The things of the past shall not be remembered or come to mind. Instead, there shall always be rejoicing and happiness in what I create.
Isaiah 65:17
Day 27: Monday of the Fourth Week of Lent – Isaiah 65:17b
The things of the past shall not be remembered or come to mind. Instead, there shall always be rejoicing and happiness in what I create.
Additional Reading(s) today: John 4:43-54; Isa 65:17-21
Today’s Lenten Reflection
Today’s reading from Isaiah is just as uplifting as it is confounding. We read the words and wish they could feel more true. Imagine if you could really forget all the past things that have hurt and still haunt you, and instead just rejoice in the present? What a perpetual state of bliss that would be. Ironically, that is exactly what God is telling us to do in today’s Gospel. So often though we disregard divine wisdom and cling to our emotions instead. But we will never truly enjoy life if we continue to do this, if we cling to past events and measure them to our present. Many years ago, the Irish rock band U2 wrote a song called “Rejoice.” One of the lyrics states: “I can’t change the world but I can change the world in me, if I rejoice.” So true. We may not be able to change the world, undo our past or predict the future, but we can change the world “inside” of us if we rejoice! In other words, we must decide if we are going to curse our current situation or listen to God, the Creator of all things new, and rejoice. Let’s stop expecting everything and everyone around us to change and instead become the change. Let us trust the process that God has set before us, obey His Word, and get busy rejoicing!
Day 27 Lenten Meditation
Contemplate the world that lives within you. What does it look like? Is it filled with unease, anxiety, anger and fear, or with light and peace, contentment and acceptance? It may change from day to day. Most of us can’t sustain light and peace around the clock, but, if we begin to focus on what we can change — as the famous Serenity Prayer says — and accept what we cannot change, we will slowly begin to move the needle toward more light on a more constant basis. That requires some consistent prayer time and introspection, silence, self-awareness and humility. And Lent is the perfect time for this. Take fifteen minutes in total silence with God today. Don’t worry about any specific prayer or thoughts. Just be. Wait. Listen.
Lenten Prayer
Spirit of God, speak to us in the silence. Fill our hearts and minds with Your wisdom and let us feel Your presence as we step out in faith, trusting where our lives are today and where You are guiding us in the future. Help us to let go of our past and rejoice in the new creation of today. Above all, Father, purify our hope that we might desire above all else that Your Name be hallowed and that Your Kingdom and Your will be done, on earth as it is in Heaven. Amen.
Today’s suggested penance
*Reconnect with someone who was responsible for helping you grow in faith. Also, spend 5 minutes rejoicing in the power of God in your life.
“If we wish to make any progress in the service of God, we must begin every day of our life with new eagerness” –Saint Charles Borromeo.
Thanks, Meisha, the Word of the Lord, indeed.