Daily Meditation for February 16, 2024

Some years ago, according to Fr. Ed Hayes in his book A Pilgrim’s Almanac, American “breakfast cereals have undergone a kind of Lent, a reformation,” as cereal companies have removed loads of excess sugars, salts and preservatives from some of their cereals in an effort to promote healthy eating. These cereals are now considered natural and a model for our own Lenten inner work. We are called upon to a time of letting go of a junk food pattern of living that is based on compromise and following the easy road. Lent asks us to pursue a “sugar free” path which invites us to a program of daily discipline, especially with the use of electronics and gadgets, as well as to the practice of daily prayer and daily dying to self. May this Lenten time provide a healthy spiritual life for all of us.

By Joyce Iten, OSB