Morning Prayer
Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.
Inspiration
Propitiation is a seldom used and little understood term but still conveys a very important Biblical concept. When Christ "propitiated" our sins on the cross, he makes full satisfaction to the righteous demands of God's justice. He satisfied the wrath of God in our place and bore in his body the pain of a Roman cross. That is love.
Prayer
O Lover of my soul, when you revealed to me that love with which you loved me from all eternity, it was then that I knew what love really was. You taught me what it is to love on the cross of Calvary. Teach me to love you and others the way that you have loved me. Show me wherein I have failed to truly love, and help me to follow the example of your steps of love and holiness. 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...
