James 1: 1-11; Psalm 119; Mark 8: 11-13
Again our readings lead us to Lent. James writes to those who face trials, and excoriates the rich. He exhorts his readers, us, to ask God to give us wisdom and deepen our faith. Jesus is again pursued and heckled by the Pharisees. “He sighed deeply in his spirit” and left them. We will be asking God all during Lent, and we will be sighing with Jesus over all the divisions, greed, and hatred in our world.
Sometimes we breathe with God, a sweet and gentle experience. Today, sigh with Jesus. As you sigh from deep within you, remember all the hurts of your heart—personal problems and the pain of the world’s peoples. Let your sigh arise to God as wordless solidarity with the one who always intercedes for us.
“Blessed are they who suffer persecution for the sake of justice.” We remember how many people do suffer for just that reason. Do not let us forget them but join them in prayer.