Devotion
New Wine
Frances Taylor
Once we have accepted Christ as our Savior, are we hanging on to our old ways – old wineskins – while trying to fit Jesus into it? If so, it just doesn't work. Just as the new wine would ferment and eventually split the wineskins, we need to decide whether to work with our new beliefs and spiritual path or go back to our former way of life. A person with an addiction – alcohol, gambling, drugs, etc. – cannot continue to visit those places where temptation can be overwhelming – bars, casinos, etc. – or to keep company with the same friends who don't understand why their friend has changed. Now, I'm not saying that it is necessary to give up our old friends, what I am saying is that we can't expect to do the same things we did before. Did you enjoy x-rated movies? Is foul language a staple in your vocabulary? Do you have a whole co ...
Prayer
Dear Jesus, I want to follow you. Give me the grace I need to be a true witness of my love for you. Amen.
Night Prayer
Ye have plowed wickedness, ye have reaped iniquity; ye have eaten the fruit of lies: because thou didst trust in thy way, in the multitude of thy mighty men.
Inspiration
When we act with selfish intentions, we can be sure to get bad results. We might enjoy small gains and superficial victories for a short time, but they do not last. Sowing seeds of violence and deception will only yield pain and destruction. Wickedness cannot produce goodness, so let us always be mindful to sow seeds of grace and mercy.
Prayer
Gracious Lord, forgive me for the ways in which I have acted out of selfishness and pride. I have hurt others, damaged relationships, and caused ruin. I pray Lord that You would bring healing to right these wrongs and that Your grace would fill me. Empower me to move forward in Your love, so that I sow the grace and mercy that produce healthy and nourishing fruit. In Jesus’ name, amen.
Devotion
From Death to New Life
Frances Taylor
How many of us have cried out with Martha and Mary, "Lord, if you had been there, my brother – sister, mother, father, child, friend – would not have died?" Today's reading lets us know that Jesus was and is there when a loved one dies, and is ready to call him or her out to new life. Lazarus had been in the tomb for four days. Just in case we still had doubts about the possibility of resurrection, Jesus clearly shows that all is possible. Lazarus, of course, no longer walks the earth, so he must have died again and been buried again, and this time, he awakened into eternal life, not his earthly one. And so, all of us who have been baptized into the death of Christ have been promised that we, too, would awaken into eternal life.
Mother Teresa once said that since she had died with Christ in baptism, she had nothing to fear. This gave her the courage to walk amid the streets of Calcutta helping the poor, the sick and the dying. What holds ...
