Day Three of Lent – The Thoughts of the Mother of God

REFLECTION AND PRAYER
Day Three of Lent
The Thoughts of the Mother of God

Most people experiencing such persecution would encounter thoughts of confusion, anger and denial. Such encounters are very difficult to understand and the temptation to irrational and confused thinking would be strong. So what was going through the mind of our Blessed Mother?

Mother Mary not only had an Immaculate Heart, she also had a mind that was sharpened with the perfection of faith. In her faith she may not have had the same knowledge and understanding as she has now in Heaven, but her faith was such that she knew this horror was permitted by the will of the Father. Her mind would have grasped the deepest truth that her Son was fulfilling His divine mission. She would have known that this tragedy was not a tragedy at all; rather, it was the greatest act of love ever known.

Mother Mary’s faith would have mixed with the pain she felt in that moment. Her faith would have been a source of great confidence as she was tempted to despair. Her faith would have transformed all temptations into clarity and conviction. In the end, she would have conquered her temptations by the truth revealed to her from the mind of God.

In our own lives, suffering leaves us confused and uncertain. It tempts us to lose faith and to doubt the perfect will of the Father in Heaven. We must learn from the witness of our Blessed Mother as she allowed the truth to direct her thinking as she faced her Son’s suffering. Only the truth could set her free to understand and shed every temptation to doubt the wisdom of God.

Reflect, today, upon the perfect faith of our Blessed Mother. Her faith was an absolutely certain knowledge that God was in control and that the will of the Father was being achieved before her very eyes. Worldly wisdom was left with an impossible task of making sense of such cruelty. But Heavenly wisdom took over as she consented to the death of her Son for the salvation of the World.

PRAYER

Dear Mother, so many times in life I am tempted to doubt the ways of God. My own crosses, and those of my loved ones, can leave me confused. Pray for me that I may have your perfect faith as I go through this world of suffering and pain. May I never be deterred by the temptations that come from worldly wisdom alone, but instead allow the truth of Heavenly wisdom to flood my mind and give direction to my life.

Precious Jesus, You allowed Your Immaculate Mother to witness the excruciating pain of Your Cross. But You also bestowed upon her Heavenly insight and knowledge so as to help bring clarity to her mind. Pour forth this same knowledge upon me and upon all mankind. Help us to know You and Your perfect will in all things.

40 Days Journey with Our Lord
Day Three: Sacrifice

Today we abstain from meat. It is such a small sacrifice. A sacrifice can be offered with reluctance and regret, or with joy and enthusiasm. The difference is that when we embrace this very small sacrifice with joy and enthusiasm, in anticipation of the grace that comes from it, then the grace that we receive is exponentially greater than if we made this small sacrifice halfheartedly. The small sacrifice of abstaining from meat has the potential of being exceptionally fruitful in our lives when freely offered with joy and from the depths of our souls.

Offer today’s sacrifice of abstinence from meat in union with Catholics throughout the world. This sacrifice, and every other sacrifice we make throughout our lives, must be offered in the same way that Jesus offered Himself when He went into the desert for forty days. Mark’s short version of the story says that “the Spirit drove him out into the desert…” (Mark 1:12). Matthew’s and Luke’s versions say Jesus was “led” by the Holy Spirit into the desert. In other words, Jesus’ entrance into this sacrificial time of prayer and fasting was not something He was forced to do against His will. He didn’t do it with reluctance and regret. Rather, He was driven from within by the Holy Spirit to go in haste to enter this sacrificial time. He was led, not pushed, and He followed the will of the Father, in union with the Holy Spirit, with eagerness and resolve.

On the surface, any sacrificial act can appear negative at first. “I have to do this.” And though any sacrifice we are invited to offer might initially appear to be a burden, the deeper spiritual reality teaches us otherwise. If we live by the outpouring of the Holy Spirit, our perspective on almost everything in life will change, including how we view the sacrifices we are invited to make.

As you offer the small sacrifice of abstaining from meat today, allow the Holy Spirit to “lead” you and even “drive” you from within to make this not only an obligation, but also a deeply spiritual offering that you choose and will for yourself in union with Jesus. Offer it to God as one small thing you can do in imitation of our Lord’s human life. Offer it with blind trust and confidence in our Lord, knowing that imitating Him is always the most glorious course of action. Do not see it as a negative that you have to do. See it as one small, yet glorious, opportunity to express your love for God, tame your disordered appetites, and grow in virtue.

PRAYER

My sacrificial Lord, You made the sacrifice of Your forty days in the desert with the utmost resolve and determination. It was Your great joy and Your privilege to offer this human sacrifice to Your Father in Heaven by the prompting of the Holy Spirit. Please give me the grace this day, and every day, to offer every sacrifice of my life in union with the willingness and joy of Your most Sacred Heart.

Mother Mary, pray for us. Jesus, I trust in You.

Source: mycatholiclife