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Whenever you are trying to discern the will of God, quietly sense the quality of your deepest being. Wait patiently. Maybe use
your active imagination to create alternative choices. Again, wait patiently. Sense whether there is peace or confusion, consolation or desolation. Then do your best and trust God.
- Rev. Lowell Grisham
(Give this a try with some decision you are trying to make at this time.) For a more thorough process to discern God's will concerning an important issue in your life, click here. |
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Heb 12:4-7, 11-15; Psalm
103:1-2, 13-14, 17-18a Mk 6:1-6 Jesus departed from there and came to his native place, accompanied by his disciples.
When the sabbath came he began to teach in the
synagogue,
and many who heard him were astonished.
They said, “Where did this man get all this?
What kind of wisdom has been given him?
What mighty deeds are wrought by his hands!
Is he not the carpenter, the son of Mary,
and the brother of James and Joseph and Judas and Simon?
And are not his sisters
here with us?”
And they took offense at him.
Jesus said to them,
“A prophet is not without honor except in his native place
and among his own kin and in his own house.”
So he was not able to perform any mighty deed there,
apart from curing a few sick people by laying his hands on them.
He was amazed at
their lack of faith. USCCB lectionary
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Reflection on the Scripture
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“Do not disdain the discipline of the Lord.” —Hebrews 12:5
When many of today’s Christians hear about the discipline of the Lord, they think of . . . being faithful to daily prayer and Bible reading, fasting, and persevering in a commitment to serve the Lord. When the writer of Hebrews thought of discipline, he thought of Christians having their blood shed (Heb 12:4) and being martyred. The people to whom the book of Hebrews was addressed also knew discipline to be public insult and trial, imprisonment, and the confiscation of
their possessions by the government (Heb 10:33-34). Our disciplines seem to be luxuries compared with their discipline.
The difference in the ways we and the Hebrews look at discipline shows that we live in different times. Violent persecution has not hit that close to home for most of us. However, our differences may also indicate that our lives in Christ are watered-down,
non-threatening to the devil, and sinfully bland. What do you think? Prayer: Father, I come to light a fire on the earth (see Lk 12:49). Promise: “Strive for peace with all people, and for that holiness without which no one can see the Lord. See to it that no man
falls away from the grace of God; that no bitter root springs up through which many may become defiled.” —Heb 12:14-15 Presentation Ministries
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What is Christian Love? by Philip St. Romain (all rights reserved) Adapted from Freedom from Codependency: A Christian Response - The Nature of Christian Love - What about sin? Does God love us even
when we sin? These questions are answered clearly in Christ’s teaching and life. Yes, God loves us even when we sin. There is not one example in Scripture of Christ turning away from someone because that person was too bad for him. In fact, it was precisely his willingness to be available to sinners that scandalized the Jewish leaders. So we can
have no doubt about it: God loves sinners, and this means you! Unlike dysfunctional people, however, Christ made a distinction between person and behavior. He loved people, but he frequently disagreed with and confronted unhealthy and sinful behavior. He did not judge people on the basis of behavior, but he did judge behavior on the basis of whether or not it was moral or immoral. “Love the sinner, but hate the sin” was his
attitude. Paperback book, PDF eBook, Kindle, ePub
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