Devotion
Seeing the Glory of the Lord
Frances Taylor
Don't you just love Paul's way of making everything sound incomprehensible! Today I feel like that and have been working hard to see what he might mean. I wish I was in a group working together to see what we could come up with. I get the first part in that the early books of the Old Testament – those once thought to be written by Moses – are still being read today by all Jewish people as this is the Torah, the most sacred of their Scriptures, but without understanding that these were written to lead them to see Jesus as the Messiah. Christians reading them today see this promise fulfilled in Jesus the Christ. When we live in Christ we are living by the Spirit and living in this way brings freedom because we are living by the law of love which contains all of the commandments given to Moses. I believe that Paul is trying to tell us that we can see the glory of God reflected in our faces and in the faces of other Christians who are doing their best to follow the way of Christ in love. There are people who I have known over the years whose faces literally shine when they speak of their love of Jesus. When I am with them, I truly feel that I am looking at the living face of God. I can only hope that my life is also a witness to my love of God so that others can see God in me.
Prayer
Lord, let our love of you and our desire to live our lives following Jesus' law of love shine forth from our hearts and be visible to other so that we may draw them also to you. 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...
