Devotion
Why do you love my brother and not me?
David Jacobs
For those of us with siblings, we may have asked ourselves this question: "which one of us do our parents like the most?" It is a natural question and in some families, may be a legitimate issue. I was lucky, because I really believe that my parents loved all of their children equally. Although we are different, each having our own unique qualities and faults, to our parents we were all the same. What about some of the characters in the Bible who did not felt the same love that I did?
The story that Malachi speaks of is of Esau and Jacob, the sons of Isaac. The two sons were twins and they are described as near opposites of each other: Esau is hairy, profane, and rugged, a skilled hunter; Jacob is a sensitive, loving, and devout man, winning the favor of his mother. Through a series of cunning tricks, Jacob eventually gets Esau to swear his birthright to him (Genesis 25) and then poses as Esau with the help of his mother to get his father's blessing (Genesis 27), leaving Esau with nothing. It begs the question: why did God love Jacob more than Esau? In the historical context of the book of Malachi, why did God allow other nations to rule over the kingdom of Israel?
Prayer
All of this changed with the coming of Christ. Christ wiped the slate clean, with God proving that he loves us all equally. Christ's life is a testament to that, and his teachings only reinforce it. Believer, non-believer, Jew, Gentile, Greek, man, woman...God loves us all equally, our merciful Father.
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...
