Lent 2011...

So as lens fast approaches again this year starting on Wednesday as a community we have been thinking and discussing what we are doing individually during Lent. A few people are giving up their shoes and socks and going barefoot for the whole of lent, others have given up drinking everything other than water, whilst others are decided to take things up such as helping strangers every single day during Lent giving up eating takeaway food and just eating food cooked in their own home.

 

 Personally for me this year I have recently been really struck by the horrific atrocities that men women and children have been suffering in the Middle East because of their beliefs, both Christians and Muslims have been attacked and killed, even just today I read in the iPaper report from reverend Andrew White  the Vicar of Baghdad that he is working incredibly hard with the chief Muslim clerics to stop the hatred and murders of minorities in that part of the world.

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So this year along with a Muslem friend of mine I'm going to fasting during daylight hours,  to pray for both Christians and Muslims who are persecuted and lived in fear. I was also told today that apparently this is an ancient Celtic way of approaching lens to fast between sunrise and sunset I personally feel that if there was much more spiritual practices that we could share and understand one another's faith by doing so we would be able to teach much more tolerance love and understanding to those who either don't have faith or harbour hatred because of faith.

During the recent uprisings in Egypt as the crowds were gathered in Tarrir Square  as the Muslims gathered to say their Friday prayers the Christian surrounded them protecting them against any violence or persecution, on the Sunday morning is the Christians then gather to pray the Muslims return the favour to allow the Christians to worship.

 

I hope this time of chosen hunger and poverty will allow me to pray more specifically into these issues keep a diary on here Twitter and Facebook as we go through the month and on into Easter. I'm looking forward to breaking the fast each day and hope the experience of doing so will be a spiritual one in which I may in some way bring God's blessing on the person I'm breaking it with.

 

So the journey continues

 I pray your loan may be a blessed one, and that the hardship will give birth to the joy of Easter!

Posted via email from ben's posterous