Morning Prayer
Verily, verily, I say unto you, The servant is not greater than his lord; neither he that is sent greater than he that sent him.
Inspiration
Jesus called us to humility by taking on humility himself. He lowered himself to the menial task of washing his disciples’ feet, while at the same time reminding them that no servant is greater than his master. Whenever we think that a task is beneath us, Jesus reminds us that no task was beneath him. So let us put on the humility of Jesus, so that he may be exalted by all that we do.
Prayer
Jesus, I confess that my pride sometimes gets in the way of serving You. I am sorry for the times that I have acted as if I were better than You. Forgive me, Lord, and teach me to embrace Your humility, so that I may imitate You better and serve You more completely. Give me opportunities to lower myself so that You may be lifted up and revealed. In Jesus’ name, amen.
Devotion
Culpability
Frances Taylor
This is an interesting passage because, among other things, it talks about sin and who is considered guilty of sin. Paul is talking about how he has been forgiven, how God has been merciful to him because his actions were committed in unbelief. In order for sin to be committed, one needs to know he is committing it. No one can commit sin in retrospect. Sin is always a deliberate act. This can be hard for some to understand. Actions can be considered sinful, even though the person committing them may not be culpable. For example, lying is a sin. However, is the two year old hiding behind the curtains sinning when he or she claims not to have broken the vase? No, because the child has no understanding of the difference between truth and lie. Those who do not have a relationship with God, who do not know the commandments, who have never heard of Jesus, may commit sinful actions, but are not guilty of sin. This is what Paul claims is his situation. Paul ...
Morning Prayer
And the third day there was a marriage in Cana of Galilee; and the mother of Jesus was there: And both Jesus was called, and his disciples, to the marriage. And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, ) full of grace and truth.
Inspiration
When the Lord sent his only Son, he sent also his word. For his body was this very word made flesh. Importantly this was not simply a manifestation of God's word, but also rather an 'animation' of it (meant here in the original Latin as 'animare' –'to instill with life or spirit'), an instance of God's love and divine grace in action, among us.
Prayer
Lord, I am grateful for your mercy in showing us your word made flesh so that we may be redeemed. Further, I am grateful to you for showing us your love and grace through your only begotten son. Let his body not have been torn and broken for no avail, but feed us now in the Eucharist. Let not his blood have...
