Morning Prayer
Break thou the arm of the wicked and the evil man: seek out his wickedness till thou find none.
Inspiration
Can evil hide from God? No! The Bible tells us that the wicked are abhorrent to God – he will punish the wicked until there is no wickedness left. Knowing this is true, why would anyone cling to the sins of this world? God abhors wickedness. Thankfully, he sent his son, Jesus Christ, to forgive us of our sins and offer use eternal salvation. When we repent, we will be saved. However, those who are wicked will suffer for their evil ways. Trust the Lord to punish the wicked and offer mercy to those who place their faith in him.
Prayer
Dear God, sin and evilness exist and I do not want any part of it in my life. When I am tempted, send your Holy Spirit to guide me. Forgive me for my sins and wickedness. Thank you for showing me mercy when I did not deserve it. Lord, you are holy. Defeat those who are wicked and try to separate others from your love. When the world seems so dark, help me to remember that your son's death and resurrection has already defeated the powers of sin and darkness. Thank you, Father! 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...
