Thy Sorrow Share
Hymn:Forty days and forty nights (CPWI #114)
Verse 1:
Forty days and forty nights
Thou wast fasting in the wild;
forty days and forty nights
tempted, and yet undefiled.
Verse 3:
Shall not we Thy sorrow share,
and from earthly joys abstain.
fasting with unceasing prayer,
glad with Thee to suffer pain.
Reflection:We all know the story of Jesus’ 40 days in the wilderness, as told in Matthew 4: 1-11. After His Baptism by John the Baptist, He retreated to the wilderness. He fasted and prayed, far away from the noise and crowds, where He could be with His Father. The time away provided spiritual clarity and was a time of preparation for what He knew was to come – His death on the cross.
It didn’t take long for Satan to find Him and begin his mischief, hoping to catch Jesus with one of his tricks. But Jesus didn’t fall for any of them. He was prepared. He was armed with the Scriptures and with each temptation, He was able to shut it down with the written truth.
Our Lenten journey is modelled off of Jesus’ time in the wilderness, right after His Baptism, and before His ministry began in Galilee. The series of events can also be the framework for us during this season: taking the time to pray, reflect and repent; arming ourselves with the Gospel of Christ, resisting the temptations of the devil and finally, becoming fishers of men. living in such a way that by our example, others become followers of Christ.
Lent is a good time to put aside our plans and desires and listen, instead, for God’s direction; a time of confession and repentance, seeking absolution for our sins. A time for us to get our hearts and minds ready to honour the sacrifice He made for us.
If we haven’t already, done so, let us join in Jesus’ abstinence, unceasing fasting and prayer, happily hoping and expecting it will work on us the way it worked on Jesus, and preparing us as it prepared Him for what was ahead. A ministry. Will we be ready for our required ministries after Lent?
Meditation: “I can resist everything except temptation.” (Oscar Wilde)
Prayer: Dear Lord, in solidarity with Jesus, we abstain and seek direction in preparation for the journey ahead. Amen.
The St. Jude’s Writers
St. Jude’s Church
Stony Hill
Anglican Diocese of Jamaica and The Cayman Islands
06 March 2021
