Wednesday of the Fourth Week of Easter

While they were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, “Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.” Then, completing their fasting and prayer, they laid hands on them and sent them off. So they, sent forth by the Holy Spirit, went down to Seleucia and from there sailed to Cyprus.  When they arrived in Salamis, they proclaimed the word of God in the Jewish synagogues. 

Worship, fasting, prayer, and proclaiming the Word of God. All of these actions played pivotal roles in the success of the early Church and they can make a world of difference in our own lives, too. First, worshiping together as a community unites us in Christ through shared prayer and the reception of the Body and Blood of Christ. Fasting cleanses us from our attachments to worldly things and helps to disciple our passions so that we can put heavenly things before all else. Prayer opens our hearts and minds to God and allows us to enter into a dialogue with our Heavenly Father. And silent prayer helps us to let go of our worries and fears and let God speak to us in the solitude of our thoughts. Worship, fasting, and prayer help prepare us to proclaim the Gospel through our words and our works. They give us the graces we need to manifest God’s Love and Mercy and find fulfillment as disciples of Christ.

Do we make the most of the time we spend with God in worship and prayer? How can we make fasting a central part of living out our faith? In what ways do we proclaim the Word of God?

O Lord, set us apart and send us to where we need to be.

Amen.