Daily Prayer & Reflection

Human beings have more luxuries today than at any point in history, and yet, many people feel empty. You can probably think of people who might seem to have it all but display no real joy, no richness in their relationships and no apparent spiritual fruit. This isn’t a condemnation but an observation, just as Jesus pointed to the sumptuous life of the rich man that disguised an inner poverty.

Lent calls us to take stock of what is most important. If our trust is in the power and trappings of this world, we risk overlooking what truly matters. We can completely miss the dignity of the beggar at our door or the work of the Holy Spirit in us and around us. Our Lenten disciplines—prayer, fasting and almsgiving—however, are an antidote to the shallowness of materialism. In the Lord’s economy, we empty ourselves to become full.

– Steve Pable