Hold Firm To The Faith

25 Mar

“Faithless is he that says farewell when the road darkens.”  ~ J. R. R. Tolkien

This is a dark day.  It is a Friday of Lent.  All Fridays, for Christians, take on a darker, somber tone because it was on a Friday that our Lord, Jesus Christ was crucified and died on the cross.  It was our sins — and His wondrous love for us — that put Him on that cross.  Without His death, there would have been no resurrection three days later.

Fridays are somber days for Christians and we are called to do some act of penance to acknowledge our sinfulness and to help us keep our eyes fixed on the Lord.  On the Fridays of Lent, we add a universal penance of refraining from eating meat and meat products.  These days mark the true Christian.

There are many who look for excuses to exempt themselves from the laws of fast and abstinence during Lent.  There are many who do not do acts of penance on Fridays.  There are too many who do not look to the Lord for strength and guidance.  Instead, they look to the world.

When the road gets tough and we look for the easy way out, we are practically guaranteeing our failure.  We will fall flat on our faces at the very least and may lose our way to the Kingdom at worst.  We cannot find that way ourselves.  We can only find it by shouldering our crosses and following Jesus.

Don’t be faithless.  Don’t leave the Lord when times get rough.  Instead, take an extra firm grip on your cross, ask Jesus to walk close to you, and take the next step forward.

FAITH ACTION:  Ask God for the grace and courage to continue on the road that leads to Him.

Remember:  The Fridays of Lent are Days of Abstinence