Each day, it's important to take your bearings. Where are you today? In this Lenten exercise, in the scriptures, in your daily life, and in your very self? Spend just a minute or two getting your bearings for the day.
Let's briefly examine where we are in this Lenten exercise and then begin each day with a prayer for transformation--for ourselves, our fraternity brothers, and all Exodus Men.
You are in Jerusalem. This week, we will focus on the greatest transformation: to love with Christ’s love. Let us be transformed!
Pray the Lord blesses you and your fraternity with a foundation for real personal change during this season of Lent.
Pray for the grace of perseverance for all Exodus Men, just as they are praying for you.
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. Amen.
And they came again to Jerusalem. … And one of the scribes came up and heard them disputing with one another, and seeing that he answered them well, asked him, “Which commandment is the first of all?” Jesus answered, “The first is, ‘Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one; and you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind, and with all your strength.’ The second is this, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.” And the scribe said to him, “You are right, Teacher; you have truly said that he is one, and there is no other but he; and to love him with all the heart, and with all the understanding, and with all the strength, and to love one’s neighbor as oneself, is much more than all whole burnt offerings and sacrifices.” And when Jesus saw that he answered wisely, he said to him, “You are not far from the kingdom of God.” And after that no one dared to ask him any question. And he sat down opposite the treasury, and watched the multitude putting money into the treasury. Many rich people put in large sums. And a poor widow came, and put in two copper coins, which make a penny. And he called his disciples to him, and said to them, “Truly, I say to you, this poor widow has put in more than all those who are contributing to the treasury. For they all contributed out of their abundance; but she out of her poverty has put in everything she had, her whole living.”
On Tuesday of Holy week, Jesus visits the temple for the last time, and from within the temple he declares: greater than all burnt offerings and sacrifices is loving God with all your heart, mind, and strength. What makes Jesus’ coming sacrifice of infinite value is not merely the suffering and the blood, but rather, the intensity and perfection of his love for the Father and his love for all mankind. And this act of love is total: he gives himself entirely: body, blood, soul, and divinity. There is no more that he can give.
Christ invites us to reciprocate in love. He invites us to hasten to him with the entirety of our being: our heart, soul, mind, and strength. As St. Nicholas Cabasilas writes,
[Christ] is the resting place of human desires; he is the good of our thoughts. We are to love him alone. But that we may turn our love toward him at all times… there is no need of any special formulas for prayers, nor need to call upon him from any special place. There is no place in which he is not present; it is impossible for him not to be near us. For those who seek him He is actually closer than their very hearts.” (Life in Christ, Bk. VI.13)
Our love is not limited to the temple; nor do we have to express it through particular animal sacrifices. Rather, at all times, and in all places we are to live in such a way that all of our life is a loving gift of self to Christ. At times we may not be able to be actively attentive to his love, but we must always make this love the fundamental driving force of our lives.
If we do this, our very life is an expression of heavenly life. St. Nicholas continues:
All that is ours follows the will and moves where it is born by it.… If then, to imitate Christ and to live according to him is to live in Christ, this life is the effect of the will when it obeys God’s purposes.… What then may life be more fittingly called than love? For that which alone survives and does not allow the living to die when all things have been taken away is life—and such is love. When all things have passed away in the age to come love remains, and it alone suffices for life in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Life in Christ, Bk. VII.15)
Today, pray acts of love to God.
In your prayer, will to love him with all your heart, all your soul, all your mind, and all your strength
precisely because he alone is God.
Give your whole self to God with love, for Christ has given his whole self to you with love.
Let us be
transformed.
Now place yourself before God, and converse with him. If making a holy hour is a new practice for you, consider using the Holy Hour Guide.
1. Enter into Holy Week fully. Don’t let this be just another week. Our prayer discipline calls for a daily holy hour. In these final days, set your alarm, get up early, go to the chapel or light a candle beside a crucifix at home, and let the Lord change your life as you sit before him in your holy hour.
2. Consider increasing your fasting. Sprint to the finish line! Push yourself in fasting. Decrease your food intake or your sleep. Now is the time to put it all on the line.
3. Don't give in to distractions this week. Silence your phone, turn off notifications, deactivate badge icons. Do whatever it takes to stay close to Christ, to finish this exercise strongly, to be present to your family, and to live as a free man.
4. Keep moving forward this Easter. If you go back to the way you lived before Lent, you’re likely to slide back and return to the vices you struggled with then. We need to learn to celebrate well, in a way that expresses our joy in God without losing the discipline that we have achieved. If you make a plan to celebrate Easter in a disciplined way, you’re more likely to avoid falling back and instead will keep moving forward. Exodus’s Easter exercise will focus on building a sustainable rule of life, balancing celebration and discipline.
5. Stick with your brothers. You may not know how important your brothers have been to you along this journey. Keep investing in one another and building your friendship. Talk with your fraternity about keeping things going during Easter. Talk about how you plan to feast, reflect, and keep moving forward.