Monthly Newsletter from Fr. Michael G. Schwarte, Priest in Charge
Fr. Michael G. Schwarte
Email Fr. Schwarte at stmarkstroypriest@gmail.com
Find video of St. Mark's Sunday services, including Fr. Schwarte's sermons, online at facebook.com/stmarkstroy
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March 13, 2022
A Lenten Guide to pray, fast and give. I hope your Lenten journey is going well. Our call throughout Lent is threefold; to pray, to fast and to give as found in Matthew’s gospel in the sixth chapter. This is all done so we may repent and draw closer to the heart of God this Lent. There are many ways to fulfil this call as we journey with Christ Jesus to his passion, death on the cross and his glorious resurrection on Easter Sunday. 1) Pray: Our Book of Common Prayer is one way to assist us to pray. There is also centering prayer, prayer with scripture called Lectio Divina, and the Lord’s prayer. One form of prayer we explored during Advent was praying Taize style, which incorporates scripture and silently meditating on the scripture we just sung. This Lent we will be singing evening prayer every Wednesday night in the church. Please come join us. 2) Fast: There are also many different ways to fast. The Daniel fast is a 21 day vegetarian fast as found in the book of Daniel 10:1-3, and there is the early church fasting by not eating food in Acts 13:1-3; Acts 14:21-23. Jesus described a time when his disciples would fast in Matthew 9:14-17. There is also the very powerful fasting as described in Isaiah 58:3-14 which is to feed the hungry, help the homeless and clothe those who are cold, then the prophet reminds us that God’s light will “break forth like the dawn, and your healing shall spring up quickly”… 3) Give: Finally, there are many ways to give. We mainly give of our time, our talent and of our treasures. The root word “alms” can be found in ancient Latin and Greek words that mean mercy and pity. Similarly, the root of the word “charity” comes from the Latin “caritas,” meaning love. Charity, or almsgiving, is an outward sign of our Christian love for others. Our call to give is not just a Lenten spiritual discipline, but it’s meant to be a year-round exercise, an integral part of our spiritual lives, and can be a tool that leads us into a deeper union with Jesus Christ and the larger Christian church. Jesus Christ directs us to care for others as if they were Jesus himself. He tells his disciples, “Amen, I say to you, whatever you did for one of these least brothers or sisters of mine, you did for me” (Matthew 25:40). May our Lord open the eyes of your heart to truly see him in others, and to know the incredible love with which God loves you. There is no greater love we will ever experience in this life then the love of God found in the person of Jesus Christ. May you experience God’s love for you anew this day. I hope your Lent is going well and you’re able to find more life-giving ways to pray, fast and give as we all grow closer to Christ this lent. |
St. Mark's Staff
Organist - Dr. John Jinright
Choir Director - Dr. Catherine Allard
Sexton - Dorothy Green
Groundskeeper - David Darnell
Choir Director - Dr. Catherine Allard
Sexton - Dorothy Green
Groundskeeper - David Darnell