In the Gospel, Luke 7:31f, Jesus lamented with great sadness that nothing and no one “of this generation” are open to receiving the divine Gift of Eternal Salvation. They are blind, obstinate and too proud to know that they need God and His Salvation. Ponder on, “The greatest and saddest sin is ‘pride’because its ‘self-centredness’, leads to all other sins.”
Our Mother the Church has a remedy however.
Periodic spiritual reflection over a few days which embraces a spirit of pentitence and fasting. A taking stock of what has transpired interiorly since the last time one has done so, and where one’s discipleship and moral behavior has led one to today in respect to the Lord and one’s vocation. One key aim of such fasting is to be able to see clearly – specifically, to be able to see reality, the order of reason, and things as they really are. It is a commonplace that all forms of intemperanceprevent us from seeing clearly, and blind us to reality and to reason. Fasting is part of the attempt to undo this deleterious effect.
Why Ember days quarterly
For what purpose, precisely?
As well as sanctifying the seasons and the agricultural year, the Ember Day periods give us the opportunity to reflect on the last three months.
This is our opportunity to do some penance for the sins which we committed during this time – and also to do some penance in thanksgiving for the various blessings of these months.
The Ember Days are an opportunity to think about where we are now.
They also give us a chance to think about the next three months. What do we want to achieve in this time, and where do we want to be? What sins do we not want to be expiating the next time the fasts come around?
These three days are perhaps a good time to make the first and second exercises in St Ignatius’ Spiritual Exercises, and to place ourselves at the foot of the cross with the following questions:
What have I done for Christ?
What am I doing for Christ?
What ought I do for Christ?
The Ostende Blog - Fr Christopher Young 