Your Daily Lenten Devotional

March 9, 2012

Into the Wilderness

Friday of the Second Week of Lent

FAITHFULNESS
I now know…that there is a long, hard journey ahead of me. It is the way of living, praying, being with people, caring, eating, drinking, sleeping, reading, and writing in which Jesus is truly the center. I know…that this way exists and that I have not fully found it.
How do I find it? George [Father George Strohmeyer, co-founder of L’Arche community in Pennsylvania] gave me the answer: “Be faithful in your adoration.” He did not say, “prayer,” or “meditation;” or “contemplation:’ He kept using the word “adoration?’ This word makes it clear that all the attention must be on Jesus and not on me. To adore is to be drawn away from my own preoccupations into the presence of Jesus. It means letting go of what I want, desire, and have planned and fully trusting in Jesus and his love.
Henri J.M. Nouwen, The Road to Daybreak: A Spiritual Journey

Faithfulness in Small Things
Then Jesus said…”Whoever is faithful in a very little is faithful also in much; and whoever is dishonest in a very little is dishonest also in much. If then you have not been faithful with the dishonest wealth, who will entrust to you the true riches? And if you have not been faithful with what belongs to another, who will give you what is your own? No slave can serve two masters; for a slave will either hate the one and love the other, or be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and wealth.”
Luke 16:10-13

Prayer
God, bread of heaven, let the activities of my daily life be so centered on your presence that my friendship with you is solidly entrenched in my heart of hearts. Let me serve your will and purposes and have the sense to forego the hollow pleasures of success and wealth. Amen.

Lenten Action
Spend a predetermined amount of time in adoration before the Blessed Sacrament. Make a list of the places in your area that have Perpetual Adoration so that you might take the opportunity to visit more frequently. Be faithful in continuing this practice after Lent is over.
 
Excerpted from:

Lent and Easter Wisdom from Henri J.M. Nouwen
Henri J.M. Nouwen
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Thought-provoking words from renowned spiritual writer, Henri J.M. Nouwen, lead readers through a journey of conversion during Lent and Easter week. Each daily reflection–from Ash Wednesday through Easter–begins with thoughts from Father Nouwen on an appropriate theme, supported by Scripture, prayer and a suggested activity for spiritual growth.
     
Used with the kind permission of our friends at Liguori.