Devotion
Knowing the redeemer lives
David Jacobs
I have flown quite a lot in my life, having been lucky enough to travel extensively. For those of you that have flown, you may have experienced some anxiety during turbulent moments in the sky. Some deal with it better than others, and I will say, it gets better with time, but everyone has pondered their own death when they have been on a plane.
The moments that scare even me on a plane are when the crew also looks scared. They have been trained and on planes far more than anyone on the plane, so if they look concerned, it can instill true panic. When the most experienced and faithful lose faith, it can be easy to follow along.
Job has lost everything. He is beyond depressed, wondering the point of existence and why God has made him suffer so. It would be hard for friends of his to witness such needless suffering, and I would question God's motives. However, Job still stays relatively calm and faithful. He never loses faith that his redeemer lives, and that knowledge allows him to continue on, even with all the hardships that he has faced.
We all go through our ups and downs, some more down than others.
Prayer
Remember, as Job did, that your redeemer lives. He lives, in us and around us, and all he wants is for us to follow his word and love one another. Leave everything else, to God.
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...
