Devotion
A Declaration
Frances Taylor
Was Jesus confirming his divinity? Some will say yes and others, I don't know. What I know is that John was writing this long after Jesus death at a time when there were debates going on around this very question. Much of the debate centered on when Jesus became divine, or was he only divine and never really human. By that time, the majority of Christians accepted the doctrine of the Trinity and believed as the Prologue to John's Gospel states, that the Son of God – the Word – existed from all eternity and in the fullness of time, took on flesh through the Virgin Mary and became a man, the man Jesus. This statement of Jesus in this passage was not met well by the Jews as this was considered blasphemy. He was saying he was God and this was going against the commandments. For us, as Christians, the debate really doesn't raise the same questions. But how do we think of Jesus? Do we think that because Mary and Joseph must have told him of his origins, he understood what they meant? After all, Jesus had a human brain as we do. We are told by our baptism, that we are children of God, heirs with Christ of eternal life in heaven. Do we really understand what that means? Something to think about! We will never be able to understand the great mystery of the Trinity or the Incarnation, but we should try to understand how our baptism should make a difference in our lives.
Prayer
Heavenly Father, we will never truly understand the mystery of the Trinity. Send the Holy Spirit to us to help us understand what it means to be your child. 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...
