Devotion
Have you ever been hungry and seen what looked like a delicious piece of fruit only to take a bite and...eww! Even good-looking fruit can sometimes taste bad, and fruit that has not been taken care of well will be rotten. I think you can probably see where I am going with this metaphor!
We are the fruits of our labor. The effort that we put into our faith journey is what we will get out. If you didn't study for a test at all or, better yet, studied a book filled with all the wrong answers, you wouldn't expect to do very well. The same is true of life.
In these verses in Matthew, we are told that men do not gather thorns and thistles, we gather grapes and figs. We don't want the bad and painful, we want the delicious and healthy. The way we care for the plants and trees that the fruit grows on is important to the quality of the fruit. The same is obviously true of our spiritual journey and the quality of our relationship with Christ. How do you tend your plants?
Prayer
Dearest Father, patient shepherd, help me to tend my spiritual plant. My fruit is ready, ripe, but I know that I must continue to care for it with you as my guide. I pray that you send me to your scriptures, with enthusiasm and diligence, to learn the ways of your son, whose blood was shed so that I may live with you, together in heaven. In Jesus' name I pray, 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...
