fast for christendom
"The ancient ruins shall be rebuilt for your sake, and the foundations from ages past you shall raise up; 'Repairer of the breach,' they shall call you, 'Restorer of ruined homesteads.' " —Isaiah 58:12
If we fast this Lent in a way pleasing to the Lord (see Is 58:3-6), we will see the Lord do many miracles. For example, light will rise for us in the darkness (Is 58:10). The Lord will guide us always and give us "plenty even on the parched land" (Is 58:11). He will renew our strength (Is 58:11) and do many other miracles. The miracles will lead to one of the greatest miracles the Lord will do through our faith and fasting. "The ancient ruins shall be rebuilt for your sake, and the foundations from ages past you shall raise up" (Is 58:12).
In the past, the Lord has built some great works in the Spirit. Many of these works have been named "Christendom," a whole society centered on Christ. However, Christendom has been in ruins for centuries. We can read a little about it and surmise how glorious it was, but we have never seen anything like it. Yet the Lord promises that, as we fast faithfully in this Jubilee Year, we will see the ancient ruins rebuilt. Possibly, in this third millennium, we will see the ancient foundations of Christendom raised up (see Is 58:12). We will no longer be under the curse of a disintegrated, fragmented, schizoid aberration of Christianity. Our faith and our life will be the same thing.
Fast for restoration and integration. Fast for the resurrection of a new Christendom.
Prayer: Father, as we are docile to the action of the Holy Spirit, give us a new springtime of Christian life and a Great Jubilee (see Toward the Third Millennium, Pope John Paul II, 18).
Promise: Jesus "saw a tax collector named Levi sitting at his customs post. He said to him, 'Follow Me.' Leaving everything behind, Levi stood up and became His follower." —Lk 5:27-28
Praise: Daily Communion, prayer time, regular fasting and Confession have become the staple of Georgia's life.
Nihil Obstat: Reverend Ralph J. Lawrence, July 28, 1999
Imprimatur: †Most Reverend Carl K. Moeddel, Vicar General and Auxiliary Bishop of the Archdiocese of Cincinnati, August 3, 1999