sit at His feet, a child in the dark beside Him; my joy is aware of His glance and my sorrow is tempted to nest on the thought that His face is turned from me. He is clothed in the robes of His mercy, voluminous garments - not velvet or silk and affable to the touch, but fabric strong for a frantic hand to clutch, and I hold to it fast with the fingers of my will. Here is my cry of faith, my deep avowal to the Divinity that I am dust. Here is the loud profession of my trust. I need not go abroad to the hills of speech or the hinterlands of music for a crier to walk in my soul where all is still. I have this potent prayer though good or ill: here in the dark I clutch the garments of God. From The Selected Poetry of Jessica Powers |
Learn!
Make more room for God this Lent by choosing not to do some things (fasting) and by choosing to do other things (feasting).
Fasting
Fasting is an integral part of Lent. Traditionally it has included reducing the amount of food we eat and abstaining from meat. We fast to allow our physical hunger to remind us of our spiritual hunger, our need for God. The purpose of fasting is to turn our attention to both God and others.
Things to fast from…
Feasting
The dictionary defines a feast as “something that gives unusual or abundant pleasure.” Jesus tells us what gives us the most real and lasting joy: it is sharing ourselves in love for others, for our friends, our family, and also for our neighbors in need. During Lent, we pay attention to feasting on joy, compassion, service, and hope so that we might grow in faith all year long.
Things to feast on…
Fasting
Fasting is an integral part of Lent. Traditionally it has included reducing the amount of food we eat and abstaining from meat. We fast to allow our physical hunger to remind us of our spiritual hunger, our need for God. The purpose of fasting is to turn our attention to both God and others.
Things to fast from…
- watching television
- cussing or using foul language
- buying new things: clothes, music, magazines, jewelry
- snack or junk foods
- spending money on entertainment
- being angry at other people
- holding resentments
- gossiping
- being dishonest
Feasting
The dictionary defines a feast as “something that gives unusual or abundant pleasure.” Jesus tells us what gives us the most real and lasting joy: it is sharing ourselves in love for others, for our friends, our family, and also for our neighbors in need. During Lent, we pay attention to feasting on joy, compassion, service, and hope so that we might grow in faith all year long.
Things to feast on…
- prayer
- acts of kindness to others
- forgiveness
- participating at Church
- participating in liturgy and Eucharist
- giving our time in service
- participating in the Sacrament of Reconciliation
- acts of service and charity
- giving money or food/clothing to people who are hungry or in need
Do!
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