Devotion
Only fools rush in
David Jacobs
If you use computers or Apple products at all, you have all signed the "Terms and Conditions" of software and probably not read a single word of it. I know that I have. We usually just check the box stating that we agree without ever considering what the updated terms and conditions states. These updates are usually fine, but what about the scam emails that many people also receive? These emails usually offer millions of dollars to you, but in order to unlock the funds we must send a small amount of money first. Few people fall for these scams nowadays, but it is only because so many people fell for them before. We have learned to discern what is and is not a scheme, considering all options before we sign the dotted line.
In these verses, we discover some of the major differences between Esau and Jacob. Esau was a cunning hunter, loved by his father, Isaac, and Jacob a more sensitive farmer, loved by his mother, Rebekah. Esau was the elder twin, so he inherited the birthright, which in those times meant he basically inherited all of his father's fortune. Being second in his father's eyes became a bit of an obsession of Jacob, and being first made Esau flippant with his birthright, not considering it nearly as important as Jacob did as evidenced by these verses. Esau swears his birthright to Jacob for a meal, an outrageous exchange that sounds familiar today: "I am so hungry I could eat a horse" and "I would die for a hamburger right now" are phrases we might hear in modern society, hyperbolic statements that nobody would take seriously. Esau, exhausted and famished, seems to make such a statement, and Jacob takes it seriously.
Prayer
Like checking the box on the terms and conditions, Esau did not fully think before he spoke, and it cost him in more ways than one: he spurned his birthright, forfeiting his inheritance for a meal, and he dishonored his family name. Consider these verses the next time you agree to something. Being patient may make a difference.
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...
