Devotion
Let there be no evil in your mouth
David Jacobs
You may have heard the phrase, "Sticks and stones may break my bones but words may never hurt me." I always thought this was an incredibly foolish thing to teach a child, because words can obviously hurt us! In fact, there are many examples in the Bible urging believers of God to be mindful of their speech. Christ's followers should be swift to hear and slow to speak. This is the path to wisdom, and in my own experiences, I would say that my ability to listen to people far outweighs my ability to speak.
Swift to listen and slow to speak...this phrase reminds me of another popular quote. There is a saying from the movie Bambi. Thumper, the cute rabbit, utters this line: "If you can't say something nice don't say nothin' at all." It may sound less pretty, but it is a good summation of this verse in Ephesians. The final verses discuss things that we should avoid, most in regards to our temperament, and the last is feelings that we should feel.
Prayer
Paul has learned well from Christ; hopefully we can too, but if not, maybe the rabbit, Thumper, can teach us a valuable lesson.
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...
