Devotion
The Successor
Frances Taylor
Moses has died and has appointed Joshua as his successor. God has guided Moses in his choice of successor and has guided Joshua to respond. The people accept Joshua as their leader because Moses had laid hands on him, blessing him and charging him with this responsibility. Joshua would be followed by many others, some leaders better than others, until the Israelites demand a king. These would soon be joined by prophets who would remind the kings to keep the commandments and trust God. John the Baptist was the last of the prophets preparing the way for the promised Messiah. Jesus brought the message of salvation and left the job of spreading that message to the Apostles, who have passes it on to us. We are in many ways the successors to both Moses and Jesus. It is our job to remind others of the need to keep the commandments, to trust God and to follow in the footsteps of Jesus. Just as Joshua was blessed by Moses in the laying on of hands, we have been blessed when we were washed in the waters of Baptism.
We have been called and anointed to be disciples, to spread the Good News of salvation won for us be Jesus, and to lead by word and example the way to follow him, In our Baptism, we said "yes" to God. We accepted the challenge. It is up to us to come to know Jesus and his message so that we can proclaim it to the world. Sounds difficult, doesn't it? However, just as Joshua had God beside him every step of the way, so we are promised the same. Will we be as willing to accept the responsibility as Joshua was?
Prayer
Lord, it can be difficult to be a Christian in our world today. Give us the courage to live as we should and to trust that you are with us as we work to bring your message of love to others. 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...
