February 20 – Thus Far Has the Lord Brought Us

Let’s recap, as we prepare ourselves for the Season of Preparation, for these next forty days leading up to the crowning glory of Christendom, of the Easter passion of Jesus’ death and resurrection.

We have in place our devotional hours, ’though they might be only ten minutes long! We are teaching ourselves to present ourselves before the Lord, at least morning and evening.

We have begun to see that when we come with a do-able agenda, perhaps to pray for our families and read one Gospel chapter, that our purposes will be accomplished. Some of us may be able to stay longer, but our objective is to find time we are spending on lesser things and devote that time to the Lord, delighting in Him.

We have each chosen one “Conversatio” effort, something small enough that we absolutely will DO or NOT DO it for the sake of the Lord and His glory . . . we will make small, lasting changes, whether in our habits or in our hearts, because we can, and by faith we do, in the love of God.

We have a Cor Unum passage, a spiritual “prescription” that we are reading each day (John 15:1-17,) and our reading is according to the Lectio Divina model, prayerfully, meditatively, and relationally, letting the Word of God work in us.

Overall, we are remembering that all we do in this monastery of the heart is done by the volition of our own desires … nobody’s “making us,” but neither can they stop us! By our persistence and through our faith, we resist the devil, and where he has come in one way, we shall see him flee seven ways!

Now we are choosing a sacrificial purpose for the next weeks, and we will merge it with worship and prayer, beginning on Wednesday. We might choose to get up half an hour earlier, or skip the 6:00 o’clock news in order to seek the Lord’s Presence. We might decide to pray over one person or family for two or three minutes each day. We might fast desserts or fast GRUMBLING for the next weeks as we pray for someone we love. Whatever our choice, we make it with joy, we choose what we WILL DO, and we rejoice to be cloistered here in Cor Unum Abbey.

Senanque Cloister
by permission