Lenten Reflection for 2/20
Tuesday of the First Week of Lent
Daily Prayer
Good and Gracious God, You send out Your Word. Help us remember You are always ready and willing to listen. We often neglect to spend time in prayer, and we ask Your forgiveness for these times. Guide us as we make an effort to hear Your voice and respond to Your call. Grant that we may carry out in both word and deed that which is pleasing to You. Amen
Scripture Readings
Isaiah 55:10-11; Matthew 6:7-15
Scripture Quote
Isaiah 55:11
Thus says the Lord:
“So shall my word be
that goes forth from my mouth;
It shall not return to me void,
but shall do my will,
achieving the end for which I sent it.”
Reflection
The Hebrew word for “word” is debar but it has a much richer connotation. It is dynamic and active. When the Word of God “goes forth,” God is communicating with us in an active way. We are to receive God’s Word, embrace it, embody it in our lived action. Lent is a good time to examine how we are receiving the Word of God that has been given to us. Do we become, as the disciple James exhorts (James 1:22), “doers of the Word and not hearers only” so that God’s Word does not return void?
Reflection Questions
How can I hear God’s Word today and achieve His will?
Can I help someone who has fallen away rediscover our loving God?
Excerpts from the Lectionary for Mass for Use in the Dioceses of the United States of America, second typical edition © 2001, 1998, 1997, 1986, 1970 Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, Inc., Washington, DC. Used with permission. All rights reserved. No portion of this text may be reproduced by any means without permission in writing from the copyright owner.