Reading from book (“Preoccupations”)
We modern Westerners are so busy with ourselves, so preoccupied with the question of whether we do justice to our own selves, that the experience of the “transcendent” becomes practically impossible….In this way of thinking there is scarcely room for Him who speaks whenever we are silent and who comes in whenever we have emptied ourselves. Instead of making ourselves susceptible to the experience of the transcendent God, we, busy with many things, begin to seek after the small flighty sensations brought about by the artificial stimulation of the senses.
James 1:2-4, 9-11 (“Wisdom and Joy”)
My brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of any kind, consider it nothing but joy, because you know that the testing of your faith produces endurance; and let endurance have its full effect, so that you may be mature and complete, lacking in nothing….
Let the believer who is lowly boast in being raised up, and the rich in being brought low, because the rich will disappear like a flower in the field. For the sun rises with its scorching heat and withers the field; its flower falls, and its beauty perishes. It is the same way with the rich; in the midst of a busy life, they will wither away.
Prayer:
Almighty God, help me joyfully to put “first things first” today. Forgive me when I have allowed the artificial concerns of this whirlwind life to overwhelm the space in my heart that should be prepared for your presence. When I become preoccupied with self, put me back on the track of commitment to you. Amen.
Lenten Action:
Give your energy today to holding yourself accountable for your actions. Promise yourself to give up just one self-indulgence for the day; for example, a morning cup of caffeine, the daily newspaper, dessert after dinner, or so on.