Devotion
Love Thy Neighbor
Frances Taylor
I find this passage interesting. Hate goes against God's laws. God is love, so there is no hate in God. Even in the story of Cain and Abel, God marks Cain so that no one will kill him. So how can we hate? It's okay not to like someone, we all do that, but hate implies that we wish someone evil. That's not okay.
To love our neighbor means that we don't wish him any evil. This doesn't mean that we have to approve everything our neighbor does. No, not at all, in fact this passage tells us it's okay to rebuke someone, even a friend or family member and not get involved in behavior contrary to God's law. Going back to Cain and Abel, revenge is also contrary to God's will for us. So much violence would be avoided if people didn't seek revenge.
As I mentioned the other day, today, a person who feels disrespected often gathers friends to "get even" with that person. This leads to a larger group of friends getting even with the others and so on and so on. Feuds of this sort have become commonplace among many groups of young people as we have become such a "them" and "us" society. Some feuds seem to last one generation to the next and often people don't even remember when the bad feelings began, nor do they know the cause. How do you want to be treated? How do I? If I want to be treated kindly, with respect, then it is my responsibility to treat others the same. It's not always easy to love those we don't like, but that's what God not only expects of us, but commands.
Prayer
Compassionate God, you love us all in spite of our weaknesses and sinfulness. Help us to treat others with the same compassion with which you treat us. 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...
