Dear Friend,
Lent has started now. 40 days of intense fasting and prayer.
I wish you all the best to observe this lent meaningfully.
Lenten fasts have a tendency to be oriented toward things like giving up food or television.
But there are many other creative ways we can welcome Jesus' healing touch this Lent.
Below are some suggestions you may want to consider and tell others too:
Fast from:
Anger and Hatred:Give your family and everyone you come across ,an extra dose of love Each day.
Judging Others:Before making any judgments, recall how Jesus overlooks our faults.
Discouragement:Hold on to Jesus' promise that He has a perfect plan for your life.
Complaining: When you find yourself about to complain, close your eyes And recall some of the little moments of joy Jesus has given you.
Resentment or Bitterness:Work on forgiving those who may have hurt you.
I pray for you during this special Season of Grace.
May God give you more Grace.
The following is the message of the Holy Father Pope Benedict XVI for this year lent.
I am sending you this, so that you may benefit by reading this and make use of this message in for many occasions
Note: The number forty has many Biblical references: the forty days Moses spent on Mount Sinai with God (Exodus 24:18); the forty days and nights Elijah spent walking to Mount Horeb (1 Kings 19:8); God made it rain for forty days and forty nights in the days of Noah (Genesis 7:4); the Hebrew people wandered forty years traveling to the Promised Land (Numbers 14:33); Jonah in his prophecy of judgment gave the city of Nineveh forty days in which to repent (Jonah 3:4).
Jesus retreated into the desert, where he fasted for forty days, and was tempted by the devil (Matthew 4:1-2, Mark 1:12-13, Luke 4:1-2). Jesus overcame all three of Satan's temptations by citing scripture to the devil, at which point the devil left him, angels ministered to Jesus, and he began his ministry. Jesus further said that his disciples should fast "when the bridegroom shall be taken from them" (Matthew 9:15), a reference to his Passion. Since, presumably, the Apostles fasted as they mourned the death of Jesus, Christians have traditionally fasted during the annual commemoration of his burial.
