Thou hast given so much to me,
Give one thing more, - a
grateful heart;
Not thankful when it pleaseth me,
As if Thy blessings had spare days,
But such a heart whose pulse may be Thy praise.
~ George Herbert |
2 COR 4:7-15; PS 116:10-11, 15-16, 17-18
MT 5:27-32
Jesus said to his disciples:
"You have heard that it was said, You shall not commit adultery.
But I
say to you,
everyone who looks at a woman with lust
has already committed adultery with her in his heart.
If your right eye causes you to sin,
tear it out and throw it away.
It is better for you to lose one of your members
than to have your whole body thrown into Gehenna.
And if your right hand causes you to sin,
cut it off and throw it away.
It is better for you to lose one of your members
than to have your whole body go into
Gehenna.
"It was also said,
Whoever divorces his wife must give her a bill of divorce.
But I say to you,
whoever divorces his wife (unless the marriage is unlawful)
causes her to commit adultery,
and whoever marries a divorced woman commits adultery."
Reflection on the
Scriptures |
What a wonderful feeling it is to know that we own something more valuable than all the gold in Ft. Knox and that this magnificent treasure is within us each and every day. But as Paul alludes to in the reading, with great treasure comes great responsibility, duty and sacrifice, for living the Gospel is not easy. Much like the old saying about knowing too much for your own good, having our
earthen vessel filled with the Gospel will at times leave us afflicted but not constrained; perplexed, but not destroyed; persecuted, but not abandoned.
Jesus never said that it would be easy to follow his teachings, but isn’t that what God really wants of us? To live a life of choices that glorify Him and
our relationship with Him? To do the right thing when it comes to serving others, even when no one is watching? To live a life filled with love for all mankind?
. . . God did not give us this gift to hoard, for the Gospel is for everyone. He gave it to us to share for the greater glory of God, so that others may know of His love for us. And remember, this gift cannot be exhausted, no matter how hard
we try, so share it with others liberally, confident that our earthen vessels will never in our lifetime be depleted of the teachings of Christ.
- by Steve Scholer Revelations of Divine
Love - by Julian of Norwich
Thirteenth Revelation, Chapter 39
“Sin is the sharpest scourge. . . .
By contrition we are made clean, by compassion we are made ready, and by true longing towards God we are made worthy.”
By contrition we are made clean, by compassion we are made ready, and by true longing toward God we are made worthy. These are three means, as I understand, whereby that all souls come to
heaven: that is to say, that have been sinners in earth and shall be saved: for by these three medicines it behoveth that every soul be healed. Though the soul be healed, his wounds are seen afore God,—not as wounds but as worships. And so on the contrary-wise, as we be punished here with sorrow and penance, we shall be rewarded in heaven by the courteous love of our Lord God Almighty, who willeth that none that come there lose his travail in any degree. For He [be]holdeth sin as sorrow and pain
to His lovers, to whom He assigneth no blame, for love. The meed that we shall receive shall not be little, but it shall be high, glorious, and worshipful. And so shall shame be turned to worship and more joy. |
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