|
“Don’t set your heart on something less valuable than you yourself are. If you do that, you surrender your dignity because—remember—people come to resemble what they love.”
- Catherine of Siena
(Awaken to yourself in the loving presence of God.) |
|
|
ACTS 13:26-33; PS 2:6-7, 8-9, 10-11AB
JN 14:1-6
Jesus said to his disciples:
“Do not let your hearts be troubled.
You have faith in God; have faith also in me.
In my Father’s house there are many dwelling places.
If there were not,
would I have told you that I am going to prepare a place for you?
And if I go and prepare a place for you,
I will come back again and take you to myself,
so that where I am you also may be.
Where I am going you know the
way.”
Thomas said to him,
“Master, we do not know where you are going;
how can we know the way?”
Jesus said to him, “I am the way and the truth and the life.
No one comes to the Father except through me.”
USCCB Lectionary
|
|
|
John 14:1-6 (Jesus is the way, the truth, the life)
In today’s reading Christian beliefs concerning Jesus are focused beautifully by John. Jesus is the firstborn of the new creation and he has gone to
prepare a place for us. He has revealed to us the way, the truth, and the life that will unite us with him and with one another.
• Meditate on several words/phrases that express your understanding/experience of Jesus as the way, the truth, and the life.
• Does your belief in life after death empower you to live more fully now, or does it cause you to procrastinate your life away?
3rd edition pocketbook, trade book, Kindle, eBook.
|
|
|
|
|
|
God and I: Exploring the Connections between God, Self and Ego, by Philip St. Romain, 2016 (2nd ed.) ____________ Chapter 7: The Journey to Belonging: The Ego-God Relationship
Love's Boundaries One of the biggest objections to religion is that it is “just a bunch of rules and regulations,” and one of the biggest misunderstandings people have concerning God’s free offer of relationship is that rules and regulations are no longer necessary. This needs to be properly understood. Two people who love each other nevertheless have boundaries and
expectations of one another. In the case of marriage, there is the expectation that I will be faithful to my wife; not only will I not pursue romantic relationships with other women, I will not flirt with them or even indulge fantasies that are in the spirit of infidelity. I expect the same of her. This boundary creates a space wherein we can come to trust one another and enjoy deeper intimacy. It does not mean that we cease to have other relationships, of course. Almost all relationships require honesty with one another as well, and some degree of respect. Likewise, we do not expect friends to steal from us, nor would it be possible to be close to anyone who was physically or verbally violent with us. Even if we “had it coming,” violent expressions of anger push people away from each other, not closer. If some of this is sounding like the Ten Commandments, then that only
goes to show how those basic “rules and regulations” are oriented to supporting healthy relationships rather than being arbitrary and controlling. Said another way, there are moral considerations that go along with all relationships, including those established with God through faith.
Hardback, paperback, eBook and free preview versions.
|
|
|
|
|
