Lenten Moments of Mercy: Thursday of the Third Week of Lent

Thursday of the Third Week of Lent Memorial of St. Katharine Drexel   The disciplines of Lent help us keep our hearts open to God’s mercy and forgiveness.

Scripture       Do not harden your hearts, as at Meribah,       as on the day at Massah in the wilderness, when your ancestors tested me,       and put me to the proof, though they had seen my work. Psalm 95:8–9   Reflection Hopefully, we have all experienced joy. Perhaps we have experienced the joy of the beginning a great relationship, or the joy of starting a new job we are excited about, or the joy of graduating from a school. In moments such as these, the future seems to be filled with possibilities, and we cannot wait to meet the new challenges. However, as time goes on, not everything works out the way we hoped. Relationships can become argumentative and painful, while jobs may become dull, tedious, and disappointing. It is easy to become nostalgic for the past left behind. This is the experience of the Israelites described in the Book of Numbers. The excitement of freedom has become the drudgery of everyday life. The gifts of manna and quail no longer satisfy them, and the people long for the time in Egypt when although they were slaves they had grain, figs, vines producing grapes for wine, and pomegranates to eat (Numbers 20:5). So at this stage of their journey the people have consistent complaints against Moses and the Lord as found in the Scripture reference to Meribah and Massah. God calls us to follow him without reservation. But we are always tempted to live with a false sense of freedom; we will be tempted to fulfill our own desires without thinking about how our actions impact others. These temptations lead us to live with hardened hearts and callous indifference. The Lenten practices of prayer, fasting, and almsgiving are responses to God’s call to remain disciplined in the face of these temptations. Lent is a time for us to respond to God’s grace of forgiveness and mercy so that we do not live with hardened hearts.

Pope Francis “Today, on this Lenten day, we can ask ourselves: do I listen to the voice of the Lord, or do I do what I want, whatever I please?” Morning Meditation, 12 March 2015   Lenten Action ► Learn about St. Katharine Drexel. ► Review the Lenten practices described in the free eBook by Joe Paprocki.   Prayer Lord, give us the grace to listen to your voice and harden not our hearts.

http://www.loyolapress.com/