The purpose of the liturgical season of Lent is to grow in closeness to the Lord through truth, repentance, and the word of God moving into fullness within your heart. Truth of the Spirit with Patti Brunner presents Daily Meditations for Lent. Lenten Logos includes personal revelation for your discernment to grow in your relationship with the Lord during this liturgical season of Lent.
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Welcome to Truth of the Spirit. I am your host, Patti Brunner. This is day 1 of our series “Daily Meditations for Lent – Lenten Logos.” Ash Wednesday is the first day of Lent. Each day during Lent we will share personal revelation and meditation upon those logos, those words from the Lord.
We begin Lent with a strong witness of receiving ashes on our forehead that reminds us that someday we will die. All of Lent reminds us that the life we live before our death will affect how we live for all eternity. The Lord says to us, “Come to Me and rest in Me, for I have the gift of everlasting life. My Child, my Mercy knows no bounds. The depths of the oceans only hint at the magnitude. Those who seek my Mercy must have repentance in their hearts. Sin shall not overcome the one who longs for reconciliation – no matter how deadly the sin can be – it is tamed by the crown and the branch. The crown symbolizes that My Son, Jesus is established as King forever over all the earth. The branch is symbolic, too – like the olive branch brought to Noah—this world will no longer be devastated by the effect of sin. Each day of your life you are protected by my Mercy. This Mercy is a gift yet it comes with a responsibility—You in turn must be merciful to others—generous in forgiveness, sensitive in compassion, lenient in judgement. For as I do so I call you to do.”
In scripture, especially 1 Maccabees 13, sending a crown and a branch to a neighboring king was an act of submission that brought peace. As long as we choose to be “king” of our own lives we are open to turmoil. As we submit to the authority of Jesus, his peace enters us. Our King protects us from ruin not with destructive weapons but with his Mercy. The branch of Jesus is the cross. This Lent surrender all your sin to the cross and repent. “The cross is a symbol to us just like the rainbow was a sign to Noah after the flood. We can know when we look at the cross that sin can never overcome the world again.“
The Lord says, “My child, rest in Me.”
Let me tell you about a vision I had one time as I rested in the Lord after praying for my family. I saw the arms of the Child Jesus reaching out to me from the Eucharist in the Tabernacle. I then saw God the Father sitting in a large rocking chair beckoning me to come to Him. As I climbed upon His lap, all my concerns were blurted out from my mouth and how I was inadequate and too stupid to meet these needs of my family and others. The Father kept comforting me as I continued surrendering these things to Him. He had me remove my shoes—they were weighted with the chores of the world, and He gave me pink fuzzy slippers—shoes of peace to put on so that I would be more comfortable in his lap. My jacket or outer garment or coat was removed, and I was in pajamas. He stretched out His hand for me to place all my worries and concerns there. How small they were now! The size of a very small marble! And peace came completely.
As you begin to find Christ reaching out to you and you begin to live a Christ-centered life you can then reach out and change the world. As you recognize the power of Christ through the Cross you can start to believe Christ’s love. This Lent the power of the Resurrection will draw life from your ashes. This Lenten process will draw the fullness of life from the one who lies ‘dormant’ in their faith. Also brought to the fullness of life will be the person who is seriously seeking the Lord. Both the ‘beginner’ and the ‘advanced’ shall be able to grow.
This series is not an exercise for fact finding or for “head knowledge”. It is designed to open your heart to understand God’s love for you. As your mind is renewed and opened to the Lord, more and more will Truth be clear. The Holy Spirit is upon you, teaching you in wisdom and in faith so you may go into the world and teach others. We thirst for knowledge of God but until our minds are renewed, and darkness is cast out we cannot know him. Our lack will change in time. God’s love conquers all. Those that cooperate with the Holy Spirit will come to understand the meaning of life and death and will come to know the Father’s Glory as they join in communion with the ancients in giving praise to the Father.
The word “lent” means “spring”. As we take time to fast and pray during the season of Lent, we allow for the ‘rebirth’ of that which has been perhaps buried deep within us and covered by a season of barrenness. Let us look at this Lent, not as a drudgery of sacrifice, but as tilling the soil so that the roots of our Christian faith might put on new growth and bring forth great fruit.
Please subscribe and join us each day for Daily Meditations for Lent – Lenten Logos with Patti Brunner. “The event of the Cross and Resurrection abides and draws everything toward life.”[i] “Prepare for it, ready your heart.” The transcript of this episode is available at PatriarchMinistries.com. Come back tomorrow for more. With the Holy Spirit there is always more. Amen.
[i] Catechism of the Catholic Church Paragraph 1085
