Morning Prayer
Cease ye from man, whose breath is in his nostrils: for wherein is he to be accounted of?
Inspiration
Cease from man. Man is nothing; God is all in all. Man's ways are low, crooked, and leading to death. God's ways are infinitely higher, pure, and leading to life everlasting. Every moment, every breath we take, we cannot keep our own selves alive but are fully in the hands of God. How can we trust in ourselves when we are, in fact, dependent for our very life upon Another?
Prayer
Teach us our own frailty, what it means that our breath is in our nostrils. Teach us that even the nations are less than nothing and vanity, a drop of a bucket, as the small dust upon the balancing scales that cannot affect the outcome (Isaiah 40:15). Let us cease from confidence in man and in self and put full, unwavering confidence in you, the Rock of our salvation. 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...
