Lenten Meditation

My Dearest Brothers and Sisters in Christ:

Book 1 Chapter 25: On the Fervent Amendment of Our Whole Life

“Be alert and diligent in the service of God, thinking often why you were born and why you have left the world.”

We are called to be passionate for God.  In our passion, we must focus all our efforts on “striving to be perfect.” It is in seeking perfection that our labors will be rewarded and we will find the kingdom of heaven.  It is in this final state that we will never experience sorrow dread ever again.  If you strive to do good, there should be no doubt that God will reward you for your sacrifice.  “Put your trust on the Lord and do good, that you may dwell in the land and be secure.” (Psalm 37:3) The lyrics from a song say, “Everyone wants to go to heaven, but nobody wants to die.” What is it that we must die to, to get into heaven?  Clearly we must die to things in of this world.  We must be willing to give up everything for the love of God.  Thomas a Kempis tells us that it is not enough to have good habits, but we must have a strong passion for God.  Without this passion for God, we are easily attached and our faith is week.  In finding our passion, we must learn to seek virtue to handle those things which keep us from the Kingdom.  We should use every waking moment for spiritual gain.  When we see good, we should desire to imitate it, but when we see bad, we should avoid the situation to avoid falling into the trap which has been set for us.  Today we should ask ourselves, is our life ordered toward God or are we disordered?  How inspiration it is to see devout persons who have a deep passion for serving God, so courteous and self-disciplined!  Are you devoted enough to sacrifice everything, or are you “neglectful and lukewarm?” If you are not diligent in our seeking, you will anguish in your life.  If you are undisciplined in your focus on God, then you always be in trouble.  In your weakness, your soul will be easily violated.  You will find that in your weakness, you will easily fall into depravity. “What a beautiful life it would be if we had nothing else to do but lift our hearts and voices to praise our Lord!”  We were created to love and praise God. Therefore, we will be happiest and find the greatest amount of joy when we fulfill our purpose.

A Simple Prayer

 

Oh God, how I love you.

Give me the strength I need to praise you always.

 

Yours in Christ

Michael Marcon