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If we do not at least try to manifest something of Creative Charity in our dealings with life, whether by action, thought, or prayer, and do it at our own cost -- if we roll up the talent of love in the nice white napkin of piety and put it safely out of the way, sorry that the world is so hungry and thirsty, so sick and so fettered, and
leave it at that: then, even that little talent may be taken from us. We may discover at the crucial moment that we are spiritually bankrupt.
... Evelyn Underhill, The School of Charity
(How will you "manifest something of Creative Charity" this day? Pray for the grace to be true to your resolution.)
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IS 2:1-5; PS 122:1-2, 3-4B, 4CD-5, 6-7, 8-9
MT
8:5-11
When Jesus entered Capernaum,
a centurion approached him and appealed to him, saying,
"Lord, my servant is lying at home paralyzed, suffering dreadfully."
He said to him, "I will come and cure him."
The centurion said in reply,
"Lord, I am not worthy to have you enter under my
roof;
only say the word and my servant will be healed.
For I too am a man subject to authority,
with soldiers subject to me.
And I say to one, 'Go,' and he goes;
and to another, 'Come here,' and he comes;
and to my slave, 'Do this,' and he does it."
When Jesus heard this, he was amazed and said to those following him,
"Amen, I say to you, in no one in Israel have I found such faith.
I say to you, many will come from the east and the west,
and will
recline with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob
at the banquet in the Kingdom of heaven." USCCB lectionary
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Reflection on the Scripture |
"From Zion shall go forth instruction, and the
word of the Lord from Jerusalem." —Isaiah 2:3
As you begin this Advent season and your preparations for Christ's Christmas coming, receive and share God's Word. Talk, teach, or give God's Word. Pray and work to reach several thousand new subscribers for One Bread, One Body. Include God's Word in your Christmas cards.
If each of us does our part in reaching out with God's Word, the Lord's promise will be fulfilled: "They shall beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks; one nation shall not raise the sword against another, nor shall they train for war again. O house of Jacob, come, let us walk in the light of the Lord!" (Is 2:4-5) Be a messenger of God's Word.
Prayer: Father, may I go, come, and do as You say (see Mt 8:9).
Promise: "In days to come, the mountain of the Lord's house shall be established as the highest mountain and raised above the hills." —Is 2:2
Presentation Ministries
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From Meditation to Contemplation, by James Arraj - Reprinted from St. John of the Cross and Dr. C. G. Jung.
Entering the Dark Night, pt. 3
Even sadder than the misunderstanding of the beginner is the virtual absence of adequate direction. This grave lack of direction is what prompted St. John
to return again and again to a detailed description of this predicament and the practical remedy for it. It also forced from him some of the most vehement denouncements to be found in all his writings. He likens the erring directors to blacksmiths who know only how to pound on the delicate workings of the soul, and to crude artisans who clumsily dab away at beautiful paintings, smearing them with strange colors, instead of leading them gently into the necessary detachment and simplicity. The
soul’s lack of understanding and poor direction are compounded in St. John’s mind by the work of the devil. The evil one takes his stand with great cunning on the road which leads from sense to spirit. He tries with all his wiles to prevent the soul from passing over into this higher state of prayer where he can meddle with much less effectiveness. He torments them, especially those called to greater perfection, with severe temptations in the form of scrupulosity, urges to blaspheme and sins
against chastity.
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