Devotion
Blessed are You Who Believed
Frances Taylor
Faith! That's what Mary had, and that's the gift given to us by God in our baptism. In faith, Mary believed the angel's message. And faith, she traveled to her cousin Elizabeth's home. In faith, she would teach her son that he was the Son of God, and she would follow him to his death, and remain with his disciples so that they would not lose faith after he returned home to his father. What do we do with our gift of faith? Why can it be so easily shaken? How many times have we "lost" faith – in God, in others, even in ourselves? Mary's faith did not promise her an easy life, in fact, Simeon told her that her heart would be pierced with a sword so that "the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed." Think of how often her faith was tested. How many of us have been tested in the same way? And yet, she continued to believe. God has given Mary to us as a sign that God is with us always, even through the darkest times, the most confusing times. If we continue to believe, to have faith, then we, too, will be called "blessed" because our reward is peace of heart and mind in this world, and a place in at the table with Mary in the next.
Prayer
Thank you, Lord, for the gift of faith! This gift that gets me through the dark days and brightens the good ones. May I always hold you in my heart and work to awaken the gift of faith in others so they may also experience the joy I feel. Amen.
Night Prayer
Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye make clean the outside of the cup and of the platter, but within they are full of extortion and excess.
Inspiration
We despise the thought of a pile of dirty dishes in the sink. The outside is easy to clean; it's the caked-up residue on the inside that's so difficult to remove. Jesus compares the scribes and Pharisees with dishes that have been wiped clean on the outside while dirty inside. The Pharisees took exceptional care of their outward appearance and neglected their inward spirits. We are guilty of allowing our hearts to be left filthy as well. We look and act as we should while our souls are full of darkness. We must continue to converse with the Holy Spirit daily and trust His guidance to cleanse our sinful nature.
Prayer
Dear God, Please forgive our sinful nature. We yearn for cleansing from within, so we are genuine witnesses to Your name. In Jesus' Name, Amen.
