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Message of the Day
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I grew up thinking that God's will was a railroad track that was already headed in a direction that I had no say about. A railroad track that if I ever fell off, I could not get back on. Instead I have found finding God's will to be a dynamic, dialogical process of co-creation.
- Marilyn Beckstrom, In the Beginning: A Look at Creation
Myths
(What is your image of God's will? What does "doing God's will" mean to you?)
- see also: http://shalomplace.com/view/discerning.html
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Lectionary Readings
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1 KGS 18:41-46; PS 65:10-13; MT 5:20-26
R. It is right to praise you in Zion, O God.
You have visited the land
and watered it;
greatly have you enriched it.
God's watercourses are filled;
you have prepared the grain.
Thus have
you prepared the land:
drenching its furrows, breaking up its clods,
Softening it with showers,
blessing its yield.
You have crowned the year with your bounty,
and your paths overflow with a rich harvest;
The untilled meadows overflow with it,
and rejoicing clothes the hills.
USCCB Lectionary
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Reflection on the Gospel
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Jesus looks deeper than human behavior to identify sources of
goodness and sin. Behavior follows one's state of being, he teaches; actions are always preceded by thoughts about the actions. If we are to transform our angry selves, we must begin to think peaceful thoughts, and we must also reconcile with our enemies.
* C. S. Lewis wrote that the Nazis hated the Jews and so they mistreated them. After a while they hated the Jews because they mistreated them. Are there people in
your life who suffer the same lot from you?
* What are some occasions of anger for you? What do you usually do with your anger? How can you change your attitude toward these occasions to lessen your anger?
* Pray for the grace to be more patient with other people.
- from Praying the Daily Gospels
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Spiritual Reading
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The Cloud of Unknowing, by Anonymous That a man should bidingly travail in this work, and suffer the pain thereof, and judge no man.
AND therefore, whoso coveteth to come to cleanness that he lost for sin, and to win to that well?being where all woe wanteth, him behoveth bidingly to travail in this work, and suffer the pain thereof,
whatsoever that he be: whether he have been an accustomed sinner or none.
All men have travail in this work; both sinners, and innocents that never sinned greatly. But far greater travail have those that have been sinners than they that have been none; and that is great reason. Nevertheless, ofttimes it befalleth that some that have been horrible and accustomed sinners come sooner to the perfection of this work than
those that have been none. And this is the merciful miracle of our Lord, that so specially giveth His grace, to the wondering of all this world. Now truly I hope that on Doomsday it shall be fair, when that God shall be seen clearly and all His gifts. Then shall some that now be despised and set at little or nought as common sinners, and peradventure some that now be horrible sinners, sit full seemly with saints in His sight: when some of those that seem now full holy and be worshipped of men
as angels, and some of those yet peradventure, that never yet sinned deadly, shall sit full sorry amongst hell caves.
Hereby mayest thou see that no man should be judged of other here in this life, for good nor for evil that they do. Nevertheless deeds may lawfully be judged, but not the man, whether they be good or evil.- Chapter
29
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