faith is beautiful. faith is a gift that allows us to believe what we don't know for sure.
creative commons 2.0. attribution: dackelprincess, flickr.
Wednesday, January 26, 2022
Saturday, January 22, 2022
Wednesday, January 12, 2022
Matthew 5:3
"Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven."
- Humility: It signifies a humble and contrite heart, acknowledging one's spiritual poverty and dependence on God. It is the opposite of arrogance, pride, and self-sufficiency.
- Recognition of Need: Those who are 'poor in spirit' recognize their need for God's grace, forgiveness, and guidance in their lives. They understand that they cannot achieve righteousness or salvation on their own merits.
- Openness to God: Being 'poor in spirit' implies a willingness to submit to God's will, to be open to His teachings, and to be receptive to the transformation of one's character by the Holy Spirit."
the Lord's prayer
Our FATHER in heaven, HALLOWED be YOUR NAME, your KINGDOM come, your WILL be done, on earth as in heaven.
Give us today our daily bread; and forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors;
and do not subject us to the final test, but deliver us from the evil one.
Matthew 6: 9-13
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Thursday, January 6, 2022
never been born?
"For the Son of Man indeed goes, as it is written of him, but woe to that man by whom the Son of Man is betrayed. It would be better for that man if he had never been born."
Mark 14:21
9 Of others no memory remains,
for when they perished, they perished,
As if they had never lived,
they and their children after them.
10 Yet these also were godly;
their virtues have not been forgotten.
11 Their wealth remains in their families,
their heritage with their descendants.
12 Through God’s covenant their family endures,
and their offspring for their sake.
13 And for all time their progeny will endure,
their glory will never be blotted out;
"Of others no memory remains,
for when they perished, they perished,
As if they had never lived,
they and their children after them.
9 Of others no memory remains,
for when they perished, they perished,
As if they had never lived,
they and their children after them.
10 Yet these also were godly;
their virtues have not been forgotten.
11 Their wealth remains in their families,
their heritage with their descendants.
12 Through God’s covenant their family endures,
and their offspring for their sake.
13 And for all time their progeny will endure,
their glory will never be blotted out;
14 Their bodies are buried in peace,
but their name lives on and on.
15 At gatherings their wisdom is retold,
and the assembly proclaims their praises.
but their name lives on and on.
15 At gatherings their wisdom is retold,
and the assembly proclaims their praises.
sirach 44: 9-15
I believe that God loves all of His creations as a father loves his children--even when his children fail to do his will. would a human father wish eternal fire and brimstone, weeping and gnashing of teeth for his disobedient child (see Luke 15: 11-32)? while there may be some exceptions, I think not. perhaps "never been born" is the manifestation of God's justice working together with God's love for all of His children.
for when they perished, they perished,
As if they had never lived,
they and their children after them.
... their bodies are buried in peace...".
may all of the souls of the faithfully departed (including disobedient ones) rest in peace. amen.
Monday, January 3, 2022
matthew 8: 5-13
ever since I was a kid, matthew 8: 5-13 has been one of my favorite bible stories.
He said to him, “I will come and cure him.”
The centurion said in reply, “Lord, I am not worthy to have you enter under my roof; only say the word and my servant will be healed. For I too am a person subject to authority, with soldiers subject to me. And I say to one, ‘Go,’ and he goes; and to another, ‘Come here,’ and he comes; and to my slave, ‘Do this,’ and he does it.”
When Jesus heard this, he was amazed and said to those following him, “Amen, I say to you, in no one in Israel have I found such faith. I say to you, many will come from the east and the west, and will recline with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob at the banquet in the kingdom of heaven, but the children of the kingdom will be driven out into the outer darkness, where there will be wailing and grinding of teeth.”
And Jesus said to the centurion, “You may go; as you have believed, let it be done for you.” And at that very hour [his] servant was healed.
I'm no longer a child. I'm 75 years old and I still love this story. when I was in the army, it was said that company commander (typically a captain) was the best job in the army. a company commander commands about 100 men. as an enlisted man, I could easily see why company commander is the best job in the army. "... For I too am a person subject to authority, with soldiers subject to me. And I say to one, ‘Go,’ and he goes; and to another, ‘Come here,’ and he comes; and to my slave, ‘Do this,’ and he does it.”
after the army, I spent 40+ years in the business world as a civil engineer. during my later years, I managed relatively small groups of engineers and technicians (much less than 100). I knew full well what it meant to be "a person subject to authority, with others subject to me".
Today I think the things that I most love about this story is the centurion's faith and his begging Jesus to heal his servant. when I think about it, that's the posture with which we should all approach Jesus--as beggars with faith. we are sinners. Jesus is our Savior. why wouldn't we have faith? why wouldn't we beg for His mercy and forgiveness? why wouldn't our faith in Jesus be as strong as the centurion's?
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