Devotion
Christ is Always Faithful
Frances Taylor
Paul is writing to Timothy from prison, a "malefactor" in the eyes of Roman law. But Paul can still speak of the Lord's faithfulness to him and encourages Timothy to remain faithful as well. He is also encouraging Timothy to prepare others to carry on the mission of spreading the Gospel. In speaking about the faithfulness of God, he also promises that even when we are not faithful, Christ Jesus will not abandon us. We have a couple of things to think about in this passage. The first is obvious: do we remain faithful in times of crisis or tragedy in our lives? Paul knew he would probably be killed for his work, and he was correct. Yet he did not abandon his faith, but rather, encouraged others to stay the course when things got bad. The second is directed at who will spread the good news once we are gone. Are we encouraging our youth to serve God as missionaries, ministers, deacons, teachers of the faith?
There's a passage in Isaiah that talks about the joy that comes from hearing the good news, but this passage also poses the question of how can people hear if there is no one to tell them. Today, we are on the front line of bringing the message of salvation, we are also on the front line of making sure that the next generation will also share the joy of knowing the great gift of salvation won for us by Christ.
Prayer
Faithful God, be with me as I face the challenges of life. May I never deny you, or be faithless, but rather let all me be a witness to your abiding love and faithfulness. 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...
