Morning Prayer
Come, ye children, hearken unto me: I will teach you the fear of the LORD.
Inspiration
Do you know the fear of the LORD? If you don't, pray about it. Ask God to teach you the fear of the LORD. Perhaps read scripture to teach you about fearing the LORD: Matthew 10, Deuteronomy 10:12, Ecclesiastes 12:13, or Hebrews 10:26-31. There are many more parts in scripture that are about fearing God, but that is a good start. Now, if you do fear the LORD, you ought to teach children to also fear the LORD. Do not keep your knowledge to yourself. Build others up by teaching them the knowledge you have gained.
Prayer
Heavenly Father, I fear You. You are awesome and mighty. The world is in Your hands. You control the wind and the waves. You make the universe turn and the stars burn. Volcanoes erupt, hurricanes blow, and storms only happen with Your permission. The very breath in my lungs is in Your hands. You are holy and perfect, and I am not. I deserve Your judgment. I deserve hell and torture. Thank you for sending Jesus to cover me so that I can be in Your presence. Thank You for sending Jesus to bear the punishment of my sins. I do not deserve Your love, and yet You love me. I come to You in the name of Jesus, who makes it possible for me to come before You. 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...
