Father,
you created me and put me on earth for a purpose.
Jesus, you died for me and called me to complete your work.
Holy spirit, you help me to carry out the work
for which I was created and called.
In your presence and name - I begin my meditation.
May all my thoughts and inspirations
have their origin in you
and be directed to your glory.
2. READ the reflection (~1 min)
3. THINK about what struck you most as your read the reflection. Why this? (~4 min)
4. SPEAK to God about your thoughts. (1 min)
5. LISTEN to God's response. Simply rest in God's presence with an open mind and an open heart. (4 min)
6. END each reflection by praying Our Father slowly and reverently.
This week's theme:
Who am I?
Someone said, "I am three persons: the person I think I am, the person you think I am, and the person I really am."
The daily meditations of this week are designed to help you get a clearer picture of the real you- not the "you" you think you are not, not the "you" other people think you are, but the "you" you really are."
O Lord... what are human beings that you are mindful of them,
Day 1 (Monday)
mortals that you care for them?...
You have made them a little lower than God,
and crowned them with glory and honor.
PSALM 8:1,4-5
Philosopher Arthur Schopenhauer was walking down the street one day. He
was lost in thought. Quite accidentally he bumped into another
pedestrian. Still lost in thought, he kept on walking. The pedestrian
shouted, "Well, who do you think you are?" The absent-minded philosopher
was heard to mumble,
"Who am I? How I wish I knew!"
Astronaut John Glenn says a standard test for astronaut candidate was to
have them give twenty answers to the question "Who am I?" "The first few
answers," he said, "were easy. After that, it got harder."
What are three significant answers I would give to the question "Who am I?"
A humble knowledge of myself
is a sure way to God
than a search after learning.
THOMAS A KEMPIS
Then God Said,
Day 2
"And now we will make human beings;
they will be like us and resemble us."
GENESIS 1:26
Cartoonist Thomas Nast was at a party with some close friends. Someone asked him to draw a quick caricature of each person present. He obliged. Then he passed the sketches around for everyone to look at. There was a lot of laughing and joking. Then something unexpected became evident. While everyone recognized the others instantly, few recognized themselves at first glance. When it comes to ourselves, we often have a blind spot. That is, we fail to see ourselves as others see us. We fail to recognize our most obvious traits: our strengths, weaknesses, mannerisms.
What two words would I pick to describe myself?
What two words might my best friend pick to describe me?
What two words might God pick to describe me?
How would I account for the differences?
If I saw myself as my friends and other people see me,
I would need an introduction.
AUTHOR UNKNOWN
[Jesus said,]
Day 3
"Even the hairs of your head have all been counted."
Luke 12:7
They say the heads of blondes contain about 150,000 hairs; brunets, about
125,000; and redheads about 100,000.
It's hard to verify this count.
But the big numbers help us appreciate the example Jesus used one day.
Pointing to a flock of sparrows, he said to the people, "Aren't five
sparrows sold for two pennies?
Yet not one sparrow is forgotten by
God."
No doubt Jesus ran his fingers through the hair of a little girl,
smiled, and said, "Even the hairs of your head have all been counted.
So do not be afraid; you are worth much more than many sparrows!"
In other words, Jesus assures us that we are precious in God's sight.
God treasures us beyond our wildest imagining.
Thus, one answer to the
question "Who am I?" is this: "I am someone treasured by God."
Why does God treasure me?
What is one talent I have? How am I using it?
How might I put it to better use in the future?
Under all the false, overloaded, glittering masquerade,
there is in every person a noble nature.
B. Auerbach
They said to one another,
Day 4
"Here comes that dreamer...
Let's kill him... Then we will see
what becomes of his dreams."
GENESIS 37:19-20
"I have a dream that one day
this nation will rise up and live out true meaning of its creed:
' We hold these truths to be self-evident; that all men are created
equal.'
I have a dream that one day
on the red hills of Georgia
the sons of former slaves and the sons of former slaveowners
will be able to sit down together at the table of brotherhood...
This is our hope.
This is the faith that I go back to the South with.
With this faith, we will be able to hew out of the mountains of despair
a stone of hope."
MARTIN LUTHER KING, JR.
What is a dream I have for our nation as a whole?
For myself as an individual?
It isn't a calamity
to die with dreams unfulfilled,
but it is a calamity not to dream.
BENJAMIN E. MAYS
Each one should judge his own conduct...
Day 5
without having to compare it
with what someone else has done.
GALATIANS 6:4
A woman was riding on a train. Suddenly she caught sight of a white
cottage on a hillside. Against the backdrop of dark green grass, the
cottage sparkled in the sun and was a lovely sight.
Months later the
same woman was on the same train.
Now it was winter, and snow covered
the ground.
The woman remembered the cottage and watched for it.
This
time she was shocked. Against the backdrop of the sparkling snow, the
cottage looked dirty and drab.
There's a lesson here.
We tend to
compare ourselves with those around us.
The story of the cottage shows
how misleading this can be.
It all depends on who happens to be around
us when we make our judgment.
What criterion do I use to judge
how well I am doing as a person?
Using this criterion, how would I rate myself on
a scale of one(low) to seven(high)?
In the twilight of life,
The Lord said...
The movie Mask is based on the true story of sixteen-year-old Rocky
Dennis.
What do I like best about my "inside" person?
It is better to be patient than powerful.
We know that when Christ appears,
There's a legend about an Indian boy who found an eagle's egg.
He took the egg home and put it in a chicken's nest.
A baby eagle hatched out of the egg and grew up with
the other baby chickens.
How is the legend of the eagle a parable of who I really am?
We are stardust, we are golden-
This week's theme:
Two women named Hooker wrote letters to columnist Ann Landers.
The second woman explained that a sense of humor has made all the
difference.
The reaction of the two women is typical of how different people react
differently to the same situation.
This week's meditations invite you to ask, What is my reaction to who I
am?
The grace you ask is:
Lord, give me
[Lord,]
A teacher gave this assignment to her students:
What is one special gift or unique talent
that God has blessed me with?
Lord, help me to root out from my heart
I have the strength to face all conditions
Tom Dempsey was born with no right hand and with
only half a right foot.
What is the closest thing to a "handicap" that God has given me?
I thank God for my handicaps,
Be glad about...[the] trials you suffer.
Near Cirpple Creek in Colorado, telluride ore contains gold and
tellurium.
Early refining methods couldn't separate the two, so the ore was thrown
away.
One day a miner mistook a lump of ore for coal and tossed it into his
stove.
What trial or affliction in my life helped me most to discover the gold
inside me?
It ain't possible to explain some things.
Once there was a man who went out to sow grain.
A saying reads, "I will set my face to the wind and scatter my seeds on
high."
That's a poetic way of saying that God expects us to use our
talents(seeds) to
better our world.
What tends to keep me from believing
that my life has meaning and value?
How can I overcome this stumbling block?
Each is given a bag of tools,
A shapeless mass,/ A book of rules;
And each must make-/ Ere life is flown-
A stumbling block/ Or a steppingstone.
JR.L. SHARPE
[Jesus said,]
James Du Pont recalls this childhood episode. He awoke one night to hear
his mother sobbing loudly. It was the first time he had ever heard her
cry.
When did I learn firsthand that life can be hard and cruel?
What can I do to make sure that life's hardships and cruelty will make me
better-
not bitter?
Things "turn out best"
[Jesus said,]
When Glenn Cunningham was seven years old, his legs were burned so badly
that doctors considered amputation.
How tenaciously am I willing to strive-
against odds- to reach a goal I value?
Big shots
Happy are you poor;
Critics called Marc Chagall the greatest artist of the twentieth century.
In My Life, Chagall tells how he grew up in a poor Jewish family in
Russia. His interest in art was aroused when he watched a classmate copy
a picture from a magazine.
What experience from my childhood or early family life
is impacting my present life in a major way- for good?
Happy are they who grieve not
This week's theme:
Jerry Kramer played for the Green Bay Packers and made the All-Pro team
four times.
In one entry, Jerry talks about the movie Cool Hand Luke.
This week's meditations
Lord, help me discover the meaning that you intended my life to have
when you created me.
Where have you come from
King Edwin lived in seventh-century England.
If someone asked me
Make sure the thing you're living for
Teach us how short our life is,
In the play Our Town, Emily dies giving birth to her first child.
To what extent do I tend to live
in the fast lane, forgetting to stop and
smell the flowers now and then?
Our lives are songs; God writes the words
[Jesus said,] They look, but do not see,
Starbuck is a character in the play The Rainmaker.
He's unhappy with life but doesn't know why. Another character, named
Lizzie, says it's his own fault. He never pauses long enough to see life
as it really is. Then Lizzie gives him an example. She says that
sometimes she watches her father playing cards with her brothers. At first
she sees only a man, not very attractive or interesting to look at. But as
she continues to look, she begins to see other things. "I'll see little
things I never saw in him before. Good things and bad things-queer little
habits I never...paid any mind to. And suddenly I know who he is and I
love him so much I could cry! And I want to thank God I took the time to
see him real."
What one thing, especially, keeps me
from pausing to see life and people
as they really are?
Nothing here below is profane
[Jesus said,] " Don't be all upset...
A motorist drove into a "full-service" station. Three attendants charged
out to service his car. When they finished, the motorist paid for the ten
gallons of gas and drove off. Three minutes later he returned, saying,
"I'm embarrassed to ask you this, but did anyone put gas in my car?" The
attendants looked at one another. In their rush to serve, they had
forgotten the gas. What happened to the attendants sometimes happens to
us. We get so involved in living life that we forget why God gave us life.
,P>
In what sense might I be like
the attendants at the gas station?
While it is well enough
[Jesus said,] " Whoever loses his life for me
There's a movie star in John O'Hara's novel The Last Laugh. He has been an
SOB all of his life. Eventually his career goes into a tailspin, and he
ends up a complete zero. Realizing his situation, he says to himself, "At
least I was once the idol of movie fans all over the country. Nobody can
take that away from me." When you read this, you feel like laughing out
loud and saying, "Big deal, buster! Who cares now!"
If my life continues on its current course,
how content will I be at death?
How successful in God's eyes will it have been?
To every man there openeth
[Jesus said,] " Does a person gain anything
A basketball team had just celebrated a prayer service before playing in
the state tournament. During the service, the chaplain said to the team,
"The important thing ten years from now won't be whether or not you won the
state championship. Rather, it will be what you became in the process of
trying to win it." After the prayer service, the coach said to the
players: "Sit down a minute. Our chaplain said something that is bothering
me. I wonder what we've become trying to put together a winning season.
Have we become more loyal to one another? More loving? Better Christians?
I hope to God that we have. Because if we haven't, we've failed God,
we've failed one another, we've failed ourselves."
Where am I putting my priorities: on "becoming" or "acquiring"?
What is some concrete evidence of this?
You can't turn back the clock.
"I am now giving you the choice
On the night of April 15, 1912, the Titanic hit an iceberg and sank, taking
over 1,500 lives. Seventy years later a magazine advertisement cited the
disaster and asked its readers: "If you'd been on the Titanic when it was
sinking, would you have rearranged the deck chairs?" At first we say to
ourselves, "That's a silly question." But then we get the point the ad is
making. Our world is facing a spiritual disaster, and many of us are
"rearranging the deck chairs."
The advertisement invites me to ask, Am I so caught up in my own little
world that I am forgetting about the larger world? Am I so concerned about
my own little world that I am forgetting that God created me and placed me
in the larger world for a purpose?
A time like this demands
This week's theme:
The film Laura is about a young detective assigned to investigate the
murder of a young woman named Laura. One night someone came to her
apartment and fired a shotgun blast into her face. For the next week the
detective spends all of his time in Laura's apartment, checking
everything-even reading her diary for a clue that might lead to her killer.
Then something strange happens. The more the detective learns about Laura,
the more he finds himself becoming emotionally involved. He finds himself
falling in love with her. One night, as he ponders her case in her
apartment, the key turns in the lock. The door opens, and there stands
Laura.
To make a long story short, the slain woman was someone who had used
Laura's apartment when Laura was away on vacation. The movie ends with
Laura and the detective falling in love, marrying, and living happily ever
after.
The movie is a kind of modern parable of what God wants to happen to each
of us. God wants us to study the world, falling love with its Creator, and
live happily forever after.
This week's meditations seek to help you do just that. The grace you ask
for is:
Lord my God, teach my heart
God is our shelter and strength,
In Today's Christian Woman, Sharon O'Donohue writes that in working with
young people, she suddenly realized that she herself had been spared a lot
of grief as a teenager. When she probed for a reason, she came up with
this answer: "In the early stages of my childhood, I had been taught that
someone by the name of God... was always present... How did I know? Because
I had a patient mom who listened to all my questions, who used everyday
situations to teach me that God was always there."
What role did the faith of my parents or guardians play in building my own
personal faith, especially my faith in God and God's personal care for me?
God be in my eyes-and in my looking;
God said...
In The Golden String, Bede Griffiths describes a childhood experience. He
was walking outside one summer evening and suddenly became aware of how
beautifully the birds were singing. He wondered why he had never heard them
sing like this before. Continuing to walk, he came to a field. Everything
was quiet and still. As he stood there, watching the sun slip below the
horizon, he felt inclined to kneel down. It was as though God were there in
a tangible way. He wrote later, "Now that I look back on it, it seems to
me it was one of the decisive moments of my life."
Can I recall a childhood experience
that had a powerful effect on my life? When? What?
Earth's crammed with heaven,
I am the LORD...
Thor Heyerdahl won fame by navigating a small raft, called Kon Tiki, across
4,300 miles of ocean. Oddly enough, Thor once had a deathly fear of water.
He overcame it when a canoe carrying him capsized near a waterfall in a
Canadian river. As the rapids swept him toward the falls, a strange
thought came into his mind. He would soon learn which of his parents was
right. His father believed in God; his mother did not. Then something
strange happened. The Lord's Prayer flashed into his mind, and he began to
pray. A burst of energy shot through him. He began to battle the rapids.
Some unseen power was helping him. A few minutes later he made it to shore.
That day Thor lost his fear of water and gained the sure knowledge that
his father was right.
Can I recall a time when God seemed to
help me in a special way? When? How?
God's presence is not discerned
I am the LORD your God...
One night Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., was just about to doze off when the
phone rang. A voice on the other end said, "Listen, nigger, we've taken all
we want from you. Before next week, you'll be sorry you ever came to
Montgomery." Dr. King hung up. Suddenly all his fears came crashing down
on him. He got up and heated a pot of coffee. Then he sat down at the
kitchen table, bowed his head, and prayed: "People are looking to me for
leadership, and if I stand before them without strength and courage, they
too will falter. I am at the end of my powers. I have nothing left. I've
come to the point where I can't face it alone." At that moment, Dr. King
felt God's presence as he had never felt it before.
When do I feel closest to God:
in time of need, joy, love, or prayer?
I know not where His islands lift
Be still, and know that I am God!'"
The air space in the room in which you are sitting is alive with hundreds
of television shows. They swirl about invisibly in living color and
exciting sound. This is not science fiction; it's science fact. But the
only way we can prove this fact is by means of a "big dish" and a
television set. Just as the air space around you is alive with an
invisible television world, so it is alive with an invisible faith world.
And just as we need a "big dish" and a television set to get in touch with
the invisible television world, we need prayer to get in touch with the
invisible faith world. In other words, prayer is a way to open our being
to contact with the most real of all worlds: the faith world.
Can I recall a time
since beginning to pray
when I felt in touch
with something beyond this world?
God exists within us
Listen to my words, O LORD,
An eleventh-century monk, Anselm of Canterbury, wrote a book called
Proslogion.
It contains this prayer:
On a scale of one(very little) to ten(very much), how earnestly am I
seeking God?
God is an unutterable sigh,
LORD, ... you know everything I do.'"
Eddie Rickenbacker and a crew of seven carshed into the Pacific. They
survived twenty-one days by hand-catching fish, drinking rain water, and
praying. Here's a prayer they repeated often:
Who is God for me?
The Mighty One
This week's theme:
Coach Grant Teaff of Baylor University wrote a book entitled I believe.
In it he describes an incident that happened early in his coaching
career.
He and his team were flying back to Texas on a chartered plane. Suddenly
the plane developed engine trouble. The pilot told them to prepare for a
crash landing. Minutes later the plane bellied across the ground,
engulfed n a shower of sparks. Miraculously, no one was hurt.
Later, Coach Teaff knelt and prayed:
"God, I know that you have a plan, a purpose, and a will for my life and
the lives of these young men. I do not know what it is, but I'll.. try to
impress upon the young men I coach this year and forever that there is
more to life than just playing football; that you do have a purpose for
our lives.
This week's readings take up the questions of
God's purpose in creating you.
The grace you ask for is:
Lord, put into my heart
I put my trust in you.
Doug Anderson graduated from high school with a lot of unanswered
questions. He got his parents' permission to do a 2,000-mile hike along
the Appalachian Trail from Maine to Florida. We wanted time to think
about life: Was there a God? What was the purpose of life? How ought he
to spend his life? Doug wrote later in Campus Life magazine: I thought
the answers might lie in the beautiful wilderness... There had to be more
to life than money, TV, parties, and getting high. My hike was a journey
to find myself." Five months later Doug returned home. He had found what
he was searching for. There was a God, life had a purpose, and he had a
role to play in it.
When was the last time I went off alone-like Doug-
to seek guidance concerning the purpose of life and my role in it?
With what results?
Here lies a person who exited the world
Let us love not in words or speech
Gale Sayers, who played for the Chicago Bears in the 1960s, was one of the
greatest running backs of all time. Around his neck he wore a gold medal.
On it were inscribed three words: "I Am Third."
Those words became the title of his best-selling autobiography. The book
explains why the words meant so much to Gale. They were the motto of his
track coach, Bill Easton, back at the University of Kansas. Coach Easton
kept them on a plaque on his desk. One day Gale asked him what they meant.
Easton replied, "The Lord is first, my friends are second, and I am
third." In Gale's second year with the Bears, he decided he wanted to wear
something meaningful around his neck. So he bought a gold medal and had
the words " I Am Third" engraved on it. Gale is the first to admit that he
doesn't always live up to the motto. But wearing it around his neck, he
says, keeps him from straying too far from it.
Would you be willing to wear Gale's medal around your neck and make its
words your motto?
Ideals are like stars;
"I... chose you and appointed you
There's an old Jewish legend that explains why God chose Moses over the
other people on earth to lead his people, Israel. One day Moses was
shepherding some sheep that belonged to his father-in-law, Jethro.
Suddenly he spotted a lamb darting off into the underbrush. Moses dropped
everything and pursued it, lest it become lost or killed by a wild
animal. He finally caught up with the lamb at a tiny stream of water,
where it was drinking feverishly. When it had finished, Moses scooped it
up in his arms, saying, "Little one, I didn't know you ran away because
you were so thirsty. Your tiny legs must be tired." With that he placed
the lamb on his shoulders and returned it to the flock. Seeing how caring
Moses was, God said, "At last I've found the special person I've been
searching for. I will make Moses the shepherd of my people, Israel."
How do I determine what my future is?
Do I choose it or does God choose me?
Yours are the only hands
God purposely chose..
A big-city symphony orchestra played a short concert for a centennial
celebration in a small New England town. Next day the townspeople could
talk about nothing but the concert. One old-timer said, "All I can say is
it was a long way to fetch that big drum just to bang it wunst." At times,
we may feel about ourselves the way the old man felt about the drum. We
may wonder why God went to al the trouble of creating us. Yet, God's plan
would not be complete without us. In fact, each of our roles in God's plan
is very important.
Do I ever feel about myself the way the old-timer felt about the drum? Why?
[Jesus said,] "If you had faith
In the movie The Empire Strikes Back, Luke Skywalker asks the guru Yoda to
help him become a Jedi warrior. Luke wants to help free the galaxy from
the evil Darth Vader. Yoda starts by teaching young Luke to lift rocks
with his mind. Then one day Yoda instructs Luke to lift his X-wing plane
out of the swamp where it is stuck. Luke balks, saying, "Lifting rocks in
one thing; lifting a plane, another." Predictably, he fails. Then Yoda
lifts the plane easily. Luke exclaims, "I can't believe it!" Yoda replies,
"That's why you failed!"
How ready am I to commit myself to a noble cause, as Luke did?
Unless there is within us
All things are done
"Calvin and Hobbes" is a cartoon about a dynamic duo: a little boy and a
tiger. One particular cartoon portrays Calvin saying something like this:
"Paul Gauguin asks: 'Where did I come from? Who am I? And where am I
going?' " Then Calvin answers Gaugin's question in words like this: "Well,
speaking for myself, I came from my room. I'm a kid with big plans. And
I'm going outside!" Calvin's lightweight answers to Gauguin's heavyweight
questions are typical of how many people today respond to the major
questions about their existence.
What answer would I give to Gauguin's second and third questions?
How well does my life mirror my answers?
All men should try to learn
[Jesus said to his disciples,]
Before the age of electricity, city streets were lit by gas lamps.
Lamplighters lit these lamps with a flaming torch. One night an old man
stood looking across a valley to a town on a hillside. He could see the
torch of a lamplighter lighting lamps as he went. But because of the
darkness, he could not see the lamplighter. He could see only his torch and
the trail of lights he left behind. The old man said to a friend standing
next to him: "That lamplighter is a good example of how Christians ought to
live. You may never have known in them. But you know that they passed
through the world by the trail of lights they left behind."
What trail of lights am I leaving behind?
People may doubt what we say,
This week's theme:
A Man and a woman were marooned on a deserted island for years. One day a
ship spotted their smoke signal and sent a lifeboat. But instead of
rescuing them, the lifeboat crew handed them several newspapers, saying,
"The captain wants you to see what's going on in the world before you
decide that you want to return to it."
There may be times when you feel like fleeing to a deserted island. But
you know you can't. God put you in the world to make it a better place.
You have a role to play in God's plan of salvation. But, in the last
analysis it is up to you. You can say yes to God's plan and get involved.
Or you can say no and do your own thing.
The goal of this week's readings is to ponder the price you may have to pay
if you decide to say yes to God's plan and get involved. The grace you
ask is:
Lord, put into my heart the desire
Every athlete in training
In his autobiography, titled Nigger, Dick Gregory, the athlete, comedian,
and social activist, tells how he disciplined his body to run for hours
each day-even in winter. He writes: "I don't think I would ever have
finished high school without running. I never got hungry while I was
running, even though we never ate breakfast at home and I didn't always
have enough money for lunch...I was proud of my body...and never had to
take a rest." Dick Gregory is a living example of what Paul talks about in
today's reading.
To what extent am I pursuing the perishable wreath of this life with more
effort and resolve than I am the imperishable wreath of eternal life?
What most people tend to forget
[Jesus said,]
A woman was touring a piano factory. First, the guide showed her a room
where workers were sawing wood. Next, the guide took her into a room where
workers were building piano frames. Then, the guide took her into a room
where workers were sanding and varnishing the piano frames. Next, the
woman visited a room where workers were fitting metal strings and ivory
keys into the frames. Finally, the woman came to the showroom, where a
musician was seated at a piano playing beautiful music. Afterward the
woman thought: The difference between what I saw in the first room and in
the last room is the difference between an acorn and a tree. It is the
difference between what I am now and what I can become.
In which of the five rooms referred to above am I in my spiritual journey?
Alas for those who never sing,
The Lord said to me,
Imagine that you are about to be born into the world. God calls you into
his presence and offers you two lives on earth to choose from. God's first
choice involves a short life of sickness, poverty, and ridicule by people.
This is the best way you can accomplish the task God has in mind for you.
God's second choice is just the opposite. It involves a long life of
health, wealth, and honor. Realizing what a difficult decision he is
presenting to you, God asks you if you want to spend a few days thinking
about it before giving your final answer. On the other hand, God wants you
to be totally honest. Would thinking about it for a few days be merely a
formality, because you would probably choose the second option anyway?
Note, God is not asking you to choose now. God is merely asking you if
you'd be willing to think seriously about accepting his first choice.
What response would you make to God?
Today's decision is tomorrow's reality.
[Jesus said,]
A magazine ran a story about teenagers who belong to the Santa Clara
Swimming Club. They get up at 5:30 A.M. and hurry through the chilly air
to an outdoor pool. There they swim for two hours. After a shower and a
bite to eat, they dash off to school. After school they return to the pool
for two more hours. Then they hurry home, eat, hit the books, and fall
into bed, exhausted. The next morning the alarm rings at 5:30, and they
start all over again. When asked why she sacrifices so much to swim, one
girl said: "My goal is to make the Olympic team. If going to parties hurts
that, then why go? The more miles I swim, the better. Sacrifice is the
thing."
What is my main goal right now?
The enemy of the best is not the worst,
What can I offer the LORD
The Spiritual Exercises of Saint Ignatius present a set of guidelines for
living. They go like this:
"I believe that I was created to share my life and love with God and other
people, forever. I believe that God created all other things to help me
achieve this goal. I believe, therefore, that I should use the other
things God created insofar as they help me attain my goal and abstain from
them insofar as they hinder me. It follows, therefore, that I should not
prefer certain things to others. That is, I should not value,
automatically, health over sickness, wealth over poverty, honor over
dishonor, or a long life over a short one. I believe my sole norm for
valuing and preferring a thing should be this: How well does it help me
attain the end for which I was created?"
Would I be willing to adopt this statement as a guide for my life?
Life is God's novel. Let God write it.
What seems to be God's foolishness
The following reflection was found in the pocket of a dead Confederate
soldier:
What is the point of this reflection?
Troubles are often the means God uses
[Jesus prayed to his Father,]
"I asked God to take away my pride
How ready am I to hand God a blank check and allow God to fill it out for
me?
When I will what God wills,
This week's theme:
The images on a television screen owe their existence to the television
set. When it goes on, they go on. When it goes off, they go off. Suppose
the images decided to rebel and said to the set, "We don't need you
anymore. We declare our independence from you." Such a declaration would
be ludicrous. It would be like an echo telling a voice, "I declare my
independence from you. I don't need you."
In a sense, that's what sin is. It is an attempt to declare our
independence from God. To put it in another way, it is saying no to God
and God's plan for us.
This week's meditation put you in touch with the power of sin- a power that
can destroy you and the world. The grace you ask before each meditation
is:
Lord, enlighten my mind
"Take to heart these words."
"If you get what you want in your struggle for self,
What is one way that I tend to cheat "the man in the glass"?
No man can produce great things
My sins have caught up with me,
Years ago there was a popular television program called "The Mork and Mindy
Show." Mork was an alien who had remarkable power. One day he shared some
of this power with a few of his friends on earth. Touching his fingertips
to theirs, he transferred just a little bit to them. Right away they began
using it to make people do ridiculous things, like turn cartwheels and leap
up and down. Mork was horrified and shouted, "Stop! You're misusing the
power. Give it back!" That episode is a good illustration of what sin is.
It is misusing the power and talents that God has shared with us.
What is one gift from God that I tend to misuse? Why this one?
My sense of sin
Create a pure heart in me, O God,
Thomas Merton had just graduated from high school and was touring Europe
alone. One night in his room, Tom underwent a soul-stirring experience.
It made him deeply aware of all the sinfulness in his life. He wrote later
in The Seven Storey Mountain: My whole being rose up in revolt and horror
with what was within me, and my soul desired escape...from all this with an
intensity and urgency unlike anything I had ever known before. And now I
think for the first time in my whole life I really began to pray... praying
to the God I had never known, to reach down towards me out of [God's]
darkness and help me to get free of the thousand terrible things that held
my will in their slavery.
What is the closest I have ever come to having an experience like this?
It is one thing to mourn for sin
"They sell into slavery honest men...
You'd hardly expect the dean of American psychiatry to talk about sin. But
that's what Dr. Karl Menninger does in his book Whatever Became of Sin? He
is troubled by individuals who won't admit that they sin. He is also
troubled by "sins of collective responsibility" - sins committed by groups
or nations, such as disregard exploitation of migrant workers. The tragic
things about "sins of collective responsibility," says Dr. Menninger, is
that single individuals don't consider themselves responsible for them.
How hard is it for me to admit my failures, shortcomings, and sinfulness?
How responsible do I feel for "sins of collective responsibility"?
.
If we say that we have no sin...
In the book In His Presence, Louis Evely writes: "The worst evil lies not
in committing evil but in committing evil while pretending it is good...
It is better to sin with sincerity than to lie to oneself in order to stay
virtuous. You will repent of a straightforward sin more easily than one
wrapped in doubt. Don't muddy the water so as to fish from it whatever you
desire." Then in a burst of emotion, Evely concludes:
"Commit straightforward, clear-cut and undeniable sins of which you will
later be able to repent with the same sincerity you use in committing
them... If you are weak enough to sin,
do not be too proud to recognize the fact."
What advice would I give to people
There are two kinds of people:
My sins have caught up with me,
In your imagination, replay what wen on in the minds and hearts of the
first woman and the first man after they sinned. Try to visualize all the
pain and suffering that their sin unleashed in the world. Pass in review
all the people who have sinned since the time of the first sin. Consider
how their sins have added to the what sin is: not only a rejection of God
and God's plan for us, but also an instrument of suffering and destruction.
In your mind's eyes, see Jesus hanging on the cross-suffering because of
sin. Finally, speak to Jesus about why he suffered all this pain. Then
ponder these three questions:
What have I done for Jesus in the past?
O Lord, reform our world-
"We are healed
We all need to admit two things to ourselves. First, that we are sinners.
Second, that in spite of this, our Father in heaven loves us. Julian of
Norwich, the great English mystic, explains that even past sins can be
turned into something good-if we acknowledge them as sins. Julian says,
for example: "If we never fell, we should never know how weak and wretched
we are in ourselves; nor should we appreciate the astonishing love of our
Maker... We sin grievously, yet despite all this... we are no less precious
in [God's] sight. By the simple fact that we fall, we gain knowledge of
what God's love means."
To what extent have I experienced
Voice of Jesus, you called me
This week's theme:
One day a shabbily dressed man stood on a busy Chicago street corner. As
office workers filed by on their way to lunch, he'd raise his arm, point to
the nearest one, and shout, "Guilty!" Then he'd lower his arm for a minute
or two and go through the whole procedure again.
The effect on the office workers was eerie. They'd glance at the man, look
away, glance back, and hurry on.
Humorous as the story is, it makes an important point: Like every living
person, each of us is guilty of sin and will someday be judged by God.
This week's meditations focus on this reality. The grace you ask before
each meditation is:
Lord,
Spiritual directors recommend that you get into the habit of performing a
daily "judgment" of your actions. One way to do this is to take three
minutes each night to do the following:
First minute. Replay your day. Pick out a high point in it- a good thing
you did, like going out of your way to help someone. Then talk to God
about it, giving thanks for the opportunity to do it.
Second minute. Replay your day again. This time pick out a low point- a
bad thing you did, like putting down someone who really needs to be lifted
up. Then talk to Jesus about it, asking forgiveness for responding as you
did.
Third minute. Look ahead to tomorrow to a critical point- a hard thing you
must do, like dealing with a personal problem. Then talk to the Holy
Spirit about the problem, asking help to deal with it.
Everyone must die...
There's an ancient play called Everyman. It opens with a "Messenger"
stepping out in front of the curtain, looking intently at the audience, and
saying, "I pray you... hear this matter with reverence... Look well, and
take heed...For ye shall hear how our Heavenly King calleth Everyman to a
general reckoning." The play then portrays Death coming to tell Everyman
that his earthly years are over and it is time for him to enter eternity.
When Everyman recovers from shock, he asks Death to give him time to ask
his three most-cherished earthly companions-Power,Prestige, and Pleasure-
to enter eternity with him. Death obliges. To Everyman's dismay, however,
they refuse to go with him.
Can I name three "most-cherished earthly companions" of my own
The few little years we spend on earth
Every one of us, then,
The hero in the novel The Man Who Lost Himself trails a suspect to a Paris
hotel. To learn the suspect's room number without arousing suspicion, the
hero gives the clerk his own name and asks if a man by that name is
registered. While the clerk checks the room list, the hero plans to watch
for the suspect's number. To the hero's surprise, the clerk doesn't check
the list. He simply says, "He's in room 40; he's expecting you." The hero
follows the bellhop to room 40. When the door opens, he sees a man who is
his double, except that he's heavier and older. It is the hero himself,
twenty years in the future. The story is science fiction, but it contains
an important truth: There's a person in everyone's future. It is the
person we are becoming.
What kind of person am I becoming?
The great thing in this world
Final judgment
John was a contractor for a construction company. To increase his personal
income, he routinely cheated on materials that went into the homes he
built. He was so adept at concealing his shortcuts that he joked to a
close friend that even he couldn't detect them once they had been made.
John's last construction project before retiring was the one he cheated on
most. It was supposed to be a luxury home. Even John worried that he had
gone too far this time. Imagine his shock when the company gave him this
house as a gift for his years of service.
How is this story a parable of life?
First we form habits,
"[The LORD] took note of all my sins
There's a moving story that has survived the centuries. It's about Pietri
Bandinelli, an attractive young man with clear eyes and a kind face.
Leonardo da Vinci chose him to be his Jesus model for his painting The
Lord's Supper. Years later, Leonardo had not yet completed the painting.
One day, however, the spirit moved him, and he went to the slums of Milan
to look for his Judas model. After an hour, he found the perfect man. His
eyes were cloudy; his face was harsh. Later, while the man was posing,
Leonardo asked him, "Have we met before?" The man said, "Yes, I was your
Jesus model. But much has changed in my life since then.
What is the story's point? What lesson might I draw from it for my own
life?
I coulda had class.
There is nothing
In April 1987, baseball Hall of Famer Mickey Mantle took sick on a plane
and was rushed from the airport to a hospital. Later, Mickey told an
Associated Press reporter about a dream he had in the hospital. He said,
"I dreamed I died and went to heaven. Saint Peter greeted me and I said,
"I'm Mickey Mantle! He said, 'Really?..I went in to see God, and God said,
'We can't keep you here because of the way you acted. But do me a favor
and sign six dozen baseballs.'" When the humor of Mantle's dream subsides,
the truth of it emerges. No one will escape God's judgment. And no one
will get VIP treatment.
What is one concern I sometimes have
When the One Great Scorer comes
The sins of some people are plain to see,
Dr. Wilder Penfield of Montreal's Neurological Institute has made an
amazing discovery. Time magazine reported it this way: "Surgeon Wilder
Penfield...by chance found brain sites that when stimulated electrically
led one patient to hear an old tune... and still another to relive the
experience of having her baby." Penfield's findings convince some
scientists that every action of our life is recorded in feelings about our
actions at the time we did them. (were they good or evil?) are also
recorded. In other words, there is now solid physiological support for the
biblical teaching of judgment after death.
Albert Camus once said,
God will not look you over for medals,
All [the dead] were judged
Saint George's chapel in London was built as a memorial to air-raid victims
in World War II. In the chapel are four large books containing the names
of over 60,000 victims.One page of one book lies open at a time. Each day
the page is turned to a new set of names. As you read a name on the page,
you have no way of knowing if that person was rich or poor, ugly or fair.
Nor does it matter. All that matters is what the person did with the time
allotted him or her by God. Poet Phyllis McGinley says: "When I was
seven... I wanted to be a tight-rope dancer...At fifteen my ambition was
the stage. Now in my sensitive declining years I would give anything.. to
be a saint."
How have my goals and ambitions changed
over the years? If I could begin my life over, what is one change I would
consider making? Why?
It is not only what we do,
This week's theme:
The famous French aviator Antoine de Saint-Exupery was forced down in the
Sahara, a thousand miles from civilization. He had only a meager water
supply. Repairing his damaged engine, with one eye on his vanishing
water supply, Saint-Exupery came face-to-face with death. His close
brush with death reminds us of John McLelland's words in The Clown and
the Crocodile: "One day a group of people will go to a cemetery, hold a
brief service, and return home. All except one; that will be you."
"It's too bad that dying is the last thing we do," says Robert Herhold,
"because it could teach us so much about life."
This week's meditations focus on death. The grace you ask of God before
each daily meditation is:
Lord,
[Jesus said,]
A king gave his favorite jester a magic wand, saying, "Keep this until
you find a fool bigger than yourself." Years later the king lay dying.
He called his favorite jester and said, "I'm going on a long journey."
The jester asked, "Where to?" The king replied, "I'm not sure!" The
jester said, "When will you return?" The king replied, "Never!" "Are you
prepared for the journey?", the jester asked. "Not at all," answered the
king. "Then take this magic wand," said the jester. "It belongs to you."
What was my closest call with death?
There is no death!
God said to him,
Three student devils were preparing to go to earth for some on-the-job
training. The teacher asked them what strategy they had decided to use
to get people to sin. The first devil said, "I think I'll use the
tried-and-true approach. I'll tell people, 'There's no God, so enjoy
life.'" The teacher nodded approvingly. Then he turned to the second
devil and said, "What about you?" The second devil said, "I think I'll
use a more up-to-date approach. I'll tell people, 'There's no hell, so
enjoy life.' " Again, the teacher nodded approvingly. Then he turned to
the third devil and said, "What about you?" The third devil said, "I
think I'll use a more down-to-earth approach. I'll simply tell people,
'There's no hurry, so enjoy life."
Which approach tempts me most?
I can't be prepared for death too soon,
"Listen! I am coming like a thief!' "
A merchant in ancient Baghdad sent his servant to the market to buy
supplies. Minutes later the servant returned, trembling. He said,
"Master! Master! As I walked through the market, I was jostled by
someone in the crowd. When I looked up, I saw it was Death. He peered at
me threateningly. Lend me your fastest horse that I may flee to far-off
Samarra. He will never think of looking for me there." The merchant
obliged. Then the merchant went to the market. Lo and behold, who should
he see but Death. "Why did you give my servant such a threatening look?"
The merchant asked. "That wasn't a threatening look," said Death. "It
was a look of surprise. I was amazed to see your servant here in
Baghdad. For I had a date with him tonight in far-off Samarra."
How would I react if I learned I had a date with death tonight?
The dark background
[Jesus said,]
Al Dewlen was standing over a messy workbench, trying to decide what job
to do before supper. Suddenly he heard his name. He looked up and saw
his wife and the pastor of his church. Al's jaw dropped. "What's
wrong?" he asked. "Mike's dead," his wife said. Instantly Al lost
contact with reality. His mind flashed back across the years. First, he
saw his son Mike playing Little League baseball. Next, he saw him as
captain of the high school's football team. Finally, he saw him in his
Marine uniform. Mike was a son he was truly proud of. Al said later,
"The news left me so shocked that I was unable to speak to my wife or
even take her in my arms."
Can I imagine my family's reaction to my death?
The gardener asked,
What can we take out of the world?
In As You Like It, William Shakespeare reviews the seven ages of life:
What is Shakespeare's point in his review of the "seven ages of life"?
Why should a man certain of immortality
This is how it will be
Henry van Dyke portrays death this way:
How do I understand van Dyke's parable?
Ever notice how everybody wants to go
"Father!
In Through the Valley of the Kwai, Ernest Gordon describes the death of a
young prisoner of war. At first, the youth struggle with the idea of
death. Gordon writes: "I had brought my Bible with me...and in the dim
light of the hut I began to read.. 'Yea, though I walk through the valley
of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy
rod and thy staff comfort me.'" When Gordon finished reading, he looked
at the dying youth. He write: "His gray eyes were far away. He was
listening within himself- to the message those words had brought." Then
the boy turned to Gordon and said with perfect calm, "Everything is going
to be all right." The boy was now ready to meet his Lord.
In my mind's eye, how do I image
I'm not afraid to die, honey...
This week's theme:
Richard Pindell wrote a short story called "Somebody's Son."
Days later the boy is seated on a train, rapidly approaching his house.
As the train rumbles past the tree, the boy stares straight ahead.
That story is a parable of God's great forgiveness of us.
Lord, help me see
"How can I give you up?"
The prophet Hosea speaks of God's love and forgiveness in a touching way.
How does this passage impact me when I reread it in a whisper,
[Lord,] your goodness and love
"Can a woman forget her own body
A woman dropped a beautiful orange vase on the floor; it splintered into
dozens of pieces.
She swept them up and threw them into the wastebasket.
An hour later she found her little daughter had retrieved the pieces and
pasted them on a piece of cardboard.
Then, using a green crayon, she had drawn stems and leaves on each piece,
converting them into a bouquet of lovely flowers. The woman was moved to
tears. Where she had seen trash, her daughter had seen treasure. In a
similar way, God retrieves us from the wastebasket of sin and fashions us
into something beautiful.
Do I know someone who is messed up but who has a treasure inside?
The human race would be vastly poorer
"I will forgive their sins and
One of the strangest plays in Rose Bowl history occurred in 1929 on New
Year's Day. California's Roy Riegels picked up a Georgia Tech fumble and
ran it back sixty-five yards in the wrong direction. His own players
eventually tackled him. When California tried to punt, Tech blocked the
kick and scored a safety, Tech's ultimate margin of victory. At
halftime, Riegels expected the worst from Coach Price. But Price didn't
mention the wrong-way run. When halftime was over, Price put his hand on
Roy's shoulder and said, "The game's only half over. Give it your all!"
Roy did.
Price's forgiveness of Roy and God's forgiveness of me invite me to ask,
Forgiveness
Remove my sin, and I will be clean.
A newspaper columnist wrote about a program for removing
tattoos-especially gang-related ones-from young people.
A surprising thing then happened. Thousands of letters came in from
people all over the country for more information on the program. Because
of the remarkable response, the Los Angeles School District and a local
cable television company produced a film called Untatto You. It told
about the dangers of amateur tattoing and showed how difficult it is to
remove tattos. The stars of the film were the young people themselves.
They talked frankly about why they were tattooed in the first place and
why they now wanted the tattos removed.
We've all done things we'd like to erase.
You have been set free from sin.
A soldier in Indonesia bought a monkey for a pet. Soon he noticed the
monkey was sensitive around the waist. Taking a look, he found a raised
welt around the monkey's midsection. Pulling back the hair from the
welt, he saw the problem. When the moneky was a baby, someone tied wire
around its middle and never took it off. The wire was now embedded in
the monkey's flesh. That evening the soldier shaved the hair around the
wire and carefully removed it. All the while, the monkey lay there with
amazing patience, blinking its eyes. As soon as the operation was over,
the moneky jumped up and down, leaped on the soldier, and hugged him
tightly.
The pain of confessing sin is nothing
Sins cannot be undone, only forgiven.
When I did not confess my sins,
Years ago This Week magazine carried a moving story about a
seventeen-year-old Dutch boy.
He was a prisoner who had escaped from a Nazi camp during World War II.
He was caught and sentenced to death. Shortly afterward, he wrote to his
father: "Read this letter alone, and then tell Mother carefully... In a
little while at five o'clock it is going to happen.. one moment, and then
I shall be with God... Is that, after all, such a dreadful transition?...
I feel so strongly my nearness to God. I am fully prepared to die... I
have confessed all my sins... and have become very quiet.
Blessed is the person who will be able to say at death what Klees said.
Those who forgive most shall be most forgiven.
You have taken away my sorrow
British violinist Peter Cropper was invited to Finland for a special
concert. As a personal favor, the Royal Academy of Music lent Peter
their priceless 285-year-old Stradivarius violin. That violin was known
the world over for its incredible sound. At the concert, a nightmare
happened. Going on stage, Peter tripped and fell. The violin broke into
several pieces. Peter flew home to England in a state of shock. A
master craftsperson, Charles Beare, spent endless hours repairing the
violin. Then came the moment of truth. What would the violin sound
like? Those present couldn't believe their ears. The violin's sound was
better than before.
The story of that violin is my story.
True repentance is to cease to sin.
Daddy Long Legs is the story of an orphan girl who receives gifts from an
unknown person. She grows through childhood and her teen years blessed
with opportunities provided by her secret "parent." She tries to imagine
what this wonderful person is like.
Then one day she discovers the identity of her benefactor. Her joy
overflows! And as you share her excitement, you think, "How sad it would
have been for her to go through life without having met or thanked this
gracious person."
The story of Daddy Long Legs is a parable of God and each one of us. God
gave us the gift of life, and God continues to give us gift upon gift.
How sad it would be for us to go through life without having met or
thanked our Benefactor.
This week's meditations focus on gratitude to God. The grace you ask
before each meditation is beautifully expressed in these words by George
Herbert:
O Thou who has given me so much,
[Jesus told ten lepers,]
In his book Who Needs God? Harold Kushner tells about a man who
disciplined himself to write "thank you" in the lower left-hand corner of
the checks he wrote to pay his bills. He wrote it on his checks to the
grocer, the phone company, the gas company, the electric company-even on
his checks to IRS. He didn't do this because he thought these companies
would be impressed. He knew better than that. He did it simply as his
personal way of reminding himself to be grateful for living in a free
country and for all the services this freedom brought.
What system do I have to keep myself from taking for granted the
blessings that God and others bestow on me daily?
What system might I devise for this?
Unexpressed gratitude
Sing to God
Marathon runner Bill Rodgers was a conscientious objector to the Vietnam
War. He was assigned to alternative service in a home for retarded men.
One of those special men was named Joe. He had the ability to focus on
the good in life and be grateful for it. Bill says: "Whenever I saw Joe,
he seemed to be wearing a big welcome-to-my-world smile.
When I glimpsed him at therapy sessions or workshops, he was
participating wholeheartedly, eager to learn and grow...
The smallest act of kindness... made him brim with gratitude.
Joe found reasons to be grateful even in the most trying circumstances."
How well do I keep my focus on the good in life rather than on the bad?
Some complain
Be thankful in all circumstances.
Corrie ten Boom and her sister Betsie were put behind barbed wire during
World War II for helping Dutch Jews. One day they were moved to a
shelter completely infested with fleas. Corrie became depressed, but
Betsie recalled a passage from Saint Paul: "Be thankful in all
circumstances." So they kneeled down and thanked God for their new
shelter, fleas and all. In the weeks ahead, they enjoyed a remarkable
lack of supervision from the guards. They were able to talk freely-even
read and discuss the Bible with other prisoners. One day Corrie learned
why. Someone called the guards to come in and settle a dispute. They
refused, saying, "'You settle it. We're not entering that flea bag." Now
Corrie understood why the prisoners enjoyed so much freedom. And her
mind went back to the day when she and Betsie gave thanks for their
shelter, fleas and all.
I will proclaim [God's] greatness
Mention Bugs Bunny and people smile. Mention Charlie Jones and people
frown. But Bugs Bunny owes his popularity to Charlie Jones. In the
1930s, Jones was a struggling artist in Warner Brothers Studio. He took
over the Bugs Bunny project and developed it into one of Hollywood's
best-loved cartoons. About the same time, Walt Disney created the famous
"Three Little Pigs" cartoon. Jones wrote Disney a letter of
congratulations. Disney was so grateful that he wrote a thank-you note
back. Years later, Disney lay dying in a hospital; Charlie visited him.
During the visit, Disney recalled the letter Jones had written him thirty
years earlier. He thanked him again. "I treasure your letter," he told
Jones. "You're the only animator who ever wrote to me."
When was the last time I congratulated or thanked a colleague or
associate?
God has two dwellings.
Sing praise to the LORD,
A teacher asked her students, "Which is more important-the sun or the
moon?" "The moon!" said little Mary. "Why do you say that?" asked the
teacher. "Well," said Mary, "the moon gives us the light at night when we
really need it, while the sun give us light during the day, when we
really don't need it." After thinking about Mary's response for a
minute, we realize that her attitude toward the sun mirrors our attitude
toward God. Mary took daylight for granted, forgetting that it came from
the sun. In a similar way, we take the gift of life for granted,
forgetting that it comes from God.
What is one thing God has given me-
When every bone in our body aches,
In the name of our Lord Jesus Christ,
Henry Ward Beecher says: "Imagine someone gave you a dish of sand mixed
with fine iron filings. Imagine you search for the filings with your
eyes and comb for them with your fingers. But you can't find them. Now
imagine that you take a tiny magnet and draw it through the sand. It
comes out covered with iron filings." Beecher concludes: "Ungrateful
people are like your fingers combing the sand. They find little in life
to be thankful for. Grateful people are like the magnet sweeping through
the sand. They find hundreds of things"
If God asked me to isolate the three things I am most grateful for in my
life, what would they be?
Why these?
For the flowers
I thank you, LORD, with all my heart...
This meditation ends the "First Week" of The Spiritual Exercises of Saint
Ignatius.
During this First Week you have evaluated how well you are living your
life according to the purpose for which God created you. The "Second
Week" focuses on how Jesus lived his life according to the purpose for
which he was sent into the world. In the words of the Broadway musical
Godspell, the Second Week invites you to get to know Jesus more clearly
so that you may love him more dearly and follow him more nearly.
Doing the best thing at this moment
Last week was the last of the "First Week"of The Spiritual Exercises
of Saint Ignatius, which comprised of twelve weeks focusing on the
mystery that in spite of our sinfulness, the Trinity- Father, Son, and
Holy Spirit- loves us beyond anything we can imagine.
This week starts the "Second Week" of The Spiritual Exercises of Saint
Ignatius. It focuses on this great mystery:
The second person of the Trinity, in the person of Jesus, took flesh and
lived among us.
This week's theme:
Mark Twain wrote a story called "The Terrible Catastrophe." It concerns a
group of people who get trapped in a terrible situation. They are doomed
to die. There is no way they can escape.
Mark Twain didn't want the story to end unhappily, but he didn't see how
he could save the people. So he concluded his story with these two
sentences: "I have these characters in such a fix that even I can't get
them out of it. Anyone who thinks he can is welcome to try."
Two thousand years ago, the human race was trapped like Twain's
characters. Sin had entered the world and was spreading out of control.
God saw the situation and didn't want it to end tragically. God loved us
too much for that. So the second person of the Trinity came among us to
save us.
It is this great mystery that you ponder this week. The grace you ask
for is this:
Lord, of thee three things I pray:
[God sent an angel to Nazareth to a girl named Mary.]
The angel said..."You will become pregnant and give birth
to a son, and you will name him Jesus."
A college student wrote: "Today I saw a water lily growing in a pond. It
had the purest yellow I'd ever seen.
The lily-a precious treasure- was unconcerned about whether anyone
noticed its astounding beauty.
As I sat there, watching it unfold its petals noiselessly,
I thought of Mary pregnant with Jesus.
She, too, was a precious treasure.
She, too, was unconcerned about whether anyone noticed for astounding
beauty.
But to those who did, she shared a secret.
Her beauty came not from her, but from the Jesus life unfolding
its petals noiselessly within her."
If I were God, what would I look for
Welcome all wonders in one sight!
[Emperor Augustus ordered the people
to return to their birthplace to register for a
census.
Joseph went to Bethlehem with Mary, where she]
gave birth to her first son, wrapped him in cloths
and laid him in a manger-
there was no room for them to stay in the inn.
Author Morton Kelsey writes:
Do I have any special reason
Christmas is a good time
We write to you about the Word of life,
which has existed from the very beginning.
We have heard it...seen it..
and our hands have touched it.
In his poem "A Kind of Prayer,"
What are some reasons why I am glad that God made a "five-sense
breakthrough"
into human history?
What we need is people who know God
Of his own free will he gave up all..
and appeared in human likeness.
A woman was seated by a fireplace, thinking about Christmas. The whole
thing seemed absurd. Why would God take flesh and live among us? Then
she heard a noise outdoors. She saw a dozen geese groping about in the
snow-cold and confused. She went outside and tried to herd them into her
warm garage. But the more she tried to help them, the more they scattered
across the lawn. Finally she gave up. Then an odd thought came to her:
"If just for a minute I could become a goose and talk to them in their
language, I could explain that what I was trying to do was for their
happiness." Then it struck her. That's what Christmas is all about!
It's about God becoming a human to teach us what is for our happiness.
What one thing Jesus taught is for our happiness do I sometimes
questions?
Why?
A Christmas candle is a lovely thing;
[Jesus] reflects
the brightness of God's glory.
A Peanuts cartoon shows Linus saying to Charlie Brown, "That's
ridiculous!" Charlie replies, "Maybe so! But come and see for yourself."
They go into the living room where Snoopy is sitting on the TV set. His
ears are pointed up and out like an antenna. Charlie says, "See! It does
make the picture better." An amazed college girl said of this cartoon,
"If Jesus were living today, he might use it as a parable to clarify his
relationship to the Father." Her point is this: As Snoopy gave Charlie
and Linus a clearer image on the TV screen, so Jesus gives us a clearer
image of God. The Scriptures express it this way:
In what way, especially, does Jesus give me a clearer image of God?
He wakes desires you never may forget;
"I am the light of the world...
Whoever follows me
will have the light of life
and will never walk in darkness."
The book Night Flight deals with the early years of aviation. It
describes the adventures of aviators who used to fly at night, without
radar or radio. The book is not only a gripping story about the early
years of aviation but also an instructive parable about the human
situation before Jesus' coming. Life was a mystery. We didn't know
where we came from or where we were going. We were like night fliers
lost in darkness and fog. Then Jesus came into the world. Jesus did not
take away the fog and the night. He did something more incredible. He
got into the plane with us. We are no longer flying blind through night
and fog. We have a copilot sitting beside us.
How frequently and concerning what, especially, do I consult my copilot
sitting beside me?
Of the four steps in the prayer process (read,think, speak, listen),
which do I find most satisfying when I communicate with Jesus? Why?
Sun of my soul! Thou Savior dear,
[Christ] left you an example..
that you would follow in his steps.
A prince had a crooked back that kept him from being the kind of prince
he wanted to be. One day the king had a sculptor make a statue that
portrayed the prince with a straight back. He placed it in the garden.
When the prince saw it, he meditated on it and desired to be like it.
Soon people began to say, "The prince's back is getting straighter." When
the prince heard this, he began to spend hours meditating on the statue.
That story is a parable of you and me. We too were born to be a princess
or a prince, but a defect kept us from being what we were meant to be.
Then God sent Jesus to show us how we can become what we were meant to
be.
What do the king, the prince, the prince's crooked back, the statue, and
studying the statue stand for in the parable?
What does the parable say to me?
Be a Carpenter we were made,
This week's theme:
The novel The Apostle takes place in Rome in the early days of
Christianity. It describes a large group of Christians imprisoned in a
dark dungeon. They are to remain there indefinitely, until they will be
hauled up through a ceiling door to be executed for their faith. The mood
is one of deep sadness.
One day the ceiling door opens, and a shaft of light pierces the darkness
as another Christian is lowered to await execution. Amazingly, he is
singing at the top of his voice. "Who is this man?" everyone asks. Then
word spreads rapidly. "It is the apostle Paul."
Paul's joyful presence is so contagious that soon everyone starts
singing. In seconds, the dungeon is changed from a place of sadness to
one of joy. It is this kind of change that the presence of Jesus had on
our world.
This week's meditations focus on the presence and the leadership of Jesus
in our world. Specifically, they focus on the invitation Jesus makes to
us to join him in the work of building up God's Kingdom in our world. The
grace you ask for is this:
Lord, give to my ears the sensitivity
[Jesus] was humble and walked the path of obedience-
all the way to death.
"Here is a young man who was born...of a peasant woman...
How do I explain Jesus' impact on history?
People want to know how much you care
[Jesus said,]
"The Son of Man did not come to be served;
he came to serve."
"The Watermelon Hunter" is an Islamic parable about a traveler who
strayed into the "Land of the Fools." Outside a village, he saw people
fleeing in terror from a field. They were shouting hysterically, "A
monster is in our field!" The traveler drew nearer and saw the monster
was only a watermelon, something the fools had never seen. To show how
fearless he was, the traveler sliced up the melon and ate it. When the
people saw this, they grew even more hysterical, shouting, "He's worse
than the monster!" Months later another traveler strayed into the "Land
of the Fools," and the same scene repeated itself. This time the
traveler didn't play the hero. Instead, he took up residence among the
fools and taught them about watermelon. They eventually cultivated and
ate them.
How does this story mirror a difference between Jesus and many other
leaders?
[Jesus said,]" Learn from me,
[Even Jesus' opponents said,]
"Nobody has ever talked the way this man does!"
H.G. Wells was asked to pick history's greatest leader. Although he was
not a Christian, Wells picked Jesus. He said he realized that many
people believe Jesus is divine, but a historian must disregard this
fact. He has to stick to uncontested facts. Wells picked Jesus because
of two great ideas Jesus released: the Fatherhood of God (all have a
common origin) and the Kingdom of God (all have a common destiny). Wells
said these ideas sparked "one of the most revolutionary changes
of...human thought...The historian's test of an individual's greatness is
'What did he leave to grow?' Did he start men to thinking along fresh
lines with a vigor that persisted after him? By this test Jesus stands
first."
What challenge does Jesus pose for me?
Be a disciple!
I am the way, the truth, and the life."
Napoleon and General Bertrand were discussing Jesus. Bertrand said Jesus
was just a great human leader. Napoleon disagreed, saying: "I know men,
and I tell you Jesus Christ is not a man...I have so inspired multitudes
that they would die for me... A word from me, then the sacred fire was
kindled in their hearts. I do indeed, possess the secret of this magical
power that lifts the soul, but I could never impart it to anyone. None
of my generals ever learned it from me; nor have I the means of
perpetuating... love for me in the hearts of men." Napoleon's point is a
good one. Other leaders can only excite us. They cannot reach inside
themselves and take a part of their own spirit and then place it inside
us. Jesus can. And this is where Jesus differs from all other human
leaders.
What part of Jesus' spirit should I seek?
It is Christ in you that lives your life,
[Jesus said,] "I am the vine, and you are the
branches.
Whoever remains in me, and I in him, will bear
much fruit."
Jesus is uniquely different from all other human leaders. Other leaders
can impact us only psychologically. That is, they can inspire us. Jesus
can impact us not only psychologically but also mystically. What does
this mean? It means that other leaders can only inflame our emotions and
excite our imagination. They cannot transfuse us with their own personal
spirit, power, and strength. This is precisely what Jesus can do. Jesus
can put his spirit inside us. He can share his power with us. He can
enter our minds and our hearts and help us become what we could never
become alone.
How might I open myself more fully to Jesus'
"Listen! I stand at the door and knock;
"Wherever you go, I will go;
Imagine the following. A dynamic leader emerges in our world. The leader's
charisma cuts across all national and social boundaries. Everyone trusts
this person and recognizes that the "hand of God" rests upon this person.
Now imagine this leader gives a speech. With compassion and understanding,
the leader spells out programs for curbing corruption, reducing drug traffic
and crime, revitalizing ghetto areas, reforming the prison system, erasing
poverty. Even the most realistic politicians are impressed by the leader's
grasp of the problems and insights for dealing with them. The leader ends
the address by asking for volunteers at every level and in every area of the
proposed programs.
What might keep me from volunteering?
You see things as they are;
"If anyone wants to come with me,
he must forget himself...
and follow me."
Alan Paton has an inspiring conversation in Oh, But Your Land Is Beautiful.
It's between a black person and a white person. Both have put their lives on
the line for racial justice in South Africa. When one of them observes that
they may end up with a lot of body scars, the other says: "Well, look at it
this way. When I get there, the great Judge will say, 'Where are you scars?'
And if I haven't any, he will ask, 'Were there no causes worthy of getting
scars?' "
What is one scar from one worthy cause that the "great judge" will see on me
when I "get there"?
Far better is it
This week's theme:
On a trip to the Holy Land, James Martin bought a tiny nativity set. When
he arrived at the Tel Aviv airport to return home, security was tight.
Officials x-rayed each tiny figure in his set, even the infant Jesus. They
explained, "We must be sure there's nothing explosive hidden in the set."
Afterward Martin thought, "If those officials only knew the explosive power
hidden in that set!" Martin was referring to its "message"-that the Son of
God chose to take a human nature, be born in a stable, and live among us as-
-a poor person ("Birds have nests, but the Son of Man has no place" (LUKE
9:58)
The surprising lifestyle Jesus chose differs totally from the one the devil
uses to tempt people. For example, on one occasion the devil made this
offer: "I will give you all this power and all this wealth" (LUKE 4:6)
This week's meditations focus on the lifestyle of Jesus-and why he chose it-
in contrast to the lifestyle the devil proposes to people. The grace you ask
for is this:
Lord, help me understand why the devil proposes a lifestyle of attachment,
[Jesus prayed to the Father for his disciples,]
"I do not ask you to take them out of the world,
but I do ask you to keep them safe from the Evil One."
The famous Chicago fire took place on October 8, 1871, killing over 300
people.
That same night, the logging town of Peshtigo, Wisconsin, burned down,
killing over 1,300 people.
News of the Peshtigo fire, however, did not reach the public immediately,
because the telegraph lines burned. Columnist L.M. Boyd says: "When the
Peshtigo news finally came through, the papers were so absorbed with the
Chicago fire there was little room for the holocaust, which had taken more
than four time as many lives." The story of the two fires illustrates that
worldly judgments are not always objective or fair.
What is one area of my life where I am currently tempted to be more
concerned about the world's judgment than God's?
On Judgment Day
[Jesus said,]
"I must...be put to death..."
[Peter said,]"God forbid it, Lord!"
Jesus turned around and said to Peter...
"You are an obstacle in my way,
because these thoughts of yours don't come
from God, but from man."
On the last page of his book The Magic Maker, poet E.E. Cummings quotes from
a letter he wrote to a high school editor. The editor had asked him about
the pitfalls that lay in the way of someone interested in pursuing a career
in poetry. Cummings described the biggest pitfall: "To be nobody but
yourself in a world which is doing its best, night and day, to make you
everybody else- it means to fight the hardest battle which any human being
can fight, and never stop fighting."
How am I fighting the battle that Cummings referred to in his letter-
to be the person God made me to be,
and not the one the world wants me to be?
We forfeit three-fourths of ourselves to be like other people.
A man said to Jesus,
"I will follow you wherever you go."
Jesus said to him,
"Foxes have holes, and birds have nests,
but the Son of Man has no place to lie."
[Jesus said,]
"Your heart will always be where your riches
are."
God resists the proud,
but gives grace to the humble.."
Humble yourselves before the Lord, and [the
Lord] will lift you up.
[Jesus said,]
"Everyone who makes himself great will be humbled,
and everyone who humbles himself will be made great.".
The cartoon character Charlie Brown is based on a real person. He worked
with juvenile delinquents, often housing them temporarily in his own home.
After the real Charlie Brown died in 1983, a friend said of him, "He saw his
own life as the doing of daily works of charity in imitation of Christ and
the saints." Charles Schulz- the Charlie Brown cartoonist- was a friend of
the real Charlie. He sometimes offered Charlie a share in the profits from
some cartoon spin-offs, like T-shirts. But Charlie refused. He had no big
interest in money. Nor did Charlie go about telling people that he was the
real Charlie Brown.
Can I ever recall bragging about myself or seeking recognition from others?
Until we lose ourselves
[Jesus said,]
"No servant can be the slave of two masters."
The film Rosemary's Baby portrays Satan being born into our world. Suppose
Satan was actually born into our world. How would we be tempted to follow
Satan? Saint Ignatius gives a reply in his meditation "The Two Standards."
First, Satan would lead us from a noble striving for security to a wrongful
stockpiling of possessions (wealth). Second, Satan would lead us from a
noble striving for acceptance to a wrongful striving for recognition (honor).
Finally, Satan would lead us from a noble appreciation of our self-worth to
a wrongful indulgence in self-love (pride). Jesus' strategy is to protect us
from Satan's strategy. Jesus invites us to imitate him and to distance
ourselves from wealth, honor, and pride.
Whose lifestyle and strategy- Jesus' or Satan's - am I currently being most
influenced by?
It is so stupid of modern civilization to have given up
This week's theme:
In Winning by Letting Go, Elizabeth Brenner tells how people in rural India
catch monkeys. First they cut a hole in a box. Then they put a tasty nut in
the box. The hole is just big enough for the monkey to put its hand through.
But once the monkey clutches the nut, its fist is too big to withdraw. So
the monkey has two choices: release the nut and go free, or hold on to it and
stay trapped. Monkeys often elect to hold on to the nut.
The monkey's situation is not unlike our situation when it comes to
following Jesus. We want to follow Jesus more closely, but at the same time
we find ourselves wanting to hold on to something that keeps us from doing so.
This week's meditations deal with this dilemma. Their purpose is to help
you come to grips with whatever might be keeping you from following Jesus as
you would like. The grace you ask before each meditation is this:
Lord, help me let go of whatever is keeping me from following you.
Jesus said,]
"If your right eye causes you to sin,
take it out and throw it away!
It is much better for you to lose a part of your body
than to have your whole body thrown into hell."
The medusa is a jellyfish that makes its home in the Bay of Naples, off the
Italian coast. A nudibranch snail also makes its home there. Occasionally,
the jellyfish swallows the snail. But then something unusual happens. The
snail's protective shell keeps the jellyfish from digesting it. At this
point, the tiny snail turns the tables on the jellyfish. It starts to eat the
jellyfish from the inside. Unless it is expelled, the tiny snail will
eventually consume the jellyfish.
Is there a "snail" that I may have ingested into my system and need to expel,
Those who know others are learned.
[The Lord says,]
"As high as the heavens are above the earth,
so high are my ways and thought above yours."
Bill Havens, a member of the four-man American canoe team, was scheduled to
compete in the 1924 Olympics. Then the doctor told him that his wife would
give birth to their baby sometime during the games. After pondering the
situation, Bill decided his place was with his wife. And so, without
fanfare, he withdrew from the canoe team. As it turned out, the team won the
gold medal and Bill's wife was late in giving birth to a son, Frank. Bill
could have competed and still returned in time for his son's birth. Years
passed. In July 1952, a cable arrived for Bill. It was from Helsinki, where
the Olympics were in progress. It read: "Dad, I won. I'm bringing home the
gold medal you lost while waiting for me to be born."
Can I recall giving up something I had always dreamed of, because it
conflicted with a duty to a loved one?
Duty makes us do things well,
[Jesus said,]
"Whoever loses his life for me and
for the gospel will save it."
George Burns made a film called Oh, God! He played the part of God and wore
thick glasses and a funny little hat. John Denver played a supermarket
employee. One day God appeared to the employee with a message for the world.
Getting people to take the message seriously turned out to be next to
impossible. The employee found himself on the verge of losing his job.
Exasperated, he turned to God and said, "Preaching your word is costing me my
job!" God replied, "That's not a bad trade, is it? Lose your job and save
the world." It's so easy to get lose in our own little world and to see only
our own problems. It's so easy to think only of ourselves and not to think
of the greater good of everyone.
To what extent am I prone to get lost in my own little world and let my
little problems blind me to the bigger ones of people around me?
To ease another's heartbreak is to forget one's own.
[A friend said to David,,]
"I will always go with you wherever you go,
even if it means death."
For thirty years failure dogged Abraham Lincoln. A list of his failures
reads:
1832 was defeated for the legislature
When he was elected president in 1860, Lincoln was prepared for the ordeal
of the Civil War years. Another man might have collapsed under its trials.
Not Lincoln. He had learned to say yes whatever God had chosen for him:
sickness over health, poverty over wealth, dishonor over honor. On Good
Friday, 1865, Lincoln said yes to the final choice: a short life over a long
one. He was assassinated.
How open am I to the option of saying yes to the things Lincoln did, if that
is what God has chosen for me?
To love is to know the sacrifices
[Jesus said,]
"The seeds that fell
on rocky ground stand for those
who hear the message and receive it...
But...when the time of testing comes, they fall away."
Two brothers, Clarence and Robert, committed their lives to Jesus in their
youth. Clarence grew up and became a civil rights activist. Working for
these rights was hard in the 1960s. Racial tension was high. People staged
sit-ins. Police used dogs and fire hoses to disperse them. Robert grew up
and became a lawyer. One day Clarence asked Robert for legal help in a civil
rights matter. Robert refused, saying it could hurt his political future.
When Clarence asked him about his commitment to Jesus, Robert said, "I do
follow Jesus, but I'm not going to get crucified like he was." Clarence
said, "Robert, you're not a follower of Jesus; you're only a fan."
In what way might I be more of a fan of Jesus than a follower?
The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is
[Jesus said,]
"I was..naked and you clothed me..
Whenever you did this for one of the least..you did it for me."
A king with no heirs invited qualified young people to be interviewed, with
a view to succeding him. A poverty-stricken young man felt an inner call to
apply. He worked day and night to buy provisions for the journey and clothes
for the interview. After weeks of travel, he came to the king's palace.
Sitting at the entrances was a beggar in dirty rags, calling out, "Help me,
my son!" Filled with pity, the young man gave the beggar his good clothes and
the money he had saved for his return trip. Then, with fearful heart, he
entered the palace. When he was escorted into the throne room, he was
shocked. Seated on the throne was the beggar, wearing the clothes he had
just given him. The king smiled and said, "Welcome, my son!""
What keeps me from responding the way the young man did to the poor beggar?
The prince among us are those
[Jesus said,]
In his meditation exercises called "Three Classes of People," Saint Ignatius
describes three groups of people. Each desires to follow Jesus faithfully,
but each has an attachment to something that is a barrier to their desire.
The first group might be called the "dreamers." Since they love their
attachment too much, they do nothing about it. The second group might be
called the "dodgers." They love their attachment deeply, but they decide to
go halfway. They decide to pray every day that it won't keep them from
following Jesus. The third group might be called the "doers." They also love
their attachment. But unlike the first two groups, they decide to do
whatever is necessary to rid themselves of it.
Which group of people do I tend to fall into most of the time?
Plunge into the deep without fear-and
This week's theme:
Not far from the Dead Sea there is a shallow spot in the Jordan River. It
was used as a crossing for caravans from all over the Near East. People used
to gather there to exchange world news.
One day a new attraction sent people to the crossing. A man dressed like
the prophets of old began to preach there. His name was John; and he told
the people, "Turn away from your sins and be baptized" (LUKE 3:3).
Suddenly Jesus waded into the water to be baptized. John tried to stop him
, saying, " ' I ought to be baptized by you...' But Jesus answered him, "Let
it be so for now' " (MATTHEW 3:14-15).
And so John baptized Jesus. Then Jesus left the Jordan and went into the
desert, "where he was tempted by the Devil" (LUKE 4:2)
This week's meditations focus on Jesus' baptism by John and his temptations
by the devil. They invite you to ask, If Jesus was sinless, why did he ask
to be baptized? If he was the Son of God, why did he allow the devil to
tempt him? The grace you ask for is:
Lord Jesus, teach me
[After Jesus was baptized,]
Luke's account of Jesus' baptism contains a beautiful reference to God as
Trinity:
Which person of the Trinity do I relate to best:
Saint Patrick used the shamrock
(one leaf with three petals)
to illustrate the mystery of the Trinity.
A modern theologian used the
chemical compound H2O.
It is one substance that exists in three separate forms:
God looks down from heaven...
People ask, "Why was Jesus baptized?" Obviously, it was not because he was
a sinful human being who needed forgiveness. Rather, it was because he was a
member of a sinful human family that needed forgiveness. Jesus asked to be
baptized because he had identified himself so totally with the human family.
He could not stand apart from it-not even from its sins. Jesus' action
reminds us that we, too, are members of the sinful human family. We, too,
cannot stand apart from it, especially from its "family" sins- disregard of
the poor, neglect of the environment, destruction of human life.
Do "family" sins tend to depress me rather than challenge me?
Racism is yours, end it.
[After he was baptized, Jesus] was led by the Spirit into the desert,
Mary Jo Tully describes what life was like during the Great Depression. She
says, "We lived from payday to payday. Mom would often wait for Dad to come
home on payday before she could purchase the food for the evening meal.
Still, in what he called his 'Irish wisdom,' Dad never came home on payday
without something that would feed what he considered a 'deeper need.' One day
it might be a bunch of daisies. On another, a box of chocolates. Once it
was even an additional mouth to feed- a puppy.".
What "deeper need" do I have besides "bread alone"?
When my spirit soars,
The Devil took [Jesus] up and showed him in a second
Joan Mills never knew her father. He died when she was still very young.
Her only concrete link with him was a box of his belongings in the attic.
One day she felt moved to explore it. She writes: "I read a journal my
father started at seventeen...He had left home...and enrolled at Boston
University. By midwinter, he had worn out his one pair of shoes and bought
books instead of a blanket. He drinks mugs of water to still his hunger. A
four-page entry celebrating his discovery of the great poets ends, 'I have
not eaten today.' ".
How ready am I to deny my body in favor of my spirit-
The body, that is but dust;
[Jesus said,]
Jesus' temptations preview how he will carry out his mission. First, his
refusal to turn stones into bread previews that he will not use his power for
his own personal comfort. Rather, he will sweat, hunger, and suffer, just
like us. Second, his refusal to throw himself from the Temple and let the
angels catch him previews that he hasn't come to be served by others, but to
serve them. Finally, his refusal to kneel before the devil, even in exchange
for the whole world, previews that he will not barter with evil. God is God;
right is right; wrong is wrong. Jesus will die at the hands of evil rather
than barter with it.
How do I, sometimes, tend to barter with evil-
The face of Christ..shows us
We have a High Priest
In 1982 Archbishop Glemp of Warsaw urged Polish young people not to give in
to the temptation to stop working for political change in Poland. He told
them that he could sympathize with them, because he had been beaten by police
in his youth for seeking similar change. Also, his father had been punished
for pressing for political change. Just as Archbishop Glemp could appreciate
the temptations of the Polish youth, so Jesus can appreciate the temptations
that each of us experiences.
What is one temptation I experience?
We are no more responsible for the evil thoughts
When the Devil finished tempting Jesus
Native Americans went on vision quests. They went off alone to pray and
fast for days to seek enlightenment from the Spirit. One time a young brave
returned from such a quest without enlightenment. An old brave said to him,
"You stalked your vision as you stalk deer. Stalking alone does not bring
vision; nor does fasting or will power alone. Vision comes as a gift born of
humility, wisdom, and patience. If your vision quest taught you only this, it
taught you much." As a result of his desert experience, Jesus could say to
us what the old brave told the young brave: "When you go off in quest of
God's will, remember that the vision' of that will is 'a gift born of
humility,wisdom, and patience.' ".
Am I, perhaps, stalking God's will as the young brave stalked his "vision
quest"?
With time and patience
This week's theme:
Tom Dooley captured the imagination of the world in the 1950s. Fresh out of
medical school and the navy, he went to Asia to serve among the very poor.
Tom's family was wealthy, and he enjoyed the good life. Commenting on this
in Guideposts magazine, he says:
But Tom's family was also deeply religious. He wrote:
Tom's family was also a Bible-reading family. Tom's favorite Bible reading
was the Beatitudes in the Sermon on the Mount. He wrote:
"I loved the Beatitudes because they talked about what I was interested in.
Blest means 'happy,' and that's just what I wanted to be. Here were the rules
for happiness."
This week's meditation exercises focus on the Beatitudes. The grace you ask
for is:
Father, help me take to heart
[Jesus said,]
Tom Dooley was moved to work among Asia's poor while he was in the navy.
One day his ship picked up a boatload of sick and wounded refugees drifting
off the coast of Vietnam. Tom discovered that the simplest medical treatment
brought smiles to their pain-filled faces. He also discovered that helping
them made him happier than he'd ever been in his life. After his hitch in
the navy, Tom went back to Asia. One day he told a friend that his favorite
Beatitude was "Happy are those who mourn." He explained that the word mourn
didn't mean "to be unhappy." It meant "to be more aware of sorrow than of
pleasure." He added that if you try to alleviate people's sorrow, "you can't
help but be happy. That's just the way it is."
How sensitive am I to the sorrow in the lives of people around me?
Who lives for himself is apt
[Jesus said,]
The movie Quo Vadis, starring Deborah Kerr, dealt with the persecution of
Christians in ancient Rome. One day, after a dangerous filming session, a
reporter asked Deborah, "Weren't you afraid when the lions rushed you in the
arena?" Deborah replied, "Not at all! I'd read the script, and I knew I'd
be rescued." This is the kind of childlike trust that the "poor in spirit"
had in God in Jesus' time. To be "poor in spirit" meant to be detached from
material things and attached to God alone. It meant to put all one's trust
in God rather than in material things. To be "poor in spirit" meant to have
and to value only one possession: God.
To what extent-and why- do I tend to seek happiness and put my trust in
things rather than in God?
We are rich
[Jesus said,]
An American and a Japanese embraced in a Tokyo airport. The last time they
met was forty years ago in an Okinawan cave. At that time, the American,
Ponich, was holding a child who had been shot in both legs. The Japanese,
Ishiboshi, leaped out of the darkness and aimed his rifle at Ponich. There
wasn't a thing Ponich could do, so he lay the child down, took out his
canteen, and began to wash the wounds. An amazed Ishiboshi lowered his
rifle. When Ponich finished, he bowed to Ishiboshi in gratitude and carried
the child to an American field hospital. In 1985 Ponich wrote a letter to a
Tokyo newspaper to thank the unknown soldier who mercifully spared his life
forty years earlier. Ishiboshi saw the letter, and the paper arranged their
reunion.
What is an opportunity I have, right now, for showing mercy to another?
We cannot, indeed, give like God,
[Jesus said,]
Jim McGinnis tells how two brothers were screaming at each other as they
played on the sidewalk in front of his house. One was on a tricycle; the
other was blocking the path of the tricycle. Jim asked the boys if they were
having fun. They said that they were not. Then he asked the boys what they
might do to have fun. "We could take turns riding the tricycle for about ten
minutes each," said the one child. When Jim offered to time their rides, they
both smiled and got all excited. The younger one even offered to let his
older brother ride first.
When two people are screaming, do I use the occasion to prove I can scream,
too?
It takes two sides to make a lasting peace,
[Jesus said,]
German submarine commander Martin Niemoller was awarded the Iron Cross for
his service in World War I. After the war he studied for the ministry and
was ordained. Before World War II, Niemoller backed the Nazi party. But
when he saw the direction it began to take, he denounced it publicly, was
arrested, and was sent to a concentration camp. Miraculously, he survived
eight years of imprisonment. After the war, he lectured in behalf of world
peace. At one talk he was brutally heckled and insulted for asking pardon of
the Jews. He reacted by imitating Jesus disciples, who rejoiced that God
"considered them worthy to suffer disgrace for the sake of Jesus." (ACTS 5:41)
How do I react when I am belittled or insulted?
Ignore people who belittle you;
[Jesus said,]
The great American concert violinist Fritz Kreisler said:
"I was born with music in my system. It was a gift from God. I didn't
acquire it. So I do not even deserve thanks for the music. Music is too
sacred to be sold, and the outrageous prices charged by musical celebrities
today are truly a crime against society. I never look upon the money I earn
as my own. It is public money. It is only a fund entrusted to me for proper
disbursement. My beloved wife feels exactly as I do.. In all these years of
my so-called success in music we have not built a house for ourselves.
Between it and us stand all the homeless in the world."
How fully do I agree with Kreisler?
Serve one another with whatever gift
[Jesus said,] "Happy are the pure in heart;
One Halloween night, Tom Lewis was trying-with little success- to prepare a
talk. He was constantly interrupted by a parade of trick-or-treat children.
Toward the end of the night, Tom ran out of candy and cookies. He prayed that
the doorbell would not ring again. But it did. And there stood his
next-door neighbor with her three-year-old child. With total embarrassment,
Tom poured out his predicament. And with total compassion and unselfishness,
the three-year-old opened her bag of treats and said, "That's okay, Mr.
Lewis. I'll give you some of my candy and cookies.'"
Am I more compassionate and unselfish than I used to be? How might I
develop these basic ingredients of a pure heart?
People may excite in themselves a glow of compassion,
This week's theme:
In the movie Shadow of the Hawk, a young couple and an Indian guide are
making their way up a mountainside. At one point the young woman slumps to
the ground and says, "I can't take another step." The young man lifts her to
her feet and says, "But, darling, we must go on. We have no other choice."
She shakes her head and says, "I can't do it."
Then the Indian guide says to the young man, "Hold her close to your heart.
Let your strength and love flow out of your body into hers." The young man
does this, and in a few minutes the woman smiles and says, "Now I am ready.
I can go on."
We can all relate to that incident. There have been times in life when we,
too, thought we couldn't go on. Then someone held us close to their heart
and let their strength and love flow into us.
This week's meditations focus on love. The grace you ask for is:
Father, let your knowledge and love of your Son
Our love
"Metamorphosis" is the story of an unmarried man named Gregor, who lives
with his parents and sister. For years he's been a salesman, a slave to his
customers and his boss. Although he is laughing on the outside, he is crying
on the inside. He feels like an insect. Each night he dreams of his
insectlike life. One morning he wakes up to discover that he's become what
he feels like: a giant cockroach. The tragedy is that the only way Gregor
can become human again is if he is loved by humans, especially his family.
But his appearance makes this impossible. The greater part of the story
deals with Gregor's pathetic efforts to express himself to his family. In
the end, he simply gives up and dies.
Who, perhaps, is a "Gregor" in my life?
No greater burden can be borne
Love is patient and kind..
Alan Loy McGinnis tells this story about the author Dr. Norman Lobsenz.
Young Norman's wife was in the midst of a serious illness, and the ordeal was
taking its toll on Norman. One night he was on the verge of collapse when,
suddenly, he recalled an incident from his childhood. One night when his
mother had taken ill, Norman got up around midnight to get a drink of water.
As he passed his parents' bedroom, he saw his father sitting in a chair on
his mother's side of the bed. She was fast asleep. Norman rushed into the
room and cried, "Daddy, is Mom worse?" "No, Norman," his father said softly.
"I'm just sitting here watching over her, in case she wakes up and needs
something." That long-forgotten incident from his childhood gave Norman all
the strength he needed to carry on.
What episode from my childhood is a source of strength to me-even to this
day?
The pains of love be sweeter far
Love is not...selfish or irritable;
In an interview just before the 1986 Academy Awards, Barbara Walters asked
President and Mrs. Reagan how they had managed to keep their love alive for
thirty-five years. As they thought about the question, Barbara tried to help
them, asking, "Was it because both of you were so willing to give and take on
a 50-50 basis?" The first lady broke into a gentle laugh and said, "Oh my,
married life never breaks that evenly. Sometimes it's more like 90-10. So
often one of us has to give up so much more than the other." That was a high
point in the interview. It made an important point: When it comes to love,
you can't keep score. The day two people start to keep score in marriage is
the day their marriage starts to die.
Do I consciously or unconsciously tend to keep score in my love
relationships?
Pure love and prayer are learned in the hour
In the same way
A woman was standing on a curb, waiting for the light to change. On the
opposite curb was a teenage girl. The woman noticed that the girl was
crying. When the light changed, each started across the street. Just as
they were about to meet, the woman's motherly instincts came rushing to the
surface. Every part of her wanted to comfort that girl. But the woman
passed her by. She didn't even greet her. Hours later the image of the
crying girl still haunted the woman. Over and over she said to herself: "Why
didn't I say to her, 'Honey, can I help?' Sure, she might have rejected me.
But, so what! Only a minute would have been lost, but that minute would have
let her know that someone cared. Instead, I passed her by. I pretended she
didn't exist."
Is there someone, right now, to whom I should be reaching out in love?
'Tis better to have loved and lost
"As they looked on, a change came over Jesus:
British TV celebrity Malcolm Muggeridge went to India to film Mother
Teresa's nuns working with dying patients. His camera crew didn't anticipate
the poor lighting in the building and failed to bring extra lights. So they
thought it useless to film the sisters at work. But someone suggested they do
it anyway. Maybe some footage would be usable. To everyone's surprise, the
film was spectacular. It was illumined by a mysterious light. Muggeridge
believes the light resulted from a "glow" of love radiating from the sisters'
faces. He sensed this "glow" himself when he first entered the building. He
says it was "like the haloes that artists have seen and made visible round
the heads of saints." He adds, "I find it not at all surprising that the
luminosity should register on photographic film."
Can I recall ever seeing someone "glow" with love"?
Where love is, there is God also.
God will put [God's] angels in charge of you
Actor Jimmy Stewart describes an incident that took place as his bomber
squadron prepared to leave for Europe during World War II. As the last
minute ticked away, Jimmy sensed that his father wanted to say something.
But nothing came out. Finally, his dad hugged him and left. Only later did
Jimmy discover that his father had slipped a letter into his pocket. It went
something like this:"Soon after you read this letter, you will be on your way
to the worst of dangers. Let us both count on the promise contained in the
enclosed psalm..I love you more than I can tell you. [signed] Dad." Jimmy
then read the psalm. These words stood out: "God will put [God's] angels in
charge of you to protect you wherever you go."
What keeps me from better expressing my love, especially to those closest to
me? What person in particular would benefit from my doing this?
There is no security on earth;
"I have been put to death with Christ..
The musical Man of La Mancha is based on Miguel de Cervantes' novel Don
Quixote. Toward the end of the musical, Quixote is dying. At his side is
Aldonza, a worthless woman whom he idealized and called Dulcinea. Quixote
loved her with a pure love, unlike anything she had previously experienced.
When Quixote breathes his last, Aldonza sings "The Impossible Dream." When
she finishes, someone shouts, "Aldonza." She replies, "My name is now
Dulcinea." Thanks to Quixote's love, the ugly Aldonza had died, and the
beautiful Dulcinea was born. Love had transformed a worthless wretch into a
wonderful woman.
How does the impact of Quixote's love on Aldonza mirror the impact of Jesus'
love on me?
He drew a circle that shut me out-
This week's theme:
In 1909 Father Francis Keller took a long trip to Gilletee, Wyoming. He had
sent a letter to the Catholic settlers there telling them that he would
celebrate Sunday Mass with them. Many settlers hadn't seen a priest in years.
After Mass, a man said to Father Keller, "Your train doesn't leave until
late tonight. After you've made your rounds, let's take a horseback ride
into the hills. They're beautiful this time of the year."
Later the two men rode into the hills. After an hour they saw a woman
waving in the distance. As they rode up and she saw Father Keller's collar,
a remarkable expression came across her face. She said, "Father, my brother
is dying."
Her brother was inside a tent. He was about thirty-five years old and
extremely thin. Father Keller heard the man's confession and anointed him.
In those days every priest in the West carried a tiny capsule of holy oil for
just such an emergency. As soon as the priest finished, the young man closed
his eyes in deep peace. He was dead.
Later the woman said to Father Keller, "Nobody told me that you were in
Gillette today. But all his life my brother has prayed that a priest would
be present at his death. This morning we prayed one last time for this
grace."
That incredible story recalls the words of the poet Alfred Lord Tennyson:
"More things are wrought through prayer than this world dreams of." The
important point about prayer is this: Keep your prayer simple. Whatever
confuses or complicates prayer is probably best forgotten. Father Daniel
Lord was right when, at the end of his life, he gave this advice to a young
person: "Keep your prayer simple. Talk to God as to a father, to Christ as
to a brother, and to the Holy Spirit as a constant companion."
This week's meditations focus on prayer. The grace you ask for is:
Lord, teach me to pray that I come to
[Jesus said,]
Bill was turning his young teacher, Mary, into a nervous wreck. One morning
before school Mary sat writing something in shorthand. Bill appeared and
said, "Whatdaya writing?" Mary replied, "God can do anything, even answer
this prayer." With that, Mary stuck the note inside her Bible and turned to
write on the board. As she did, Bill stole the note and put it in his book.
Years later Bill was sorting through a box of old books and found the note.
He took it to the office for his secretary to translate. It read:
"Dear God, I can't handle my class with Bill upsetting it. Touch his heart.
He's someone who can become either very good or very evil." Bill sat
stunned, for only he knew how accurate the prayer was and how well it had
been answered.
How do I feel about asking God for help in time of need?
Pray to God, but row to the shore.
[Jesus said,]
Jim Johnson was sent to save a failing hotel. The situation was so bad that
Jim decided upon desperate measures. Each night he drove to a hill
overlooking the hotel. He parked, sat in the car, and prayed for twenty
minutes. He prayed for the hotel guests, behind the lighted windows. He
prayed for the employees and their families. He prayed for himself.
Gradually, changes started to take place in the hotel. A new spirit radiated
from its employees. A new warmth greeted each new guest. A new hope
permeated the operation. Within a year the hotel was back on its feet.
Norman Vincent Peale, who tells the story, ends with this thought:
If the prayer of one person could revitalize a hotel, think what the prayer
of a nation could do for the world.
What is my reaction to Peale's thought?
Prayers travel more strongly
Pray at all times.
French philosopher Blaise Pascal points out that God created us to be
sharers in the divine power, not just spectators of it. Sharing in the
divine power is one way we share in God's "image and likeness." Pascal
points out further that a special way we share in the divine power is by
prayer. He draws this parallel: Just as God shares power with us by making
us thinking persons, so, too, God shares power with us by making us praying
persons. Finally, few of us can impact human events significantly by our
thinking but all of us can do so by our praying.
Do I really believe that neglecting God's gift of prayer is as serious as
neglecting God's gift of intelligence?
Prayer is the most powerful form of energy
[Jesus said to his disciples
God will not judge us on our earthly
possessions and human successes,
but on how well we have loved.
SAINT JOHN OF THE CROSS
Day 6
"[People look] at the outward appearance,
but I look at the heart.
1 SAMUEL, 16:7
A rare disease made the bones of his face grow larger than they
should
As a result, Rocky's face was horribly misshapen.
He never
pitied himself or gave way to anger.
Instead, he accepted his appearance
as it was.
One day Rocky and some friends were at an amusement park.
They went into a "house of mirrors" and began to laugh at how distorted
their bodies and faces looked.
Suddenly Rocky saw something that
startled him.
One mirror distorted his misshapen face in a way that made
it appear normal. In that mirror Rocky was strikingly handsome.
For the
first time, Rocky's friends saw him as he was on the inside: a beautiful
person.
My "outside" person?
It is better to win control over yourself
than over whole cities.
proverbs 16:32
Day 7
we shall be like him.
1 JOHN 3:2
The little eagle thought he was a chicken
and did what other chickens did.
He scratched in the dirt,
made chicken noises, and thrashed his wings about awkwardly,
rising only a few feet off the ground.
One day the little eagle saw a
beautiful bird soaring high in the sky above him.
It glided on the wind
in great circles.
"What a marvelous bird!"
the eagle said to an
adult chicken standing nearby.
"It's the king of the birds.
But don't
get
any silly ideas.
You could never be like him or do what he's doing."
What might I learn from the parable?
and we've got to get ourselves back to the garden.
JONI MITCHELL
Do I rejoice in who I am?
The first
woman resented her name.
The second rejoiced in it.
For example, she said that when she gets crude phone calls
asking how much she charges, she answers, "More than you can afford,
Buddy!"
She added, "Believe it or not, there are advantages to being a
Hooker.
Your name is rarely misspelled, and no one ever forgets it."
How happy am I with myself: my looks, my talents, and so forth?
the serenity to accept-even joyfully-
that part of myself that I can't change,
the courage to change that part of myself
that I ought to change, and
the wisdom to know one from the other.
SERENITY PRAYER (adapted)
Day 8
when my bones were being formed,
carefully put together
in my mother's womb,...
you knew that I was there-
you saw me before I was born.
PSALM 139:15-16
"Find an unnoticed flower around your home and study it.
Note its petals-their shape and their color.
Turn it over
and look at its underside.
As you do, remember that
this flower is your flower.
It might have died unappreciated
had you not found it and admired it."
Next day, after the students reported on their flowers,
the teacher said:
"Each one of us is like your flower.
We are unique.
But we often go unappreciated because no one takes
the time to notice our unique beauty.
Each one of us
is a masterpiece of God.
There won't be another person
like us-ever again."
everything that is of my own planting
and to restore to my heart
everything that is of your planting.
Day 9
by the power that Christ gives me.
PHILIPPIANS 4:13
But that didn't stop him from playing
football in junior college.
He got so good as a place kicker
that the New Orleans Saints signed him.
On November 8, 1970,
the Saints were trailing Detroit 17-16 with two seconds to go on
Detroit's forty-five-yard line.
The Saints' coach turned to Tom and
said,
"Go out and give it your best shot!" When the holder set the ball down,
it was exactly sixty-three yards from the uprights.
The rest is history.
Tom broke the NFL field goal record by seven yards.
Later he told Newsweek magazine, "I couldn't follow the ball that far.
But I saw the official's arms go up and I can't describe how great I
felt."
How might I turn it into an "advantage"?
for through them, I have found myself, my work, and my God.
HELEN KELLER
Day 10
Their purpose is to prove that your faith is genuine.
Even gold... is tested by fire; and so your faith...
must also be tested, so that it may endure.
1 PETER 1:6-7
Later he found beads of pure gold littering the ashes of his stove.
The heat had burned away the tellurium, leaving the gold in a purified
state.
We are like telluride ore.
Gold is inside us, but it often takes a
"fiery trial"
in the "stove of affliction" to bring it out of us.
It is interesting to wonder on them and do some speculation,
but the main thing is you have to accept it-
take it for what it is
and get on with your growing.
JIM DODGE
Day 11
MARK 4:3
It also warns us that we will meet difficulties(wind)
doing this.
Consider an example. Before dying, someone wrote:
"We have to believe every part of our lives has value.
What has value
can be shared.
I've something to share: Embrace every situation with confidence in its
meaning and value!
I think that's what Jesus meant when he called us the light of the world.
He wants us to believe in our meaning and value.
To believe in him and
his Father,
we have to believe in ourselves."
Day 12
"If anyone wants to come with me..
he must forget himself, carry his cross, and follow me."
MARK 8:34
Then he heard his father speaking to her.
James says: "My dad's
voice was low and troubled as he tried to comfort mother; and in their
anguish they both forgot about the nearness of my bedroom."
Describing
the impact this experience had on him, James says: "While their problem
..has long since been solved and forgotten, the big discovery I made that
night is still with me. Life is not all hearts and flowers. It's hard and
cruel, much of the time."
for the people who make the best
of the way things "turn out."
ART LINKLETTER
Day 13
"Knock, and the door will be opened."
MATTHEW 7:7
At the last minute they decided
against it.
One doctor patted Glenn's shoulder and said, "When the
weather turns warm, we'll get you into a chair on the porch."
Glenn
replied, "I don't want to sit. I want to walk and run, and I will."
Two
years later Glenn was running. He wasn't running fast, but he was
running.
When Glenn went to college, his extracurricular activity was
track.
Now he was running not to prove the doctors wrong but because he
was good at it.
Then came the Berlin Olympics.
Glenn not only qualified
but also broke the Olympic record for the 1,5000-meter race.
The boy who
wasn't supposed to walk again became the world's fastest human.
are only little shots who keep shooting.
CHRISTOPHER MORLEY
Day 14
the Kingdom of God is yours!
LUKE 6:20
Shortly afterward, when his mother was baking
bread, he touched her flour-smeared elbow and said, "Mama, I want to be
an artist." Chagall's dream took him to Paris, where he won worldwide
acclaim.
He never forgot his poverty; he rejoiced in it and felt that it
helped him saying: "The very worst thing to have too early is a little
success, a little money... a little satisfaction.
The little
satisfactions..hold you back from big dedication."
for what they have not,
but give thanks for what they do have.
AUTHOR UNKNOWN
How meaningful is my life?
During his career he kept a diary.
Later it was published
under the title of Instant Replay: The Green Bay Dairy of Jerry Kramer.
Luke was a
wild character who was in and out of prison all of his life. The last
time he got out of prison, he went into a church, knelt down, and said
something like this:
"Old Man, whadaya got planned for me? What's next? Whadaya put me on
earth for?"
Commenting on the scene, Kramer writes:
"I ask myself the same questions.
I often wonder where my life is
heading, and what's my purpose here on earth besides playing the silly
games I play every Sunday.
I feel there's got to be more to life than
that.
There's got to be some reason for it. I didn't come up with any
answers this morning.
I just thought about it for a while."
focus on the meaning of life.
The grace you ask
for is:
Day 15
and where are you going?.
GENESIS 16:8
One day he was talking to a
close friend about the shortness of life.
His friend made this
comparison: " O king, recall the room where you meet with your officers
on cold winter nights in front of the huge fireplace.
During those
meetings, a lone sparrow sometimes flies into the room through an
opening, exiting just as quickly through another opening.
Life is like
the swift flight of that sparrow.
While it is inside the room, safe from
the cold, it enjoys a brief space of fair weather.
But then it vanishes
again into the night.
No one knows whence it came or where it goes.
So
it is with us, O king. Our time on earth is brief, like the flight of
that sparrow.
No one knows whence we came or where we go."
where I came from and
where I am going, what would I say?
is worth dying for.
CHARLES MAYES
Day 16
so that we may become wise.
PSALM 90:12
She
learns from the dead that it is possible for her to choose one day from
her life and relive it.
But they all advise against it.
Emily ignores
their advice and chooses to relive one of the happiest days of her life,
her twelfth birthday.
She begins.
But before she gets halfway through
the day, she cries out, " I can't.
I can't go on... We don't have time
to look at one another.
Take me back up the hill to my grave."
Later
she asks one of the dead, "Do humans ever realize life while they live
it?"
The dead person pauses a minute and says sadly, " No.
The saints
and poets, maybe-they do some."
And we set them to music at pleasure;
And the song grows glad, or sweet or sad,
As we choose to fashion the measure.
ELLA WHEELER WILCOX
Day 17
and they listen, but do not hear.
MATTHEW 13:13
for those who know how to see.
On the contrary, everything is sacred.
TEILHARD DE CHARDIN
Day 18
about what you will eat and drink...
Your Father knows
that you need these things.
Instead, be concerned with his Kingdom,
and he will provide you with these things.."
LUKE 12:29-31
to leave footprints on the sands of time,
it is even more important
to make sure they point
in a commendable direction.
JAMES BRANCH CABELL
Day 19
and for the gospel will save it."
MARK 8:35
A way and ways and a way.
And the high soul climbs the high way,
And the low soul gropes the low,
And in between, on the misty flats,
The rest drift to and fro.
But to every man there openeth
A high way and a low.
And every man decideth
The way his soul shall go.
JOHN OXENHAM
Day 20
if he wins the whole world
but loses his life?"
MARK 8:36
But you can wind it up again.
BONNIE PRUDDEN
Day 21
between life and death...
and I call heaven and earth
to witness the choice you make."
DEUTERONOMY 30:19
Strong minds, great hearts,
true faith, and ready hands!.
JOSIAH G. HOLLAND
How real is God for me?
where and how to seek you,
where and how to find you.
ANSELM OF CANTERBURY
Day 22
always ready to help in times of trouble.
PSALM 46:1
God be in my mouth-and in my speaking;
God be in my mind-and in my knowing;
God be in my heart-and in my loving;
God be in all my life- and all my living.
ANONYMOUS
Day 23
"Take off your sandals,
because you are standing on holy ground.".
EXODUS 3:5
And every common bush aflame with God;
And only he who sees takes off his shoes-
The rest sit round it
and pluck blackberries.
E.B. BROWNING
Day 24
I will be with you and protect you wherever you go."
GENESIS 28:13,15
at the time when it is upon us,
but afterwards when we look back.
JOHN HENRY NEWMAN
Day 25
'Do not be afraid; I will help you.'"
ISAIAH 41:13
Their fronded palms in air;
I only know I cannot drift
Beyond His loving care.
JOHN GREENLEAF WHITTIER
Day 26
PSALM 46:10(NRSV)
even more intimately
than we exist within oursleves.
LOUIS EVELY
Day 27 (Saturday)
and hear my sighs.'
PSALM 5:1
"Lord my God, teach my heart
where and how to seek you,
where and how to find you...
You are my God and you are my Lord,
and I have never seen you.
You have made me and remade me,
and you have bestowed on me
all the good things I possess,
and still I do not know you...
I have not yet done that
for which I was made...
Teach me to seek you...for
I cannot seek you unless you teach me or
find you unless you show yourself to me.
Let me seek you in my desire,
let me desire you in my seeking.
Let me find you by loving you,
let me love you when I find you."
lying in the depths of the heart.
SEBASTIAN FRANCK
- 1004
Day 28 (Sunday)
PSALM 139:1-2
"LORD,...you know everything I do...
You see me, whether I am working or resting;
you know all my actions.
Even before I speak,
you already know what I will say.
You are all around me on every side;
You protect me with your power.
Your knowledge of me is too deep;
it is beyond my understanding.
Where could I go to escape from you?...
If I flew away beyond the east or
lived in the farthest place in the west,
you would be there to lead me,
you would be there to help me."
How real is God for me right now in my life?
How do I explain this?
has done great things for me,
and holy is [God's] name.
LUKE 1:49(NRSV)
- 1004
What is God's plan for me?
an unshakeable conviction
that you have a plan for me,
even though I might not yet know it.
Day 29 (Monday)
My prayers go up to you;
show me the way I should go.
PSALM 143:8
without knowing why he entered it.
INSCRIPTION ON A GRAVESTONE
- 1004
Day 30 (Tuesday)
but in deed and truth.
I JOHN 3:18
you will not succeed
in touching them with your hands.
But...following them
you will reach your destiny.
CARL SCHURZ
Day 31 (Wednesday)
to go and bear fruit.
JOHN 15:16
with which God can do [God's] work...
Yours are the only eyes
through which God's compassion
can shine upon a troubled world.
SAINT TERESA OF AVILA
- 1004
Day 32 (Thursday)
what the world looks down on..
in order to destroy
what the world thinks is important.
1 CORINTHIANS 1:27-28
Day 33 (Friday)
as big as a mustard seed,
you could say to this mulberry tree,
'Pull yourself up by the roots
and plant yourself in the sea!'
and it would obey you."
LUKE 17:6
How afraid am I of making the same mistake Luke did?
that which is above us,
we shall soon
yield to that which is about us.
PETER TAYLOR FORSYTH
Day 34 (Saturday)
according to God's plan and decision;...
God chose us to be [God's] own people..
based on what [God] had decided
from the very beginning.
EPHESIANS 1:11
before they die
what they are running from, and to,
and why.
JAMES THURBER
Day 35 (Sunday)
"You are like light for the whole world.
A city built on a hill cannot be hid...
In the same way
your light must shine before people,
so that they will see the good things
you do and praise your Father in heaven."
MATTHEW 5:14, 16
but they'll believe what we do.
LEWIS CASS (slightly adapted)
How open am I to God's plan for me?
to get involved in your plan,
regardless of what it may cost me.
Day 36 (Monday)
submits to strict discipline,
in order to be crowned with a wreath
that will not last...
we do it for one that will last forever.
I CORINTHIANS 9:25
is that we have unbelievable control
over our destiny.
BILL GOVE
Day 37 (Tuesday)
Whoever remains in me,
and I in him, will bear much fruit."
JOHN 15:5
Is anything in particular tending to hold up or delay my spiritual
progress?
but die with their music within them.
OLIVER WENDELL HOLMES
Day 38 (Wed)
"I chose you before I gave you life,
and before you were born
I selected you."
JEREMIAH 1:4-5
AUTHOR UNKNOWN
Day 39 (Thu)
"The Kingdom of heaven is like this,
A man happens to find a treasure hidden in a field...
He goes and sells everything he has...
and buys that field."
MATTHEW 13:44
What is the chief sacrifice I am making to reach it?
What is my motivation for the sacrifice?
but the good enough.
L.P. JACKS
Day 40 (Fri)
for all [the LORD's] goodness to me?
PSALM 116:12
If not, how would I reword it to make it acceptable?
ISAAC BASHEVIS SINGER
Day 41 (Sat)
is wiser than human wisdom.
I CORINTHIANS 1:25
"I asked for health
that I might do greater things;
I was given infirmity,
that I might do better things...
I asked for riches, that I might be happy;
I was given poverty,
that I might be wise...
I asked for power,
that I might have the praise of men;
I was given weakness,
that I might feel the need of God...
I got nothing I asked for,
but everything I hoped for.
Almost despite myself,
my unspoken prayers were answered.
I am among all men most richly blessed."
How does it relate to the "guidelines for living" of the previous reading?
to fashion people
into something better than they are.
ANONYMOUS
Day 42 (Sun)
"Not my will... but your will be done."
LUKE 22:42
and God said, 'No,'
He said it was not for Him to take away,
but for me to give up.
I asked God to make my handicapped child whole,
and God said, 'No.'
He said, "Her spirit is whole,
her body is only temporary.'
I asked God to grant me patience,
and God said, 'No.'
He said that patience is a by-product of tribulation.
It isn't granted, it is earned.
I asked God to give me happiness,
and God said, 'No.'
He said,'Suffering draws you apart from worldly cares
and brings you closer to me...
I asked God to help me love others
as much as he loves me, and God said,
'Ah, finally you have the idea.' "
AUTHOR UNKNOWN
How do I explain this?
I know my heart is right.
How aware am I of sin's presence in my life?
to see my sinfulness.
Move my heart
to be sickened by what I see.
Touch my soul
to cry out in shame and sorrow.
Day 43 (Mon)
DEUTERONOMY 6:6
And the world makes you king for a day,
Just go to the mirror and look at yourself,
And see what that man has to say.
For it isn't your father, or mother, or brother,
Who upon you their judgment will pass.
The fellow whose verdict counts most in your life
Is the one staring back from the glass....
He's the fellow to please -never mind all the rest!
For he's with you right up to the end.
And you've passed your most difficult dangerous test,
If the man in the glass is your friend.
You may fool the world down the pathway of years,
And get pats on the back as you pass,
But your final reward will be headache or tears,
If you've cheated the man in the glass."
AUTHOR UNKNOWN
who is not thoroughly sincere
in dealing with himself.
JAMES RUSSELL LOWELL
Day 44 (Tue)
and I can no longer see.
PSALM 40:12
is linked to my sense of God.
The closer I am to God,
the more aware I am of my sinfulness.
This is because distance from God
reduces the contrast necessary for me
to recognize my true condition.
Day 45 (Wed)
and put a new and loyal spirit in me.
PSALM 51:10
because it exposes us to hell,
and another to mourn for it
because it is an infinite evil.
GARDINER SPRING
Day 46 (Thu)
They trample down the weak..
and push the poor out of the way."
AMOS 2:6-7
We're improving immensely.
We don't steal anymore; we only "lift."
We don't lie; we only "misinform."
We don't fornicate; we only "fool around."
We don't kill;
we only "terminate a pregnancy."
ANONYMOUS
Day 47 (Fri)
we make a liar out of God.
I JOHN 1:8, 10
who find it hard to admit that they sin?
the righteous
who believe themselves sinners;
the rest
who believe themselves righteous.
BLAISE PASCAL
Day 48 (Sat)
and I can no longer see...
I have lost my courage.
PSALM 40:12
What am I doing for Jesus now?
What ought I to do for Jesus in the future?
beginning with me.
A CHINESE CHRISTIAN'S PRAYER
Day 49 (Sun)
by the punishment he suffered,
made whole by the blows he received."
ISAIAH 53:5
what Julian of Norwich refers to?
when I strayed from you.
Arms of Jesus, you raised me
when I slipped and fell.
Heart of Jesus, you loved me
even when I sinned.
How aware am I that I will be held accountable for my life?
help me live in such a way now
that I'll rejoice in your judgment later.
Day 50 (Mon)
and after that be judged by God.
HEBREW 9:27
who will refuse to enter eternity with me? How do I feel about this?
are only the first scene in a Divine Drama
that extends into eternity.
EDWIN MARKHAM
Day 51 (Tue)
will have to give an account...to God.
ROMANS 14:12
To what extent am I more helpful and forgiving today than I was a year ago?
Examples?
is not so much where we are,
but in what direction we are moving.
OLIVER WENDELL HOLMES
Day 52 (Wed)
must wait until the Lord comes...
And then everyone will receive from God
the praise he deserves.
I CORINTHIANS 4:5
What is one shortcut I could get away with
in what I am currently doing?
What keeps me from taking it?
then they form us.
Conquer your bad habits,
or they'll eventually conquer you.
DR. ROB GILBERT
Day 53 (Thu)
and tied them all together;
[The LORD] hung them around my neck,
and I grew weak beneath the weight."
LAMENTATIONS 1:14
I coulda been a contender.
I coulda been somebody.
Instead of a bum, which is what I am.
ACTOR MARLON BRANDO in On the Waterfront
Day 54 (Fri)
that can be hid from God...
And it is to [God]
that we must all give an account.
HEBREW 4:13
about God's judgment after I die?
To write against your name,
He writes-not that you won or lost-
But how you played the game.
GRANTLAND RICE
Day 55 (Sat)
and their sins
go ahead of them to judgment.
I TIMOTHY 5:24
"I shall tell you a secret, my friend.
Do not wait for the last judgment.
It takes place every day."
What point was Camus making?
degrees, or diplomas, but scars.
ELBERT HUBBARD
Day 56 (Sun)
according to what they had done.
REVELATION 20:13
but also what we do not do,
for which we are held accountable.
MOLIERE
How does the thought of death impact the way I live?
teach me about death,
that it may teach me about life.
Day 57 (Mon)
"Believe in God and believe also in me.
There are many rooms in my Father's house,
and I am going to prepare a place for you..
I will come back and take you to myself,
so that you will be where I am.
JOHN 14:1-3
How prepared am I for the journey the king is referring to?
What could I tell God about my preparedness for death?
The stars go down to rise on some fairer shore.
J.l. McCREERY
Day 58 (Tue)
'You fool! This very night
you will have to give up your life.' "
LUKE 12:20
because I can't be sure
when too soon will be too late.
ANONYMOUS
Day 59 (Wed)
REVELATION 16:15
which death supplies
brings out the tender colors of life
in all their purity.
GEORGE SANTAYANA
Day 60 (Thu)
"The sorrow in my heart is
so great that it almost crushes me."
MATTHEW 26:15
Which family member would I choose to say good-bye to if I could choose
only one?
What message would I give him or her for the others?
"Who plucked this flower?"
The Master said,
"I plucked it for myself."
and the gardener held his peace.
CHILD'S GRAVESTONE IN ENGLAND
Day 61 (Fri)
I TIMOTHY 6:7
"At first the infant,
Mewling and puking in the nurse's arms...
Then the whining school-boy, with his satchel
And shining morning face, creeping like snail
Unwillingly to school.
And then the lover,
Sighing like furnace, with a woeful ballad...
Then a soldier,
Full of strange oaths...
Seeking the bubble reputation...
And then the justice..
With eyes severe and beard of formal cut...
The sixth age shifts
Into the lean and slipper'd pantaloon... and his big manly voice,
Turning again toward childish treble, pipes
And whistles in his sound.
Last scene of all,
That ends this strange eventful history,
Is second childishness, and mere oblivion,
Sans teeth, sans eyes, sans tastes, sans everything."
Why do I think God designed life that way?
think of his life at all?
JOSEPH CONRAD
Day 62 (Sat)
when the dead are raised to life.
I CORINTHIANS 15:42
"I am standing upon the seashore.
A ship at my side spreads her white sails to the morning breeze and
starts for the blue ocean.
She is an object of beauty and strength, and I stand and watch until at
last she hangs like a speck of white cloud just where the sea and sky
come down to mingle with each other. Then someone at my side says,
'There! She's gone!' Gone where? Gone from my sight, that is all. She is
just as large in mast and hull and spar as she was when she left my side
and just as able to bear her load of living freight to the place of
destination. Her diminished size is in me, not in her. And just at the
moment when someone at my side says, 'There she goes!' there are eyes
watching her coming and other voices ready to take up the glad shout,
'Here she comes!' "
When I think of death, do I tend to view it primarily as leaving earth
or as going to God? Why?
to heaven and nobody wants to die?
AUTHOR UNKNOWN
Day 63 (Sun)
In your hands I place my spirit!"
LUKE 23:46
the kind of death I would like to have?
Have I ever been present at a death of someone?
Who? When? What struck me most about the experience?
I know the Lord
has his arms wrapped around
this big, fat sparrow.
SINGER ETHEL WATERS
How conscious am I of God's forgiveness of me?
It opens with a runaway boy writing a letter home to his mother.
He expresses the hope that his old-fashioned father will forgive him and
accept him again as his son.
The boy writes:
"In a few days I'll be passing our property.
If Dad'll take me back, ask him to tie a white cloth on the apple tree in
the field next to our house."
Soon the tree will be visible around the next bend. But the boy can't
bring himself to look at it.
He's afraid the white cloth won't be there.
Turning to the man sitting next to him , he says, nervously, "Mister,
will you do me a favor?
Around the bend on the right, you'll see a tree. See if there's a white
cloth tied to it."
Then in a quaking voice he asks, "Mister, is a white cloth tied to one of
the branches of the tree?"
The man answers in a surprised voice, "Why, son, there's a white cloth
tied to practically every branch!"
This week's meditations focus on this forgiveness. The grace you ask for
is:
that there is a wideness in your mercy
like the wideness of the sea.
Day 64 (Mon)
HOSEA 11:8
Speaking in God's name, he says:
"When Israel was a child, I loved him and called him out of Egypt...
But the more I called to him,
the more he turned away from me...
Yet I was the one
who taught Israel to walk...
How can I abandon [Israel]?
My heart will not let me do it!
My love for you is too strong.
I will not punish you in my anger...
For I am God and not man.
I, the Holy One, am with you.
I will not come to you in anger."
HOSEA 11:1-3,8-9
imagining that God is saying my name in place of the words in italics
(referring to Israel)?
will be with me all my life;
and your house will be my home
as long as I live.
PSALM 23:6
Day 65 (Tue)
and not love the child she bore?
Even if a mother should forget her child,
I will never forget you."
ISAIAH 49:15
How might I help this person bring it forth?
if it had not been for men and women
who were willing to take risks
against the longest odds.
BERNARD BARUCH
Day 66 (Wed)
I will no longer remember their wrongs.
I, the LORD, have spoken."
JEREMIAH 31:34
How forgiving am I when someone crushes
one of my dreams as Roy did Price's dream of a Rose Bowl victory?
is the fragrance the violet sheds
on the heel that crushed it.
MARK TWAIN
Day 67 (Thu)
PSALM 51:7
Thanks to God's mercy, this is possible.
How eagerly and often do I turn to
the sacrament of Reconciliation to "untattoo" the past?
Create a pure heart in me, O God,
and put a new and loyal spirit in me..
Give me again the joy that comes
from your salvation, and make me willing
to obey you.
PSALM 51:10, 12
Day 68 (Fri)
ROMANS 6:22
compared to the pain of being held bound by it.
Can I recall a time when God freed me
from some sin that held me bound and in pain?
To what extent was my reaction like the monkey's?
IGOR STRAVINSKY
Day 69 (Sat)
I was worn out from crying...
Then I confessed my sins to you;
I did not conceal my wrongdoings.
You forgave all my sins.
PSALM 32:3,5
[Signed] Klees"
If I died right now, could I say what he did?
When did I experience a quiet peace, such as Klees did?
ENGLISH PROVERB
Day 70 (Sun)
and surrounded me with joy.
PSALM 30:11
Sin nearly destroyed me; but God, the master craftsperson,
repaired me. My sound is now more beautiful than it was before.
What is one way the experience of having sinned and been forgiven made
"my sound more beautiful"?
What ought I to give God in return for what God has given me?
SAINT AMBROSE
mercifully grant me one thing more-
a grateful heart. (slightly adapted)
Day 71 (Mon)
"Go and let the priests examine you."
On the way they were made clean...
[Only one came back]
to give thanks to God.
LUKE 17:14,18
is like winking at someone in the dark.
You know how you feel about them,
but they don't.
ANONYMOUS
Day 72 (Tue)
with thanksgiving in your hearts
COLOSSIANS 3:16
What system might I devise for this?
that God put thorns on roses;
others give thanks
that God put roses among thorns.
ANONYMOUS
Day 73 (Wed)
I THESSALONIANS 5:18
AESOP
Day 74 (Thu)
by giving [God] thanks.
PSALM 69:30
What keeps me from doing this more often?
One is in heaven;
the other is in a meek and thankful heart.
IZAAK WALTON
Day 75 (Fri)
all.. faithful people!
Remember what the Holy One has done,
and give...thanks!
PSALM 30:4
or one thing God has not given me-
that I have taken for granted
and forget to give thanks for?
we can, at least, thank God
that we're not a herring.
QUIN RYAN (adapted)
Day 76 (Sat)
always give thanks for everything
to God the Father.
EPHESIANS 5:20
that bloom about our feet;
For tender grass so fresh and sweet;
For song of bird and hum of bee;
For all things we hear and see,
Father in heaven, we thank thee.
RALPH WALDO EMERSON
Day 77 (Sun)
LORD, your love is eternal.
Complete the work that you have begun.
PSALM 138:1,8
puts you in the best place
for the next moment.
OPRAH WINFREY
Why did Jesus live among us? (incarnation)
To see thee more clearly,
Love thee more dearly,
Follow thee more nearly.
Day 78 (Mon)
LUKE 1:30-31
in the one who would parent my Son?
Eternity shut in a span!
Summer in Winter, Day in Night!
Heaven in earth and God in man!
RICHARD CRASHAW
Day 79 (Tue)
LUKE
"I am very glad that the divine child
was born in a stable, because my soul
is very much like a stable,
filled with strange unsatisfied longings,
with guilt and animal-like impulses...
If the holy One could be born
in such a place,
the holy One can be born in me also.
I am not excluded."
for being "glad that the divine child
was born in a stable"?
Why would God pick such a birthplace?
to get a little crazy.
After all, God did.
God became a human being.
That's pretty crazy.
JIM AUER
Day 80 (Wed)
I JOHN 1:1
Cyril Egan describes a person searching frantically for something.
The person looks high and low. One day a friend asks,
"Tell me! What are you looking for?"
The person replies, "I'm looking for God."
Then the person adds quickly:
"Don't tell me I'll find him in my heart (though in a sense that's true);
and don't tell me I'll find him in my fellow man (though in a sense
that's true, too)
What I'm looking for is a God making a five-sense breakthrough to
humanity.
The God for whom the person was looking entered human history 2,000 years
ago
in the town of Bethlehem.
other than by hearsay.
THOMAS CARLYLE(slightly adapted)
Day 81 (Thu)
PHILIPPIANS 2:7
It makes no noise at all.
But softly gives itself away;
While quite unselfish, it grows small.
EVA K. LOGUE
Day 82 (Fri)
HEBREW 1:3
"[Jesus} reflects the brightness of God's glory and is the exact likeness
of God's own being." (HEBREWS 1:3)
He shows you stars you never saw before.
ALFRED LORD TENNYSON
Day 83 (Sat)
JOHN 8:12
It is not night if Thou be near.
JOHN KEBLE
Day 84 (Sun)
1 PETER 2:21
and only by that Carpenter can we be remade.
DESIDERIUS ERASMUS
How did Jesus differ from other leaders? (Call of the King)
to hear the voice of Jesus,
and give to my heart the generosity
to do whatever Jesus asks of me.
Day 85 (Mon)
PHILIPPIANS 2:8
He worked in a carpenter shop until he was thirty...
He never owned a home. He never went to college...
He had no credentials but himself.
While he was still a young man, the tide of public opinion
turned against him. His friends ran away..
He was nailed to a cross between two thieves..
When he was dead, he was laid in a borrowed grave...
Nineteen centuries have come and gone.
and today he is the leader of the column of progress.
I am far within the mark when I say that all the armies that ever
marched,
and all the kings who ever reigned, put together, have not affected
the life of man upon this earth as has that One Solitary Life."
AUTHOR UNKNOWN
before they care how much you know.
JAMES E HIND
Day 86 (Tue)
MARK 10:45
because I am gentle and humble in spirit."
MATTHEW 11:29
Day 87 (Wed)
JOHN 7:46
Care more than others think necessary.
Trust more than others think wise.
Serve more than others think practical.
Expect more than others think possible.
ANONYMOUS
Day 88 (Thu)
JOHN 14:6
that helps the poor, that tells the truth,
that fights the battle, and
that wins the crown.
PHILLIPS BROOKS
Day 89 (Fri)
JOHN 15:5
transforming power and spirit?
if anyone hears my voice and opens the door,
I will come into his house and eat with him,
and he will eat with me."
REVELATION 3:20
Day 90 (Sat)
wherever you live, I will live.".
RUTH 1:16
What would motivate me to volunteer?
and you ask "Why?"
But I dream things that never were;
and I ask, "Why not?".
GEORGE BERNARD SHAW
Day 91 (Sun)
LUKE 9:23
to dare mighty things,
to win glorious triumphs,
even though checkered by failures,
than to rank with those poor spirits
who neither enjoy much nor suffer much
because they live in the gray twilight
that knows neither victory nor defeat.
THEODORE ROOSEVELT
Why did Jesus embrace the lifestyle he did?
-a dishonored person ("The Son of Man...must..be rejected" (LUKE 17:24-25)
-a humble person ("Learn from me.. I am gentle and humble" (MATTHEW 11:29)
and help me appreciate why Jesus chose a lifestyle of detachment.
Day 92 (Mon)
JOHN 17:15
we will all receive our just due.
People honored by the world may rank last;
while people dishonored by the world may rank first.
Day 93 (Tue)
MATTHEW 16:21-23
ARTHUR SCHOPENHAUER
Day 94 (Wed)
LUKE 9:57-58
Day 95 (Thu)
LUKE 12:34
Day 96 (Fri)
JAMES 4:6,10
Day 97 (Sat)
LUKE 14:11
To what extent do I still do it? Why?
there is no hope of finding ourselves.
HENRY MILLER
Day 98 (Sun)
LUKE 16:13
How do I feel about this?
believing in the devil when [the devil]
is the only explanation of it.
RONALD KNOX
How free am I to follow Jesus?
Day 99 (Mon)
MATTHEW 5:29
if I am to follow Jesus more closely and live out his plan for me?
What might it be, and how might I expel it?
Those who know themselves are wise.
LAO-TSZE
Day 100 (Tue)
ISAIAH 55:9
but love makes us do them beautifully.
E.C. McKENZIE
Day 101 (Wed)
MARK 8:35
MALCOLM MUGGERIDGE
Day 102 (Th)
2 SAMUEL 15:21
1833 failed in business
1836 suffered a nervous breakdown
1843 lost the nomination for Congress
1854 was defeated for the Senate
1856 lost the vice presidential bid
which eternity exacts from life.
JOHN OLIVER HOBBES
Day 103 (Fr)
LUKE 8:13
for good people to do nothing.
EDMUND BURKE
Day 104 (Sat)
MATTHEW 25:35-36, 39
who forget themselves and serve [others].
WOODROW WILSON
Day 105 (Sun)
"There was once a man who was giving a great feast
to which he invited many people...
But they all began..to make excuses."
LUKE 14:16, 18
with the gladness of April in your heart.
RABINDRANATH TAGORE
Why did Jesus submit to baptism and temptation?
why you were baptized and tempted,
so that I may love you more dearly
and follow you more nearly.
Day 106 (Mon)
heaven was opened,
and the Holy Spirit came down upon him
in bodily form like a dove.
And a voice came from heaven,
"You are my own dear Son."
LUKE 3:21-22
-Father ("a voice came from heaven")
-Jesus (" a voice came from heaven")
-Holy Spirit ("bodily form like a dove").
The mystery of the Trinity says that in God are three persons: The Father is
God, the Son is God, and the Holy Spirit is God. Yet there are not three
Gods, but only one.
Father, Son, or Holy Spirit? Why?
Which do I relate to least? Why?
liquid(water),solid(ice), vapor(steam).
Day 107 (Tue)
Not one [person] does what is right,
not a single one.
PSALM 53:2-3
How involved am I in them, personally?
Injustice is yours, correct it...
Ignorance is yours, banish it.
War is yours, stop it...
The dream is yours, claim it.
WALTER FAUNTROY
Day 108 (Wed)
where he was tempted by the Devil for forty days.
In all that time he ate nothing, so that he was hungry...
The Devil said to him, "If you are God's Son,
order this stone to turn into bread."
But Jesus answered, "The scripture says,
'Man cannot live on bread alone.' "
LUKE 4:1-4
How do I try to satisfy it?
my body falls on its knees.
GEORG CHRISTOPH LICHTENBERG
Day 109 (Thu)
all the kingdoms of the world.
"I will give you all this power and all this wealth...if you worship me."
Jesus answered, "The scripture says,
'Worship the Lord your God and serve only him.' "
LUKE 4:5-8
and to carry out God's plan for me?
the soul, it is a bud of eternity.
NATHANIEL CULVERWEL
Day 110 (Fri)
"The Son of Man did not come to be served;
he came to serve and to give his life to redeem many people."
MARK 10:45
or at least, am tempted to do so?
the one thing we need to know-
the character of God.
P. CARNEGIE SIMPSON
Day 111 (Sat)
who was tempted in every way
that we are, but did not sin.
HEBREWS 4:15
What might Jesus say about it?
that pass through our minds than a scarecrow is
for the birds that fly over the seedplot it has to guard.
The sole responsibility in each case
is to prevent them from settling.
JOHN CHURTON COLLINS
Day 112 (Sun)
in every way, he left him for a while.
Then Jesus returned to Galilee, and the
power of the Holy Spirit was with Him.'
LUKE 4:13-14
the mulberry leaf becomes a silk gown.
CHINESE PROVERB
What did Jesus teach about how I should live?
"There was plenty of money; I had my own horse, went to school abroad,
studied to be a concert pianist."
"We were the prayingest family..
We prayed when we got up...
when we sat down to eat,
when we finished eating,
when we went to bed."
your Sons' teachings
that I may know him more clearly,
love him more dearly,
and follow him more nearly.
Day 113 (Mon)
"Happy are those who mourn;
God will comfort them!."
MATTHEW 5:4
When was the last time I tried to alleviate someone's sorrow?
to be corrupted by the company he keeps.
AUTHOR UNKNOWN
Day 114 (Tue)
"Blessed are you the poor in spirit,
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven."
MATTHEW 5:3 (NRSV)
in proportion to the number of things
we can do without.
HENRY DAVID THOREAU (slightly adapted)
Day 115 (Wed)
"Happy are those who are merciful to others;
God will be merciful to them!"
MATTHEW 5:7
but surely we may forgive like [God].
LAURENCE STERNE
Day 116 (Thu)
"Happy are those who work for peace;
God will call them [God's] children!"
MATTHEW 5:9
Or do I use the occasion to prove there's a better way to settle disputes?
but it takes only one to take the first step.
EDWARD M. KENNEDY
Day 117 (Fri)
"Happy are you when people insult you and persecute you...
because you are my followers."
MATTHEW 5:11
What keeps me from reacting as Jesus taught his disciples to do?
they're only trying to cut you down to their size.
ANONYMOUS
Day 118 (Sat)
"Happy are those whose greatest desire is
to do what God requires;
God will satisfy them fully!"
MATTHEW 5:6
each of you has received.
1 PETER 4:10 (NRSV)
Day 119 (Sun)
they will see God!"
MATTHEW 5:8
not by toasting their feet at the fire and saying,
"Lord, teach me more compassion,"
but by going and seeking
an object that requires compassion .
HENRY WARD BEECHER
How ready am I to love as Jesus loved?
flow into me,
that I may see him more clearly,
love him more dearly,
and follow him more nearly.
Day 120 (Mon)
should not be just words and talk;
it must be true love,
which shows itself in action.
1 JOHN 3:18
by an individual than to know
that no one cares or understands.
ARTHUR H. STANBACK
Day 121 (Tue)
Love never gives up.
1 CORINTHIANS 13:4, 7
Than all other pleasures are.
JOHN DRYDEN
Day 122 (Wed)
love does not keep a record of wrongs.
1 CORINTHIANS 13:5
when prayer has become impossible
and your heart has turned to stone.
THOMAS MERTON
Day 123 (Thu)
a Levite...walked on by."
LUKE 10:32
What might be a first step in doing so?
than never to have loved at all.
ALFRED LORD TENNYSON
Day 124 (Fri)
his face was shining like the sun,
and his clothes were dazzling white."
MATTHEW 17:2
What might cause the glow?
LEO TOLSTOY
Day 125 (Sat)
to protect you wherever you go.
PSALM 91:11
there is only opportunity.
GENERAL DOUGLAS MACARTHUR
Day 126 (Sun)
so that it is no longer I who live,
but it is Christ who lives in me."
GALATIANS 2:19-20
What does all this say to me?
Heretic, rebel, a thing to flout,
But love and I had the wit to win;
We drew a circle that took him in.
EDWIN MARKHAM
How ready am I to pray as Jesus prayed?
know you more clearly,
love you more dearly,
and follow you more nearly.
Day 127 (Mon)
"Ask, and you will receive."
LUKE 11:9
RUSSIAN PROVERB
Day 128 (Tue)
"When you pray and ask for something,
believe that you have received it, and
you will be given whatever you ask for."
MARK 11:24
when said in unison.
GAIUS PETRONIUS
Day 129 (Wed)
1 THESSALONIANS 5:17
one can generate.
The influence of prayer on the human mind and body
is as demonstrable
as that of secreting glands.
Prayer is a force
as real as terrestrial gravity.
Nobel prize winner ALEXIS CARREL
Day 130 (Thu)