Thursday, March 17, 2016

Thursday, March 17, 2016

Commemoration of Patrick, bishop and missionary to Ireland, 461

Reading: Philippians 2:5-11

Philippians 2:5,7 "Let the same mind be in you that was in Christ Jesus, who…emptied himself, taking the form of a slave."

            A room cannot be of use unless it is first empty. A cup cannot hold water unless it is first hollow. A mind that is overfull with preconceptions and certainties has little room for newness. A heart that is overfull with bitterness and spite has little room for divine love and forgiveness. In the journey of transformation we call Lent, we have been travelling with Jesus Christ, through wilderness, through Galilee, now up to Jerusalem. And to make room for the Easter newness God desires for us, we will learn from Christ this lesson: to empty ourselves, to let go. To let go of treasured hurts and disappointments - from parents, religious leaders, traditions, friends. To let go of protective hardness of heart. To let go of fear. To let go now even of Lent, and take the hard steps into Holy Week toward the cross.

O God of compassion, so surround us with your lovingkindness that we may fearlessly become the people you desire us to be. Amen

• Let go of a hurt or a habit or an attitude that has become a burden. Write about it or draw it or sculpt it and place it on your altar.