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To be like Christ.
This is our goal, plain and simple.
It sounds like a peaceful, relaxing, easy objective. But stop and think. He learned obedience by the things he suffered.
So must we.
It is neither easy nor quick nor natural. It is impossible in the flesh, slow in coming, and supernatural in scope.
Only Christ can accomplish it within us.
("To be like Christ." Be mindful of this focus throughout the day.)
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IS 42:1-7; PS 27:1, 2, 3, 13-14
Gospel JN 12:1-11
Six days before Passover Jesus came to Bethany,
where Lazarus was, whom Jesus had raised from the dead.
They gave a dinner for him there, and Martha served,
while Lazarus was one of those reclining at table with him.
Mary took a liter of costly perfumed oil
made from genuine aromatic nard
and anointed the feet of Jesus and dried them with her hair;
the house was filled with the fragrance of the oil.
Then Judas the Iscariot, one of his disciples,
and the one who would betray him, said,
"Why was this oil not sold for three hundred days' wages
and given to the poor?"
He said this not because he cared about the poor
but because he was a thief and held the money bag
and used to steal the contributions.
So Jesus said, "Leave her alone.
Let her keep this for the day of my burial.
You always have the poor with you, but you do not always have me."
The large crowd of the Jews found out that he was there and came,
not only because of him, but also to see Lazarus,
whom he had raised from the dead.
And the chief priests plotted to kill Lazarus too,
because many of the Jews were turning away
and believing in Jesus because of him.
USCCB Lectionary
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Praying the Daily Gospels: A Guide to Meditation, by Philip St. Romain, 2018 (3rd ed.)
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John 12: 1-11 (Mary anoints Jesus)
We begin Holy Week with a reading that anticipates Jesus’ death and burial. Earlier in John’s Gospel, Mary had chosen to sit at the feet of Jesus while Martha, her sister, criticized her for not helping with housework. In today’s passage Judas criticizes Mary for her extravagant expression of love for Jesus, but Jesus rebukes him and affirms her display as prophetic of his burial.
• Do you believe that money and time spent on Christian art and on church worship space are scandalous in a world where so many are poor?
• Resolve to demonstrate your love for another person in an extravagant way for the glory of God.
Paperback, Kindle and eBook
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God and
I: Exploring the Connections between God, Self and Ego, by Philip St. Romain, 2016 (2nd ed.)
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Chapter 9: Spiritual Transformation -- God, Self and Ego
5. Summary
In the end, it is not so complicated. There is God and there is the human spirit, with its awareness, intelligence and freedom, living and expressing in and through a body and psyche. We are here in this world for a few years, with an opportunity to develop the potential we have been given. We are both blessed and wounded in our human relationships, which both enhance and frustrate our development.
Somewhere along the way, the Egoic aspect of Self must step up and take responsibility for our healing and unfolding. A loving God has been waiting for this moment, ready to partner with us in the journey to becoming the person God created us to be.
THE END
Hardback, paperback, eBook and free preview versions.
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