Day Seventeen Friday (March 17)

Prayer:

Lord and Savior, you hold the promise of life before us, beckoning us to lay hold of it in faith and truth. Keep us from the false hopes, the empty promises, the mirages that are all around us, so that we may have the real thing. Amen.

Bible Reading:

1 Peter 5:6-11

Silence:

One to two minutes

Reflection:

Roaring lions, beasts of evil, dragons and horned images would surely make us more alert to dangers that surround us, especially dangers to our souls and our eternity. The devil, though, has become much more subtle in his “prowling”. The attraction of pleasure and self, the promise of wealth and status, the persistence of wants becoming needs, the three piece suit complete with smiley faces, are the contemporary means by which the soul is devoured. The reality that St. Peter describes still exists, in spades. The struggle to remain true to God is first of all a realization that we are constantly under siege by the one who would enslave you to the traffic of the world, its values and ways; second, dependence upon the gifts of God both to resist and to abound in hope, faith, and love.

Action – Repentance and Creation:
Record today the number of times you are encouraged to think ill about another person, how many times you are beset with thoughts of despair, how often you are infected with fear and anxiety. How much time did you spend in prayer, in direct contact with God, exercising your dependence on God? Do they match us, are they in proportion?