Day 16. Truth of the Spirit with Patti Brunner presents Daily Meditations for Lent. We include personal revelation for your discernment to grow in your relationship with the Lord during this liturgical season of Lent.
Welcome to Truth of the Spirit. I am your host, Patti Brunner. This is day 16 of our series “Daily Meditations for Lent” and this is Thursday of the second week of Lent. We have gathered words from the Lord shared during various Lenten seasons and will share these personal revelations and meditations for you to discern and contemplate each day during Lent.
On a Thursday of 2nd week of Lent the Lord said this, “Sweet Child of Jesus and Mary – you have been given grace to help you see My Glory. This Glory is different than you can imagine – it is much, much more! As you surrender yourself to me I will inhabit your body – My Holy Spirit is there now. My Child, continue to surrender both your voice and your heart. Ask for discernment in the promptings you hear.”
One Thursday of the 2nd week of Lent while I was praying for a woman to be healed of brain aneurisms and freed from all interfering areas of stress, the Lord said to me, “My child, surrender Frances to Me. Love her but do not worry. I keep her surrounded by my angels and I am with her always. Center your prayer on praising the Lord for He is good!” Later on, her doctor exclaimed she had a miracle healing.
My confessor gave these very good words of wisdom and counsel to me during Reconciliation on Thursday of the 2nd week of Lent: “Remember you are in a holy place as you enter the church for mass and that Satan will tempt you to think of other things. Thank God for your gifts. Ask Him to gift others. Pray for your husband to have the fullness of God. If you see someone in a ‘judging way’, pray for that person. When you think something negative, offer that in prayer and pray for good to take place.”
Another Thursday of the 2nd week of Lent the Lord spoke this to me, “My child, the difference in the amount of sand that is deposited by the wave seems to make no difference to anyone. Yet, with time islands can be made or swept to the sea. Look not upon your actions as a small, inconsequential thing, but rather see it as a part of the journey of my people in my plan where your life intersected with theirs. Neither of you will be the same because of this brief encounter. Lives can be changed each day in similar ‘small’ encounters. Watch for these opportunities and be open to the grace I pour out to you for these occasions. Blessed be the Lord! Blessed be the God of Jacob, the God of King David, the God who sent his Son to dwell among you and his mother Mary! Continue to seek ye first the Kingdom of God – and all these things shall be given unto you, as well.”
I heard the Lord tell me, “The children of today are the prophets of tomorrow – yet my child is my child forever. Tell them this.” The Lord gave me this vision: I was in my private place – before the Eucharist – the Lord came in and asked me to dance. Then He took me as a child with my feet on his and taught me to dance and just danced! I was given the understanding that He accepts me as I am and asks me to just follow his lead. He wants me to enjoy this life. When He left, He left dancing after planting seeds of gifts within me. He gave the word JOY!”
My pastor, Msgr. David LeSieur, gave a talk during Lent on the Mass to teach us that during the Mass “Christ is Present in the Word and in the Eucharist.” Msgr. started out by noting that in the Book of Genesis all creation took place by God speaking it into being. The beginning of John’s Gospel is, “1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was in the beginning with God; 3 all things were made through him, and without him was not anything made that was made.” RSV
Here are some of the other points he gave us. “Lectors don’t read they proclaim their belief. Proclaiming the Word is also a form of teaching.” We should prepare to receive the scriptures proclaimed at Mass. “In Genesis 22, Abraham says ‘ready’ ‘here I am’; we too should have an attitude of readiness and attention before the readings to ‘catch’ God’s word.” “The Psalms are meant to be sung. They are often very personal using ‘me’ and ‘I’, and thus the Psalms can touch us, or can touch those who need so that we can apply the psalm in prayer.” “We stand in respect for God’s actual words of Gospel.” “Crossing our forehead, lips, heart before the proclamation of the Gospel comes from John 1:35-42, “May the Word of the Lord be in my mind, on my lips and in my heart” so that I can follow You.” “The Homily is not a ‘sermon’ but is a focus on the readings.” “Stating the Creed is what we ‘stand’ for, so stand!” The Mass now enters the Liturgy of the Eucharist. Msgr. said to note that there’re are two key tables or altars during the Mass: The Ambo- which is the altar of the Word, and the center altar of the Eucharist. Msgr. David then reminded us that the Sacrifice never ends; we participate in it from time to time. It’s like we are ‘Pilgrims’ who stop and eat and tell stories. Being fed while on the journey is also in Gospel’s feeding of the multitudes of those following Jesus. So is the Emmaus story in Luke Chapter 24: Jesus feeds them then ‘disappears’ in the breaking of Bread but is present within them as they ‘run back’ to share the presence with others.” We should come to Mass with expectant faith: Jesus is going to nourish us and share his word with us. If you place your container of expectant faith under the waterfall of Living Water, it will be filled to capacity no matter the ‘size’ of your capacity to receive.” Msgr. David said, “The mode of the receiver is affected by worthiness to receive. We are not worthy, but it is a gift not because we deserve it. We need Holy Communion, especially if we have sinned. Serious sin is only thing that keeps us from receiving the gift.” Msgr. advised, “If we love God but fail through weakness or habit and if we are not sure it is a mortal sin, pray a perfect Act of contrition. Being sure is one of necessary items for mortal sin.” “The Priest asks for freedom from sin; to receive health in mind in body instead of condemnation” that would come by receiving Holy Communion while in the state of mortal sin. Msgr. David then concluded, “After receipt of Jesus in Word and Eucharist, with a ‘growing container’, we are sent like the Emmaus disciples running to share the Good News.”
This Lent our glorious Lord has more to tell us about His Presence in Word and Eucharist. This is Day 16. We invite you to subscribe or follow and come back tomorrow for our Daily Meditations for Lent – Lenten Logos with Patti Brunner. Remember: “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/286. Come back tomorrow for more. With the Holy Spirit there’s always more. Amen
[i] Catechism of the Catholic Church Paragraph 1085
