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"God hugs you.
You are encircled in the arms
of the mystery of God."
- Hildegarde of Bingen -
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ROM 4:1-8; PS 32:1B-2, 5, 11; LK 12:1-7
R. I
turn to you, Lord, in time of trouble, and you fill me with the joy of salvation . Blessed is he whose fault is taken away, whose sin is covered. Blessed
the man to whom the LORD imputes not guilt, in whose spirit there is no guile.
Then I acknowledged my sin to you, my guilt I covered
not. I said, “I confess my faults to the LORD,” and you took away the guilt of my sin.
Be glad in the LORD and rejoice, you just; exult, all you upright of heart.
USCCB Lectionary
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The word hypocrite means actor - someone who pretends to be what he or she is not. But who can truly be good, but God alone? Hypocrisy thrives on making a good appearance and masking what they don't want others to see. The good news is that God's light exposes the darkness of evil and sin in our
hearts, even the sin which is unknown to us. And God's light transforms our hearts and minds and enables us to overcome hatred with love, pride with humility, and pretense with integrity and truthfulness. God gives grace to the humble and contrite of heart to enable us to overcome the leaven of insincerity and hypocrisy in our lives.
What does fear have to do with the kingdom of God? Fear is a powerful force. It can lead us to panic and flight or it can spur us to faith and action. The fear of God is the antidote to the fear of losing one's life. "I sought the Lord, and he answered me, and delivered me from all my fears... O fear the Lord, you his saints, for those who fear him have no want! ..Come, O sons, listen to me, I will teach you the fear of the Lord." (Psalm
34:4,9,11)
What is godly fear? It is reverence for the One who made us in love and who sustains us in mercy and kindness. The greatest injury or loss which we can experience is not physical but spiritual - the loss of one's soul and life to the power of hell. A healthy fear of God leads to spiritual maturity, wisdom,
and right judgment and it frees us from the tyranny of sinful pride, deceit, and cowardice - especially in the face of evil, falsehood, and deception. Do you trust in God's grace and mercy and do you submit to his life-giving word of truth and righteousness (moral goodness)?
"Lord Jesus, may the light of your word free
my heart from the deception of sin and consume me with a burning love for your truth and righteousness." DailyScripture.net
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The Way of Perfection, by Teresa of Avila (1515-1582)
Treats of these words in the Paternoster: "Dimitte nobis debita nostra."
The thing is enough to make one laugh -- or, it would
be more proper to say, to make one weep. After all, the Order does not command us not to be humble: it commands us to do everything in due form. And in matters which concern my own esteem I ought not to be so formal as to insist that this detail of our Rule shall be kept as strictly as the rest, which we may in fact be observing very imperfectly. We must not put all our effort into observing just this one detail: let my interests be looked after by others -- I will forget about myself
altogether. The fact is, although we shall never rise as far as Heaven in this way, we are attracted by the thought of rising higher, and we dislike climbing down. O, Lord, Lord, art Thou our Example and our Master? Yes, indeed. And wherein did Thy honour consist, O Lord, Who hast honoured us? Didst Thou perchance lose it when Thou wert humbled even to death? No, Lord, rather didst Thou gain it for all. - Chapter 36
(Keep in mind that she is writing to sisters in a cloistered contemplative order.) Paperback (Kindle edition available)
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