Todays Lenten Reflection Friday, March 7, 2014 Why do we fast and you dont see; why afflict ourselves and you dont notice? Yet on your fast day you do whatever you want, and oppress all your workers. Isaiah 58:3 Fridays in the Christian tradition have always been a day to remember the cross. We see this tradition reflected in the Collect for Fridays used in Morning Prayer. It reminds us that Jesus went not up to joy but first he suffered pain and it calls us to walk in the way of the cross. One way Christians did this historically was to show solidarity with the poor by refraining from meat on Fridays. This developed at a time when meat was more of luxury than it is today with dollar menus in fast food chains. We could reclaim this tradition by finding new and relevant ways of connecting with the poor on Fridays. One way might be by participating in what is called the SNAP Challenge. We could do this by restraining our food budget on Fridays to $4.50 which is the average daily value of government food assistance. But perhaps we are called to completely re-envision our traditional practice for our local faith communities. Playing off of themes presented by Rev. Luiz Coelho, our Winter Convocation presenter, we could explore questions similar to these: Prayerfully looking with the eyes of the cross, where do we see signs of pain and brokenness in our communities? What are some creative ways we could bring those experiences into our Sunday morning liturgical experiences during Lent? How can our prayer life ask for the joy of Easter to be made known to those who have first suffered pain in our local context? The Rev. Aaron Gerlach, Priest-in-Charge St. James Episcopal Church, Piqua, Ohio St. Marks Episcopal Church, Sidney, Ohio
Posted on: Fri, 07 Mar 2014 11:54:52 +0000
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