"Our comfort is not in this world. God afflicts us because he loves us; and it is very pleasing to Him, when in our afflictions he sees us abandon ourselves to his paternal care."
Saint Benedict Joseph Labre (1748-1783)
During this first week of Lent we hear of two themes: first, Our Savior is led into the dessert for 40 days to fast and pray, where towards the end he would be tempted by the Devil. Secondly, we hear about God's covenant that he establish with Noah which is the beginning of an historic dialogue between God and humanity lasting through the centuries that is fullfilled by Jesus Christ. (See video on 1st Week of Lent on our home page posted today)
Personally, each on of us are entered in to the Covenant when we are baptised. Lent gives us an opportunity to look at our lives to see if we are living a life that brings us closer to God. We are all challenged by our concupiscense of the flesh (Gal 16) but we are called to live a life in the Spirit and be holy. Our patron did this to perfection and left us quite an example.
St. Benedict Joseph Labre was called in a very unsual way to live a very uncomfortable life. He embraced the sufferings and misery of his life and became "Holiness Itself" (Pope Leo XIII words at the saint's cannonization) St. Benedict Joseph Labre reminded us that "Our comfort is not in this world. God afflicts us because he loves us; and it is very pleasing to Him, when in our afflictions he sees us abandon ourselves to his paternal care." Let's make abandoning ourselves to God's Holy Will the goal our Lenten meditation.
Timothy Duff, STM BCC Guardian/Co-Founder
Continue to view our home page as it will be upated weekly or even daily at times with reflections and videos on Lent. Click here to see it (remember to keep scrolling down to the end of the page)