Toward Easter - Daily Readings & Meditations for Lent 2025 - Day 17

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Envying the spotlight rather than the possessions—this reflection reveals how our digital age has transformed an ancient sin into something more insidious. Four weeks from Good Friday, we journey through scriptures that parallel Joseph's betrayal by his brothers with Christ's rejection by the Pharisees, discovering that at their core, both stemmed from the same deadly sin: envy of another's status and position.

Our social media landscape has engineered this sin to operate on an unprecedented scale. Each notification, each like, each follower count directly feeds our craving for human respect and validation. The reflection candidly acknowledges how even creating spiritual content isn't immune to these temptations—the pressure to craft clickable titles, engaging thumbnails, and discussion-generating topics that prioritize audience engagement over authentic spiritual purpose.

This meditation challenges us to combat envy through deliberate action: performing acts of service that truly cost us something—not necessarily money, but time, effort, and comfort—while intentionally receiving no recognition for them. These hidden sacrifices directly counter our cultural obsession with being seen and appreciated. As we approach the commemoration of Christ's ultimate sacrifice, what better spiritual practice than to serve others without the dopamine hit of public acknowledgment? Take this weekend to perform one meaningful act that no one will ever attribute to you, and experience the freedom that comes from breaking the chains of comparison and validation-seeking. What will you do in secret to prepare your heart for Easter?

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