Saturday, January 03, 2009
Day 2
Repentance. For Mark the gospel begins with John. It begins with a voice crying in the wilderness, make straight the way of the Lord. It is a voice that calls for turning, repentance. The way to Jesus has always been a way that begins and is sustained in repentance. As you finish your second day of the fast you may be feeling your own stubbornness, your own weakness. You may be finding it harder to be kind, or patient or generous. Denying ourselves and trying to pray in this way can really expose us for the self serving people we really are. This point in the fast is the perfect occasion for confession and repentance. Confess the weakness you are feeling in your body, and ask God to show you more of the weakness you really have in your soul. Rest assured, a broken and contrite heart is what God desires. And a steady diet of repentance prepares the way for Jesus to come. Don’t be afraid to really cry out to God. He hears you. and he is working through each moment you are fasting. Tearing down our delusions, reminding us, without him we are nothing.