Little flock
Don't be afraid, little flock, for it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the Kingdom.
Some of the tenderest words in the gospels. Little flock: small, vulnerable, easily scattered. He does not deny it; he answers it with the character of God. It is the Father's good pleasure to give, not to withhold until you have earned it. Most fear rests on a hidden picture of a reluctant universe: a God who must be persuaded, a world that must be wrestled. The fifth week is the end of that picture. The giving is already underway. Your fasting and sitting do not purchase it. They open your hands.
Today's practice
When fear rises today, put a hand on your chest and say the six words: "It is the Father's good pleasure." Breathe out slowly.
The fast
Daily fast, Daniel table. Sit twenty minutes with open hands, literally: palms up on your knees.
By the calendar, today is Day ?.