NAME OF PROGRAM: New Life
PRESENTER: Kimberly Kramar
TOPIC: The fast that’s pleasing to God
PROGRAM
# 7
Live transmission: Monday,
March 27, 2017
Time: Miami 8:00pm /
Mexico 18:00pm / Colombia 19:00pm / Argentina 22:00hrs / Europe 1:00am
EMAIL: newlife@jcn.network
INVITED GUESTS: p.
Modesto Jiménez and music ministry: Marco López, Margarita Araux, Rogelio Casasola,
Cristy Villaseñor, Kiki Troia, MaryCarmen Barria
Block
#
|
Action
|
Resources
|
Time
|
Bloque 1
|
Purpose of message:
Identify the true fast that pleases God and allow
him to pray through us manifesting His greatness in our littleness.
To achieve this purpose we must ask ourselves,
among other things, how to approach God in a true conversion, with a
disinterested prayer, with a spirit closely linked to His perfect will?
Avoiding food and excessive behaviors can draw us closer to God?
Understanding the true meaning of this practice
we can live with more authenticity this time of Lent.
|
The fast that’s pleasing to God
Isa 58, 2 – 12 (v. 6) “Is
this not the fast which I choose, to loosen the bonds of wickedness, to
undo the bands of the yoke, and to let the oppressed go free
and break every yoke? “Is it not to divide your bread with the hungry and bring the homeless poor into the
house; when you see the naked, to cover him; and not to hide yourself from your own flesh? “Then your light
will break out like the dawn, and your recovery
will speedily spring forth; and your righteousness
will go before you; the glory of the Lord will be
your rear guard. “Then
you will call, and the Lord will
answer; you will cry, and He will say, ‘Here I am.’ If you remove the yoke from your midst,
The pointing of the finger and speaking wickedness, and if you ]give yourself to the hungry and satisfy the desire of the afflicted, then your light will rise in darkness and your gloom will become like midday. “And the Lord will continually guide you, and satisfy your desire in scorched places, and give strength to your bones; and you will be like a watered garden, and like a spring of water whose waters do not fail. “Those from among you will rebuild the ancient ruins; you will raise up the age-old foundations; and you will be called the repairer of the breach, the restorer of the streets in which to dwell.
"A fast that conceals selfishness and
injustice is a reproachable farce"
Bible
of America
"In
the New Testament, Jesus indicates the deep reason for fasting, stigmatizing
the attitude of the Pharisees, who scrupulously observed the prescriptions
imposed by the law, but their heart was far from God. True fasting, the
Divine Master repeated, is rather to fulfill the will of the heavenly Father,
who "sees in secret and will reward you" (Mt 6, 18). He himself
gives us an example by responding to Satan, at the end of the 40 days spent
in the desert, that "man not only lives by bread, but by every word that
proceeds from the mouth of God" (Mt 4,4). True fasting, therefore, is
intended to eat the "true food", which is to do the will of the
Father (cf. Jn 4,34). If, therefore, Adam disobeyed the Lord's command to "not
eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil," with fasting the
believer wishes to submit humbly to God, trusting in his goodness and mercy.
"
Benedict XVI, December 11,
2008, at www.vatican.va
Jn 3, 17 God sent his Son
into the world. God did not send his Son to judge the world guilty. God sent
his Son so that the world could be saved through his Son.
* Song
|
Teaser
2 min.
Short
Segment
15 min.
|
Break
|
3’
|
||
Block 2
|
Jonah and the fast proclaimed in Nineveh:
Jonah 3, 5 – 10 Then the people of Nineveh believed in God; and they
called a fast and put on sackcloth from the greatest to the least of
them. When the word reached
the king of Nineveh, he arose from his throne, laid aside his robe from
him, covered himself with sackcloth and sat on the ashes.
He issued a proclamation and it said, “In Nineveh by the decree of the
king and his nobles: Do not let man, beast, herd, or flock taste a thing. Do
not let them eat or drink water. But both man and beast must be
covered with sackcloth; and let men call on God earnestly that each
may turn from his wicked way and from the violence which is in his
hands. Who knows, God may turn and relent and withdraw His burning anger so
that we will not perish.” When God
saw their deeds, that they turned from their wicked way, then God
relented concerning the calamity which He had declared He would bring
upon them. And He did not do it.
Proclaim a fast:
Joel 1, 14 Consecrate a fast, proclaim a solemn
assembly;
Gather the elders and all the inhabitants of the land To the house of the Lord your God, and cry out to the Lord.
Joel 2, 12 – 13 “Yet even now,” declares the Lord,
“Return to Me with all your heart, and with fasting, weeping and mourning; and rend your heart and not your garments.” Now return to the Lord your God, for He is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger, abounding in lovingkindness and relenting of evil.
Ezra 8, 21 Then I proclaimed a fast there at the river of Ahava, that
we might humble ourselves before our God to seek from Him a safe
journey for us, our little ones, and all our possessions.
Ester's fast:
Esth 4, 13 – 17 “Do not imagine
that you in the king’s palace can escape any more than all the Jews. For
if you remain silent at this time, relief and deliverance will arise for
the Jews from another place and you and your father’s house will perish. And
who knows whether you have not attained royalty for such a time as this?” Then
Esther told them to reply to Mordecai, “Go, assemble all the
Jews who are found in Susa, and fast for me; do not eat or drink
for three days, night or day. I and my maidens also will fast in the
same way. And thus I will go in to the king, which is not according to the
law; and if I perish, I perish.” So Mordecai went away and did just as
Esther had commanded him.
*Song
|
27 min.
|
|
Break
|
|||
Block 3
|
The 40-day and 40-night fast of Moses:
Exod 34, 28 Moses stayed there with the Lord for 40 days
and 40 nights. Moses did not eat any food or drink any water. And he (the
Lord)˼ wrote the words of the Agreement ˻(the Ten Commandments)˼ on the two
flat stones.
The 40-day fast of Jesus:
Lk 4, 1 – 4 1Jesus returned from the Jordan River. He was full of the Holy Spirit.
The Spirit led Jesus into the desert. There the devil tempted Jesus for
40 days. Jesus ate nothing during that time. When those days were finished,
Jesus was very hungry. The devil said to Jesus, “If you are the Son of
God, tell this rock to become bread.” Jesus answered, “It is written
˻in the Scriptures˼: 'It is not just food that keeps people alive.’”
• Fasting is preparation for the mission
Prayer and fasting:
Mark 9, 28 – 29 Jesus
went into the house. His followers were alone with him there. They said, “We
could not force that evil spirit out. Why?” Jesus answered, “That kind of spirit can only be
forced out by using prayer.”
Matt 17, 19 – 21 Then the followers came to Jesus alone. They said, “We tried to force
the demon out of the boy, but we could not. Why were we not able to make the
demon go out?” Jesus answered, “You
were not able to make the demon go out, because your faith is too small. I
tell you the truth. If your faith is as big as a mustard seed, then you can
say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there.’ And it will move. All things
will be possible for you.”
Dan 9, 3 – 21 So all those men
came and stood in front of the idol that King Nebuchadnezzar had set
up. Then the man that makes the announcements for the king spoke in a
loud voice. (v. 21) So Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego were tied up and
thrown into the hot furnace. They were wearing their robes, pants, hats, and
other clothes.
Fasting and the disciples:
Mk 2, 18 – 20 The followers of
John and the Pharisees were fasting. Some people came to Jesus and said,
“John’s followers fast, and the followers of the Pharisees fast. But your
followers don’t fast. Why?” Jesus answered, “˻When there is a wedding, the
friends of the bridegroom are not sad while he is with them. They cannot fast
˻(be sad)˼ while the bridegroom is still there. But the time will come when the bridegroom will leave them.
The friends are sad when the
bridegroom leaves. Then they will fast.
Acts 13, 2 – 3 These men were all serving the Lord and fasting. The Holy Spirit said
to them, “Give Barnabas and Saul to me to do a special work. I have chosen
them to do this work.” So the church fasted and prayed. They put their
hands on Barnabas and Saul and sent them out.
Acts 14, 21 – 22 Paul and Barnabas told the Good News in the city of Derbe too. Many
people became followers ˻of Jesus˼. Paul and Barnabas returned to the cities
of Lystra, Iconium, and Antioch. In those cities Paul and Barnabas made
the followers ˻of Jesus˼ stronger. They helped them to stay in the faith. Paul
and Barnabas said, “We must suffer many things on our way into God’s
kingdom.”
Fasting and the saints:
2 Cor 12, 6 – 10 But if I wanted to boast about myself, I would not be a fool. I would
not be a fool, because I would be telling the truth. But I won’t boast about
myself. Why? Because I don’t want people to think more of me than what they
see me do or hear me say. But I must not become too proud of the
wonderful things that were shown to me. So a painful problem was given to me.
That problem is an angel from Satan ˻(the devil)˼. It is sent to beat me and
keep me from being too proud. I begged the Lord three times to take this
problem away from me. But the Lord said to me, “My grace ˻(kindness)˼ is
enough for you. When you are weak, then my power is made perfect in you.” So
I am very happy to boast about my weaknesses. Then Christ’s power can live in
me. So I am happy when I have weaknesses. I am happy when people say bad
things to me. I am happy when I have hard times. I am happy when people treat
me badly. And I am happy when I have problems. All these things are for
Christ. And I am happy with these things, because when I am weak, then I am
truly strong.
"St. Augustine, who knew his own
negative inclinations well and defined them as" very twisted and very
complicated knots "(Confessions, II, 10.18), in his treatise The Utility
of Fasting, wrote:" I suffer, it is true, that he Forgive me I punish
myself for Him to help me, so that I may be pleasing to His eyes, to enjoy
His sweetness "(Sermo 400, 3, 3: PL 40, 708). To deprive oneself of the
material nourishment that nourishes the body facilitates an interior
disposition to listen to Christ and to nourish of his word of salvation. With
fasting and prayer, we allow you to come to quench the deepest hunger we
experience in the depths of our heart: hunger and the thirst of God».
Benedict
XVI
Gen 2, 16 – 17 The Lord God gave the man this command. The Lord God
said, “You may eat from any tree in the garden. But you must not eat
from the tree that gives knowledge about good and evil. If you eat fruit from
that tree you will die!”
"Fasting already existed in paradise [and] the first order in
this sense was given to Adam ... You should not eat, so it is the law of
fasting and abstinence"
San
Basileo
• The oppressions of sin and
its consequences
• Fasting as a means to
recover friendship with God: leave the "old Adam" and open the way
to the Lord in the heart of the believer.
"Fasting is the soul of prayer, and mercy is the life of fasting.
Therefore, let him who prays, let him fast; Who fast, let him have mercy;
That he hearkens to the one who begs him, who, in begging, wishes that he be
heard, for God hears the one who does not close his who pleads "
San Pedro Crisólogo
The fast of Santa Catalina
"God
so completely satisfies me in the Holy Eucharist that it is impossible for me
to desire any kind of bodily nourishment." She also said: "His mere
presence satisfies me, and I recognize that to be happy, it is even enough
for me to see a priest who has just said Mass."
For
seven years, St. Catherine of Siena did not take any food other than the
Eucharist. In spite of that, Catalina maintained an active life during those
seven years. Most of his achievements came during that period.
His
fasting became a source of extraordinary strength. It is said that he grew
stronger in the afternoon, after having received the Eucharist.
The Fast of Padre Pio
"Fasting
and penance were customary practices. Fraile Pio embraced all forms of
self-indulgence, always eating very little, on one occasion he fed only the
Eucharist for 20 days and although physically weak he presented himself to
classes with prelude joy. It was one of the best times of his life: "I
am immensely happy when I suffer, and if I consented to the impulses of my
heart, I would ask Jesus to give me all the suffering of men."
At
http://www.corazones.org/santos/pio_padre.htm
Fasting and
Abstinence - Lent:
"Fasting
consists in making one strong meal a day. Abstinence consists of not eating
meat. These are days of abstinence and fasting on Ash Wednesday and Good
Friday. "
The
time of Lent reminds us that the husband has been taken from us. Arrested,
arrested, imprisoned, slapped, flagellated, crowned with thorns, crucified
... Fasting in the time of Lent is the expression of our solidarity with
Christ. Such has been the meaning of Lent throughout the centuries, and so it
remains today:
"My
love is crucified, and there is no more fire in me that desires material
things," as the bishop of Antioch, Ignatius, wrote in the Letter to the
Romans (Ign. Antioq., Ad.
Aciprensa
St. Josemaria says:
«I
give you two reasons
From
all points of view, mortification is of extraordinary importance.
-For
human reasons, because he who does not know how to dominate himself will
never influence positively in others, and the environment will defeat him, as
it flatters his personal tastes: he will be a man without energy, incapable
of a great effort when necessary.
-For
divine reasons: does not it seem fair to you, with these small acts, to show
our love and respect to the one who gave everything for us?
And
a third ...
Temperance
is lordship. Not everything that we experience in the body and in the soul
has to be solved in free rein. Not everything that can be done should be
done. It is more comfortable to be carried away by the impulses they call
natural; But at the end of that path there is sadness, isolation in one's own
misery. "
Friends
of God, 84
Teaching the
Church - Fasting:
"Proclaim
fasting" (Jl 1:14).
These
are the words we heard in the first reading of Ash Wednesday. They were
written by the prophet Joel, and the Church, in accordance with them,
establishes the practice of Lent by arranging the fast. The practice of Lent,
determined by Paul VI in the Poenitemini Constitution, is remarkably mitigated
with respect to that of past times. In this matter, the Pope left much to the
decision of the Episcopal Conferences of each country, which corresponds,
therefore, the duty to adapt the demands of the fast according to the
circumstances in which the respective societies are. But he recalled that the
essence of Lenten penance is constituted not only by fasting but also by
prayer and almsgiving (works of mercy). It is therefore necessary to decide,
according to the circumstances, on what can be substituted the same fast for
works of mercy and for prayer. The end of this particular period in the life
of the Church is always and everywhere penance, that is, conversion to God.
"
Aciprensa
"At
the beginning of Lent, a time that constitutes a path of more intense spiritual
preparation, the Liturgy again proposes to us three penitential practices to
which the Christian biblical tradition confers great value - prayer, fasting
and almsgiving - to have us To celebrate the Passover better and thus to
experience the power of God which, as we will hear at the Easter Vigil,
"dispels sins, washes away guilts, returns innocence to the fallen, joy
to the sad, expels Hatred, bring harmony, bend the mighty "(Easter
Proclamation). (...) Like Moses before receiving the Tablets of the Law (cf.
Exodus 34: 8), or Elijah before meeting the Lord on Mount Horeb (cf. 1R
19.8), Jesus praying and fasting Prepared his mission, whose beginning was a
hard confrontation with the tempter.
It
is clear that fasting is good for physical well-being, but for believers it
is, in the first place, a "therapy" to cure everything that
prevents them from conforming to the will of God. In the Apostolic
Constitution Pænitemini of 1966, the Servant of God Paul VI identified the
need to place fasting in the context of the call to every Christian not to
"live for himself, but for him who loved him and gave himself for him To
live also for the brothers "(see Chapter I). Lent could be a good occasion
to return to the norms contained in the Apostolic Constitution, valuing the
authentic and perennial meaning of this ancient penitential practice, which
can help us to mortify our selfishness and open our hearts to the love of God
and our neighbor, the first And the supreme commandment of the new law and
compendium of the whole Gospel "(Mt 22, 34-40).
Benedict
XVI, December 11, 2008, at www.vatican.va
Fasting to
control the appetites of the "flesh":
1 Cor 9, 25 – 27 All people that compete in
the games use strict training. They do this so that they can win a crown
˻(reward)˼. That crown is an earthly thing that lasts only a short time. But
our crown ˻(reward)˼ will continue forever. So I run like a person that
has a goal. I fight like a boxer that is hitting something—not just the
air. It is my own body that I hit. I make it my slave. I do this so that
I myself will not be thrown out ˻by God˼ after I have told other people
˻about his blessings˼.
Closing prayer…: Gal 5, 22 But the Spirit gives love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness,
faithfulness
*Song
|
10 min.
|
|
No hay comentarios:
Publicar un comentario