Most people have the best of intentions, but they are not secure enough to express love by listening in depth when others express some idea or intention that they believe is wrong.
- Morton T. Kelsey
(That is difficult, isn't it? Disagreements can come later, but listening comes first -- an excellent opportunity to practice loving.)
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2 COR 11:1-11; PS 111:1B-2, 3-4, 7-8
MT 6:7-15
Jesus said to his disciples:
"In praying, do not babble like the pagans,
who think that they will be heard because of their many words.
Do not be like them.
Your Father knows what you need before you ask him.
"This is how you are to pray:
'Our Father who art in heaven,
hallowed be thy name,
thy Kingdom come,
thy will be done,
on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread;
and forgive us our trespasses,
as we forgive those who trespass against us;
and lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil.'
"If you forgive others their transgressions,
your heavenly Father will forgive you.
But if you do not forgive others,
neither will your Father forgive your transgressions."
Reflection on the Scriptures |
It is so good to reflect upon the prayer Jesus taught us, so that we'll be less likely the "babble on" this Sunday when we recite his prayer together, in common. Even powerful words can become so automatic, that they can lose quite a bit of their power. For example, we should say, "I love you" to everyone we really love, every day. But, we have to say those three simple words,
knowing what they mean and letting that meaning come from my heart to the person I love.
Abba. Jesus begins by urging us to be tender in our address to God. We may have difficulties with the word "Father" (whatever issues we might have with "paternalism" or painful experiences of our own absent or difficult father), but Jesus uses the word, Abba, which shocked his listeners for its intimacy. It is an affectionate address, closer to "Papa." It is such an act of "community" to
begin with the words "Our Abba." Jesus shows us we are never alone before the God and Father of us all.
(Reflection continues for the rest of the prayer; see link below.)
Andy Alexander, S.J.
Revelations of Divine Love
- by Julian of Norwich
Fourteenth Revelation, Chapter 59
“Jesus Christ that doeth Good against evil is our Very Mother: we have our Being of Him where the Ground of Motherhood beginneth,—with all the sweet Keeping by Love, that endlessly followeth.”
For in these three is all our life: Nature, Mercy, Grace: whereof we have meekness and mildness; patience and pity; and hating of sin and of wickedness,—for it belongeth properly to virtue to hate sin and wickedness. And thus is Jesus our Very Mother in Nature [by virtue] of our first making; and He is our Very Mother in Grace, by taking our nature made. All the fair working, and all the sweet natural
office of dearworthy Motherhood is impropriated to the Second Person: for in Him we have this Godly Will whole and safe without end, both in Nature and in Grace, of His own proper Goodness. I understood three manners of beholding of Motherhood in God: the first is grounded in our Nature’s making; the second is taking of our nature,— and there beginneth the Motherhood of Grace; the third is Motherhood of working,—and therein is a forthspreading by the same Grace, of length and breadth and height
and of deepness without end. And all is one Love.
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