| Israel loved Joseph best of all his sons, for he
was the child of his old age. (Genesis 37:3)
Reflection.
O Divine Word, You humbled Yourself even unto death and willed to be
treated as the least of men by sinners, by demons, and even by the Holy Spirit and by Your
Eternal Father. You did all this to glorify your Father, to make reparation for the
offenses committed against Him by pride, to confound and destroy our arrogance and to
teach us to detest vanity and to love humility. Oh! how truly can we see that pride
dishonors God and is very displeasing to Him, since it is necessary for you, the Son of
God, to be so humiliated in order to atone for such dishonor!
We can truly say also that vanity is a monstrous thing since in order to destroy it, You
were willing to be reduced to such humiliation! Oh! how firmly must we believe that
in the eyes of God humility is an infinitely precious treasure and a jewel most pleasing
to Him, since You, His divine Son, willed to be so humiliated to make us love this virtue,
and to urge us to imitate You in the practice of it, and thus merit the grace to perform
its works.' ..... St. John Eudes
Lenten Question
Q: What is a day of fast and abstinence?
A: Under current canon law in the Western Rite of the Church, a day of fast is one on
which Catholics who are eighteen to sixty years old are required to keep a limited fast.
In this country, one may eat a single, normal meal and have two snacks, so long as these
snacks do not add up to a second meal. Children are not required to fast, but their
parents must ensure they are properly educated in the spiritual practice of fasting. Those
with medical conditions requiring a greater or more regular food intake can easily be
dispensed from the requirement of fasting by their pastor. A day of abstinence is a day on
which Catholics fourteen years or older are required to abstain from eating meat (under
the current discipline in America, fish, eggs, milk products, and condiments or foods made
using animal fat are permitted in the Western Rite of the Church, though not in the
Eastern Rites.) Again, persons with special dietary needs can easily be dispensed by their
pastor.
Lenten Action.
Share an answered prayer with a friendgive God credit in words. Remember
to give thanks to God for what you received.
Prayer
Merciful Father, may our acts of penance bring us your forgiveness, open our
hearts to your love, and prepare us for the coming feast of Your resurrection.
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