Scripture:
Reflection:
In our first reading, God established a covenant with Abram. He changed his name to Abraham. Abram means exalted father. By changing his name to Abraham God signifies that he will be the father of a multitude or hosts of nations. Like Abraham, God has a covenant with each one of us. God created each of us in his image and likeness, unique and precious. (Biblical Hermeneutics Stack Exchange)
Psalm 105 tells us that “The Lord remembers his covenant forever. How often do we remember God’s covenant with us? The Bible calls us to pray continually and to walk with God. Lent is a time to renew and intensify our relationship with God and Jesus. Lent is a good time to practice the monastic tradition of calling to mind the Presence of God. How can we practice the presence of God? This requires us to take periodic time out of the busyness of our daily lives and call to mind the presence and love of God for us. If you work at a desk, you can place a religious icon or symbol such as a statue or crucifix placed within your line of sight and call to mind the presence of God in your work.
Another example of practicing the presence of God is to create a special room in your home for prayer, meditation, and spiritual reading. Usually, this room also includes a candle and religious artwork of some kind. One can also recite a decade of the rosary periodically throughout the day. How much time daily do you practice remembering God’s covenant and relationship with you?
Carl Middleton is a theologian/ethicist and a member of the Passionist Family.