Morning Prayer
And there came a voice from heaven, saying, Thou art my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.
Inspiration
God the Father took this occasion, the baptism of Christ, to declare his delight in his Son. Though the Father is always pleased with the Son, yet he proclaims the fact here to put special emphasis on his approval of what Christ had just done. Jesus did not enter the waters of baptism to symbolize repentance of any sin, for he had none to repent of. Instead, he went down into the water to represent his death for sinners on the cross and arose out of the water to represent his coming Resurrection. He was here, at the outset of his earthly ministry, committing himself to the cross.
Prayer
Your baptism, Lord, was a token of your willingness to die for and save your people from their sin. It was an act of committal to your Father's will. May we also die daily to our own selfish desires and arise in newness of life, ready to serve you. When we were baptized, we indicated our trust in your saving power and our commitment to live a "resurrection life" for your glory. We rededicate ourselves to that vision today. 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...
