paravanes:meditations

"Take away the love of sinning, Alpha and Omega be, end of faith as it's beginning, set our hearts at liberty." --Charles Wesley,  " Love Divine, All Loves Excelling " On and after Ash Wednesday, conversations emerge about what we are going to "give up" for Lent. Some say they will eat meat less often, reduce the amount of sugar consumed, exercise every other day-- no promises for daily exercise !--, read the Bible daily, be kinder to co-workers, etc. The list is endless. My prayer for Lent is this: Dear God, take away the love of sinning from my heart. I am not very fearful about what used to be called "great, big sins", but there is a part of me that may be tempted to think I am better off doing things my way instead of doing things God's way. There is a part of me that still thinks I know more than does God about what will bring me lasting peace and satisfaction. Thinking in that way may be the clearest picture of sin. As I ...

A Prayer About Food Lord: Help me to remember my sisters and brothers all over my country and all over the world Who cannot buy what they want to eat, Who cannot buy what they need to eat, Who are never full "after a meal", Who eat partially-rotten food because that is all there is. Who eat what's left after their children eat, Who don't give their children enough to eat because they can't, Who count the days until they can buy more food, Who divide every food item two or three times before cooking, Who miss the favorite food they can no longer buy, or can no longer find. Who settle for a smell instead of a taste, Who are thinner than they should be, Who are malnourished---badly nourished,  not enough nourished,  sadly nourished,  angrily nourished,  poorly nourished. There are twenty thousand items in my local "supermarket." Help me to remember those who struggle to get two items to eat today. Keep me from the sin of glutton...