I do not see Paul's list as an overbearing list of rules but rather as an attempted explanation of verses 11-14, an aspiration for my life. I want to be a constant witness for God in all that I do. The type of things which some wives did in Paul's day, and today even are not a guide to somebody looking for God. If I live the life that God wants - loving God with all my heart and my neighbour as myself- then there is no question as to how I react to my husband or employer.
Lent is typically a time of self-control. A time when we try to tame some of our excessive longings- our desire for chocolate and desserts, or wine and coffee. (Oh dear I used the picture for chocolate yesterday.) As one of our priests said last year in his sermon on Ash Wednesday it is a time for living a simple life.
Today I am taking that as meaning a time to avoid the excesses of the luxurious living in which we indulge in the western world. Gastronomic pleasures are very easy to indulge in Belgium. It is a time to concentrate on the lifestyle that God wants for us. A simple life based on loving God with all my heart and my neighbour as myself. Perhaps today I should actually go out of my way to talk to my neighbour instead of just being terrified of speaking French. Is my desire to share God's love with her less than my fear of speaking French?
I encourage you to share God's love today.
I believe that the same sentiment is reflected in John 1:35-42. John is also telling us to share God's love as John the Baptist sent his own disciples to learn from and share in Jesus' ministry.
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