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SIMPLE40 - Day 7 - Mensday Wednesday

Katie Donahue

Updated: Feb 21, 2024


My husband, Kevin, with our grandson.

On Wednesdays we fast and pray for our men to be strong spiritual leaders in our homes and communities. They need our support, encouragement and prayer to become fully and wholly the men God has made them to be. Join me and a growing movement of women fasting and praying for their men each and every Wednesday. Simply choose to fast from food for the amount of time that works for you. For example, I begin my fast on Tuesday evening after dinner and do not eat again until after 3PM on Wednesday. Sometimes, I will fast a full 24 hours, sometimes less. If fasting from food is not something you can do, simply choose something else: sugar, caffeine, television, shopping, etc. The point is to give something up on purpose for the sake of the men in our lives: husband, son, son-in-law, etc. If you are not married or don't have sons, pray for your dad, your brothers, your future husband, your priest, and/or your male friends.


There is strength doing this as a community. In fact, this is probably the most important thing we can do as a community. So, please join me and hundreds of other women as we fast and pray for our men each and every Wednesday.


Now, back to our study on SIMPLICITY...

 

Prayer and simplicity go hand in hand together. In yesterday's Gospel reading, Matthew, 6:7-15, Jesus says, "In praying, do not babble like the pagans, who think that they will be heard because of their many words. Do not be like them. Your Father knows what you need before you ask him."Jesus proceeds to teach them what we know as the Our Father. This prayer has become a model for how to pray. It is such a simple formula that can inspire our own personal prayer to God. 1: Acknowledge God for who He is and praise Him. 2: Ask for His Most Holy Will to be done in you. 3: Ask for what you need. 4: Ask for forgiveness and give forgiveness. 5: Ask for protection and guidance, trusting in God who orders our days. Does this seem complicated? Not in the least! You can take any one of these 5 areas and expound upon it based on what is going on in your life right now. Every issue in your life is covered by praying the Our Father!

 

spiritual There is so much incredible information on prayer in the Catechism of the Catholic Church. Part Four of the Catechism is dedicated entirely to Christian prayer, beginning at 2558. One of my favorite little clips on prayer comes from 2560: "If you knew the gift of God!" (John 4:10) The wonder of prayer is revealed beside the well where we come seeking water: there, Christ comes to meet every human being. It is he who first seeks us and asks us for a drink. Jesus thirsts; his asking arises from the depths of God's desire for us. Whether we realize it or not, prayer is the encounter of God's thirst with ours. God thirsts that we may thirst for him. Isn't that just so beautiful? God initiates a loving conversation with us and our response to Him is prayer. It is easy to think that we begin this conversation on our own, but God is the one pursuing us and initiating a conversation. Are you listening? I can certainly attest to times in my life where I felt like God was absent, or that my prayer was a monologue. Sitting in silence, waiting for Him to speak, has been deafening at times. I have come to realize that at that time, I was not able to understand His silence. Sometimes, I still don't get it...but I TRUST and KNOW that He is present. I encourage you to grow in your prayer life this Lent and get to know God's voice as you hear it in your heart, mind and soul. Sit in silence today and be content to simply be with God.

 

self

Did you know that listening to quality music activates most of the brain? Not only that, but it promotes well-being, improves cognitive function, stimulates learning, and enhances quality of life. During Lent, we cut out all secular music and focus on music that glorifies God and helps us to contemplate this penitential season. I shared a beautiful hymn yesterday and today am doing the same to encourage you to listen and turn your heart and mind to God as you listen. (PS...I'll leave it to you to decide what "quality music" is.) (PSS...we fail A LOT with cutting out secular music, but we keep trying!)

 

service

Today, gather food items to donate to your local Catholic Social Services or food pantry and PRAY for the people who will soon be eating that food. May God bless them!




 

today's recipe

Quick Coconut Curry I love curry! This is an easy, healthy meal that is highly adaptable to what you have on hand. Do you do meatless Wednesdays during Lent? This is a good one! 1 tablespoon coconut oil 1 small onion, chopped 4 cloves garlic, minced 1 tablespoon fresh grated ginger 1/2 cup broccoli florets, fresh 1/2 cup cauliflower florets 1/2 cup sliced carrots 1/3 cup frozen peas

2 cups chopped fresh spinach 1 Tablespoon curry powder 2 cans coconut milk (14 oz each)

2 cans chickpeas, drained and rinsed 1 cup vegetable stock salt and pepper to taste Heat a large saucepan on medium heat and add the coconut oil. Saute the onion, garlic, and ginger until aromatic. Add the rest of the veggies and season with a little salt and pepper to taste. Saute for about 5 minutes or until beginning to soften. Add curry powder, vegetable stock, coconut milk and additional salt and pepper to taste. Simmer and then reduce heat slightly and continue cooking for 10-15 minutes. Serve over a baked sweet potato, rice or quinoa. Garnish with hemp seeds, a squeeze of lemon juice, cilantro and or any other toppings you would like. Enjoy!

 

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