So What Shall We Do during These Forty Days of Lent? [Catholic/Orthodox Caucus]

RSVBible/EWTN ^ | St. Matthew and Catholic Orthodox Caucus

[Salvation]

So What Shall We Do during These Forty Days of Lent? [Catholic/Orthodox Caucus]

 

The traditional purpose of Lent is the preparation of the believer for the celebration of the Resurrection and to strengthen ourselves in our beliefs for dealing with a hostile world. We accomplish that through prayer and penitence, almsgiving and self-denial/fasting.

 

In light of this purpose of Lent, SOME Catholic and Orthodox posters will absent themselves from FreeRepublic completely during Lent's forty days. 

 

(They will just silently disappear!)

 

Great Lent for Orthodox begins on March 7th.  Lent for Catholics begins on March 9th

 

The Lord's instructions for Lent from the Gospel of Matthew 6:1-18 (RSV)

 

Matthew 6
1	"Beware of practicing your piety before men in order to be seen by them; for then you will have no reward from your Father who is in heaven.
2	"Thus, when you give alms, sound no trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may be praised by men. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward.
3	But when you give alms, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing,
4	so that your alms may be in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you.
5	"And when you pray, you must not be like the hypocrites; for they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, that they may be seen by men. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward.
6	But when you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you.
7	"And in praying do not heap up empty phrases as the Gentiles do; for they think that they will be heard for their many words.
8	Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.
9	Pray then like this: Our Father who art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name.
10	Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done, On earth as it is in heaven.
11	Give us this day our daily bread;
12	And forgive us our debts, As we also have forgiven our debtors;
13	And lead us not into temptation, But deliver us from evil.
14	For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father also will forgive you;
15	but if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.
16	"And when you fast, do not look dismal, like the hypocrites, for they disfigure their faces that their fasting may be seen by men. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward.
17	But when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face,
18	that your fasting may not be seen by men but by your Father who is in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you.

 

 

[eleni121]

I think the Dali is ethereal. So is this - even more so:

Christ Pantocrator at St Catherine's Monastery (Sinai-Egypt) - Lord protect it!

[al_c]

Thanks for this thread. What a blessed time of the year!!!

[narses]

Indeed!

[narses]

My soul magnifies the Lord,
And my spirit rejoices in God my Savior.
For He has regarded the low estate of His handmaiden,
For behold, henceforth all generations shall call me blessed.
For He who is mighty has done great things for me, and holy is His name. And His mercy is on those who fear Him from generation to generation.
He has shown strength with His arm:
He has scattered the proud in the imagination of their hearts.
He has put down the mighty from their thrones,
and exalted those of low degree.
He has filled the hungry with good things;
and the rich He has sent empty away.
He has helped His servant Israel, in remembrance of His mercy;
As He spoke to our fathers, to Abraham and to His posterity forever.

Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit.
As it was in the beginning, is now and ever shall be, world without end. Amen

Magníficat ánima mea Dóminum,
et exsultávit spíritus meus
in Deo salvatóre meo,
quia respéxit humilitátem
ancíllæ suæ.

Ecce enim ex hoc beátam
me dicent omnes generatiónes,
quia fecit mihi magna,
qui potens est,
et sanctum nomen eius,
et misericórdia eius in progénies
et progénies timéntibus eum.
Fecit poténtiam in bráchio suo,
dispérsit supérbos mente cordis sui;
depósuit poténtes de sede
et exaltávit húmiles.
Esuriéntes implévit bonis
et dívites dimísit inánes.
Suscépit Ísrael púerum suum,
recordátus misericórdiæ,
sicut locútus est ad patres nostros,
Ábraham et sémini eius in sæcula.

Glória Patri et Fílio
et Spirítui Sancto.
Sicut erat in princípio,
et nunc et semper,
et in sæcula sæculórum.

Amen.

She became the Mother of God, in which work so many and such great good things are bestowed on her as pass man’s understanding. For on this there follows all honor, all blessedness, and her unique place in the whole of mankind, among which she has no equal, namely, that she had a child by the Father in heaven, and such a Child . . . Hence men have crowded all her glory into a single word, calling her the Mother of God . . . None can say of her nor announce to her greater things, even though he had as many tongues as the earth possesses flowers and blades of grass: the sky, stars; and the sea, grains of sand. It needs to be pondered in the heart what it means to be the Mother of God.

(Commentary on the Magnificat, 1521; in Luther’s Works, Pelikan et al, vol. 21, 326)

[NYer]

This is my favorite Dali ...

[NYer]

Then, to narrow it down to 5, and to pray for them daily, for my Lenten fast. It was a lovely Lent ..

The next step is to add them to your permanent prayer list :-) and then, grow it with new members this Lent. It brings such peace to heart and soul.

[Biggirl]

I believe I have a small card of that painting.

[Bigg Red]

I am one of those who plans to give up FR for Lent.

[Biggirl]

Will be doing more in the way of prayer and Bible study.

[narses]

:)

[Salvation]

Wonderful idea. Thanks.

[Salvation]

Thanks. So powerful, yet so helpless.

[Salvation]

Meditations by Padre Pio
	When you are exposed to any trial, be it physical or moral, bodily or spiritual, the best remedy is to think of Jesus who is our life and not to think of the trial without joining it to the thought of Jesus.

[Salvation]

Scripture readings taken from the Jerusalem Bible, published and copyright © 1966, 1967 and 1968 by Darton, Longman & Todd

Mass Readings

---

First reading	Sirach/Ecclesiasticus 1:1-10 ©

All wisdom is from the Lord,

  and it is his own for ever.

The sand of the sea and the raindrops,

  and the days of eternity, who can assess them?

The height of the sky and the breadth of the earth,

  and the depth of the abyss, who can probe them?

Before all other things wisdom was created,

  shrewd understanding is everlasting.

For whom has the root of wisdom ever been uncovered?

  Her resourceful ways, who knows them?

One only is wise, terrible indeed,

  seated on his throne, the Lord.

He himself has created her, looked on her and assessed her,

  and poured her out on all his works

to be with all mankind as his gift,

  and he conveyed her to those who love him.

[Salvation]

Reading 1

Sir 4:11-19

Wisdom breathes life into her children
and admonishes those who seek her.
He who loves her loves life;
those who seek her will be embraced by the Lord.
He who holds her fast inherits glory;
wherever he dwells, the LORD bestows blessings.
Those who serve her serve the Holy One;
those who love her the LORD loves.
He who obeys her judges nations;
he who hearkens to her dwells in her inmost chambers.
If one trusts her, he will possess her;
his descendants too will inherit her.
She walks with him as a stranger
and at first she puts him to the test;
Fear and dread she brings upon him
and tries him with her discipline
until she try him by her laws and trust his soul.
Then she comes back to bring him happiness
and reveal her secrets to them
and she will heap upon him
treasures of knowledge and an understanding of justice.
But if he fails her, she will abandon him
and deliver him into the hands of despoilers.

[Salvation]

From: Sirach 5:1-8

Wealth and Presumption

---

[1] Do not set your heart on your wealth, nor say, “I have enough.” [2] Do not fol-
low your inclination and strength, walking according to the desires of your heart,
[3] Do not say, “Who will have power over me?” for the Lord will surely punish
you.

[4] Do not say, “I sinned, and what happened to me?” for the Lord is slow to an-
ger. [5] Do not be so confident of atonement that you add sin to sin. [6] Do not
say, “His mercy is great, he will forgive the multitude of my sins,” for both mercy
and wrath are with him, and his anger rests on sinners. [7] Do not delay to turn
to the Lord nor postpone it from day to day, for suddenly the wrath of the Lord
will go forth, and at the time of punishment you will perish.

Loyalty and Sincerity

---

[8] Do not depend on dishonest wealth, for it will not benefit you in the day of ca-
lamity.

[Salvation]

Reading 1

Sir 6:5-17

A kind mouth multiplies friends and appeases enemies,
and gracious lips prompt friendly greetings.
Let your acquaintances be many,
but one in a thousand your confidant.
When you gain a friend, first test him,
and be not too ready to trust him.
For one sort is a friend when it suits him,
but he will not be with you in time of distress.
Another is a friend who becomes an enemy,
and tells of the quarrel to your shame.
Another is a friend, a boon companion,
who will not be with you when sorrow comes.
When things go well, he is your other self,
and lords it over your servants;
But if you are brought low, he turns against you
and avoids meeting you.
Keep away from your enemies;
be on your guard with your friends.
A faithful friend is a sturdy shelter;
he who finds one finds a treasure.
A faithful friend is beyond price,
no sum can balance his worth.
A faithful friend is a life-saving remedy,
such as he who fears God finds;
For he who fears God behaves accordingly,
and his friend will be like himself.

[eyedigress]

Please find a presumption of justice or satisfaction. Liars are around me and I need truth.

[Salvation]

God and Man

---

[1] The Lord created man out of earth, and turned him back to it again. [2] He
gave to men few days, a limited time, but granted them authority over the things
upon the earth. [3] He endowed them with strength like his own, and made them
in his own image. [4] He placed the fear of them in all living beings, and granted
them dominion over beasts and birds. [6] He gave them ears and a mind for thin-
king. [7] He filled them with knowledge and understanding, and showed them
good and evil. [8] He set his eye upon their hearts to show them the majesty of
his works. [10] And they will praise his holy name, to proclaim the grandeur of
his works. [11] He bestowed knowledge upon them, and allotted to them the law
of life. [12] He established with them an eternal covenant, and showed them his
judgments. [13] Their eyes saw his glorious majesty, and their ears heard the
glory of his voice. [14] And he said to them, “Beware of all unrighteousness.”
[15] And he gave commandment to each of them concerning his neighbor.

The Divine Judge. A Call to Repentance

---

[15] Their ways are always before him, they will not be bid from his eyes.”

[Salvation]

RSV:

Matthew 5
38	"You have heard that it was said, `An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.'
39	But I say to you, Do not resist one who is evil. But if any one strikes you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also;
40	and if any one would sue you and take your coat, let him have your cloak as well;
41	and if any one forces you to go one mile, go with him two miles.
42	Give to him who begs from you, and do not refuse him who would borrow from you.
43	"You have heard that it was said, `You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.'
44	But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you,
45	so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven; for he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust.
46	For if you love those who love you, what reward have you? Do not even the tax collectors do the same?
47	And if you salute only your brethren, what more are you doing than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same?
48	You, therefore, must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.