Devotion
A Sign
Frances Taylor
This passage from 1Kings refers to the question of who was God – Yahweh or Baal. There had been a severe drought and the prophets of Baal set up a test with Elijah as to whether the God of Israel or Baal could end the drought. No matter how the prophets of Baal tried to bring fire to their sacrifice, they failed. As we see, when Elijah prayed, God brought fire down that consumed everything and the people believed. We have just ended the Easter Season and celebrated the coming of the Holy Spirit on Pentecost but are we still looking for a sign?
We are given signs all the time but we need eyes of faith to see them. They're not as dramatic as with Elijah, but no less powerful. We hear all about the disasters that happen and don't quickly forget, but we don't always hear of the miracles that occur. We know about plane crashes when all die, but there have also been those when all lived. A mine collapses in Chile and all are rescued. A hurricane or tornado or other natural disaster occurs and millions of people work to put things right with money or volunteering their expertise, whatever it takes. All of these are signs that God is working in our world. What kind of sign do we need? There will never be an end to tragedy. So much of what is wrong in our world is a direct result of the action of people using their free will. There's not much we can do about that, but we can look for the little miracles that happen every day instead of the tragedies. The cancer that is caught in time, the donor match that means a person will live, the couple that has tried for years to have a child and now are pregnant, the day you were late for work and missed being involved in a terrible accident, all these are daily miracles. If we look, we'll see the signs.
Prayer
Lord, we do believe, help our unbelief. 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...
