On the Ninth Day of Christmas
Collect:
Almighty God, you have poured upon us the new light of your incarnate Word: Grant that this light, enkindled in our hearts, may shine forth in our lives; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.
Readings:
AM Psalm 34; Gen. 12:1-7
PM Psalm 35; Heb. 11:1-12; John 6:35-42, 48-51
Genesis 12:1-7. And I will bless you, and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing.
Here in America people seem less rooted to place than we used to be. You never know these days what might lead you to pull up stakes and, like Huck Finn, strike out for the territories--maybe a new job, or a break--up of a marriage, or maybe just an empty nest that leaves you itching to climb into your RV and head for the horizon. It seems we're wired for endless travel, endless restlessness. So perhaps we can understand why Abram would do such a crazy thing, leaving behind all that was familiar to him in the land of Haran and strike out for Canaan, all on the fragile strength of a divine promise.
From the very beginning, starting with Adam and Eve's sad departure from Eden, people in the Bible have abandoned their places of safety and struck out for new territory, often led by nothing more (and nothing less) than God's promise to travel the road with them. But as we know, journeys in response to God's call need not always involve traveling from one physical place to another. Sometimes these journeys are journeys within, journeys into the depth of our souls--souls that are restless, as St. Augustine said, until they come to rest in God alone.
Anglican Cycle of Prayer: Lichfield - (Canterbury, England)
Advent calendar: Ways to Move Systems -- like businesses and governments -- Toward Sustainability:
7. "Close the loop" at home, work, school, church. Buy products made of recycled materials. Help: National Green Pages, www.greenpages.org
Christmas CLARESHARE December 2006
Ty Mam Duw Poor Clare Colettine Community
Upper Aston Hall Lane, Hawarden, CH5 3EN WALES GB
2nd January
St Basil and St Gregory
Both these saints had brothers and sisters who were also canonised, yet they
are remembered for their friendship. Think of your friends today, send an
e-mail to a friend you have not seen recently.
From John E. Rotelle, O.S.A., Tradition Day by Day: Readings from Church Writers. Augustinian Press. Villanova, PA, 1994.
How great is God's goodness
Let us strive to comprehend the mystery. The reason God is in the flesh is to kill the death that lurks there. As diseases are cured by medicines and assimilated by the body, and as darkness in a house is dispelled by the coming of light, so death, which held sway over human nature, is done away with by the coming of God. And as ice formed on water covers its surface as long as night and darkness last but melts under the warmth of the sun, so death reigned until the coming of Christ; but when the grace of God our Savior appeared and the Sun of Justice rose, death was swallowed up in victory, unable to bear the presence of true life. How great is God’s goodness, how deep his love for us!
Let us join the shepherds in giving glory to God, let us dance with the angels and sing: Today a Savior has been born to us. He is Christ the Lord. The Lord is God and he has appeared to us, not as God, which would have been terrifying for our weakness, but as a slave so as to free those who live in slavery. Who could be so lacking in sensibility and so ungrateful as not to join all here present in our gladness, exultation, and radiant joy? This feast belongs to the whole of creation. Let everyone contribute and be grateful. Let our voices too ring out in songs of jubilation.
Basil the Great, Basil the Great (330-379), bishop of Caesarea, organized Cappadocian monasticism and left many writings as his legacy. More info: www.newadvent.org/cathen/02330b.htm ; en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Basil_of_Caesarea
Rule of St. Benedict from http://www.osb.org/rb/index.html#English
Prologue
Let us arise, then, at last,
for the Scripture stirs us up, saying,
"Now is the hour for us to rise from sleep" (Rom. 13:11).
Let us open our eyes to the deifying light,
let us hear with attentive ears
the warning which the divine voice cries daily to us,
"Today if you hear His voice,
harden not your hearts" (Ps. 94:8).
And again,
"Whoever has ears to hear,
hear what the Spirit says to the churches" (Matt. 11-15; Apoc. 2:7).
And what does He say?
"Come, My children, listen to Me;
I will teach you the fear of the Lord" (Ps. 33:12).
"Run while you have the light of life,
lest the darkness of death overtake you" (John 12:35).
Daily Reflection on this portion of the Rule: http://www.eriebenedictines.org/Pages/INSPIRATION/insights.html
The paragraph is an insistent one, full of intensity, full of urgency. We put off so much in life--visiting relatives, writing letters, going back to school, finding a new job. But one thing stays with us always, present whether pursued or not, and that is the call to the center of ourselves where the God we are seeking is seeking us. Benedict says, Listen today. Start now. Begin immediately to direct your life to that small, clear voice within.
In this paragraph Benedict makes his first of the multiple allusions to scripture which emerge in the Rule time and time again to the point that a reader gets the idea that the Rule is simply a chain of scriptural quotations. The particular passages cited are important, of course, and give emphasis to the point of the excerpt. In these first references, for instance, Benedict reminds us that life is short, that we don't have time to waste time, that some things are significant in life and some things are not. We all have to ask ourselves what time it is in our own lives. We each have to begin to consider the eternal weight of what we are spending life doing. We have to start someday to wonder if we have spent our lives on gold or dross.
But as important as the content of the scriptural quotations themselves is the very message of their presence: The life laid out in this Rule is a life based on the Gospel of Jesus Christ. It is not the prescriptions of a private guru. It is an immersion in the Gospel life so intense that we never forget for a moment what we are really about. We don't just stumble through life from one pious exercise to another, hoping that in the end everything will be all right. We don't surfeit on this life, even the spiritual systems of it, and forget the life to come. No, we run toward the light, not with our hair shirts in hand but with the scriptures in hand, responsible to the presence of God in every moment and sure that life is only beginning when it ends.
From the Principles of the Third Society of St. Francis, http://orders.anglican.org/tssf/commobe/index.html
the example of His own sacrifice, Jesus reveals the secret of bearing fruit. In surrendering Himself to death, He becomes the source of new life. Lifted from the earth on the Cross, He draws all people to Himself. Clinging to life causes life to decay; the life that is freely given is eternal.
O God, You resist the proud and give grace to the humble: help us not to think proudly, but to serve You with humility that pleases You, so we may walk in the steps of Your servant Francis and receive the gift of Your grace; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
On the 9th day of Christmas my true love gave to me...
Day 9, January 2
Nine Ladies Dancing
The nine Fruit of the Holy Spirit: 1) love, 2) joy, 3) peace, 4) patience, 5) kindness,
6) generosity, 7) faithfulness, 8) gentleness, and 9) self-control. (Galatians 5:22)
2 Corinthians 7:1 "Having therefore these promises, dearly beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God.
To follow up on yesterday's devotional, to make changes in our lives that will last a lifetime, each of us needs to do a few things every day. Paul first reminds us that God has filled the Bible with promises for the changed person. He has given us promises that will never change and will always be there for the person who has changed through the power of Jesus Christ. And with those promises we are to cleanse ourselves from all things of the past. We are to cleanse ourselves of all the fleshly attitudes, habits, and living. Then, each day we are to allow God to make us holy as we serve Him in respect and love.
To allow real change to take effect and to become a lifestyle there are three things (according to one writer) that we must understand. And they are all found in Scripture. First, we must understand that our lives are not futile. We have reason for living, we have purpose for our life, and we have a part in God's plan in history.
Second, we need to believe that our failures are not fatal. We will fail from time to time. We will bomb out in our decisions. We will make a fool of ourselves at one time or another - but it is not the end of the world. Our failures are NOT fatal.
Then third, we need to remember that our death is not final. There is life after death, there is a reward for good, clean living. There is a real reason for our being. And there is true happiness for eternity. With these truths in mind - we will have a great year. We will enjoy true peace every single day of our lives.
Have a great year.
~ Joe Talhelm
Crowley, Louisiana, USA
Lord,
I don't like to fail. I don't think I'm alone in that. But, I also know that it is only as I make myself vulnerable in response to Your leadership that I accomplish anything for You. Thank You for Your grace which makes provision for those times when my vulnerability does not achieve what I hoped it would. Remind me that even when I fail, there is still acceptance to be found in You. Lord, help me to be courageous enough to follow You, no matter what I am to do, or where I am to go.
now what
now what will you do
with those gifts?
now what will you do
with that love
God has given to you -
to share with those
you don't like?
now what will you do
with that hope
God put under the tree -
can you pass it on
to a despairing neighbor?
now what will you do
with that joy
you didn't expect -
hoard it all for yourself
or hand it to a grieving widow?
now what will you
do with that grace
God stuck in your stocking -
leave it there
or find the stranger who needs it?
now what will you do
with all that forgiveness
God has given to you
in the Babe -
throw it out
with the wrapping paper
or offer it to the one
who has hurt you so much?
now
that Christmas is over,
what will you do?
(c) 2006 Thom M. Shuman
Almighty God, you have poured upon us the new light of your incarnate Word: Grant that this light, enkindled in our hearts, may shine forth in our lives; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.
Readings:
AM Psalm 34; Gen. 12:1-7
PM Psalm 35; Heb. 11:1-12; John 6:35-42, 48-51
Genesis 12:1-7. And I will bless you, and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing.
Here in America people seem less rooted to place than we used to be. You never know these days what might lead you to pull up stakes and, like Huck Finn, strike out for the territories--maybe a new job, or a break--up of a marriage, or maybe just an empty nest that leaves you itching to climb into your RV and head for the horizon. It seems we're wired for endless travel, endless restlessness. So perhaps we can understand why Abram would do such a crazy thing, leaving behind all that was familiar to him in the land of Haran and strike out for Canaan, all on the fragile strength of a divine promise.
From the very beginning, starting with Adam and Eve's sad departure from Eden, people in the Bible have abandoned their places of safety and struck out for new territory, often led by nothing more (and nothing less) than God's promise to travel the road with them. But as we know, journeys in response to God's call need not always involve traveling from one physical place to another. Sometimes these journeys are journeys within, journeys into the depth of our souls--souls that are restless, as St. Augustine said, until they come to rest in God alone.
Anglican Cycle of Prayer: Lichfield - (Canterbury, England)
Advent calendar: Ways to Move Systems -- like businesses and governments -- Toward Sustainability:
7. "Close the loop" at home, work, school, church. Buy products made of recycled materials. Help: National Green Pages, www.greenpages.org
Christmas CLARESHARE December 2006
Ty Mam Duw Poor Clare Colettine Community
Upper Aston Hall Lane, Hawarden, CH5 3EN WALES GB
2nd January
St Basil and St Gregory
Both these saints had brothers and sisters who were also canonised, yet they
are remembered for their friendship. Think of your friends today, send an
e-mail to a friend you have not seen recently.
From John E. Rotelle, O.S.A., Tradition Day by Day: Readings from Church Writers. Augustinian Press. Villanova, PA, 1994.
How great is God's goodness
Let us strive to comprehend the mystery. The reason God is in the flesh is to kill the death that lurks there. As diseases are cured by medicines and assimilated by the body, and as darkness in a house is dispelled by the coming of light, so death, which held sway over human nature, is done away with by the coming of God. And as ice formed on water covers its surface as long as night and darkness last but melts under the warmth of the sun, so death reigned until the coming of Christ; but when the grace of God our Savior appeared and the Sun of Justice rose, death was swallowed up in victory, unable to bear the presence of true life. How great is God’s goodness, how deep his love for us!
Let us join the shepherds in giving glory to God, let us dance with the angels and sing: Today a Savior has been born to us. He is Christ the Lord. The Lord is God and he has appeared to us, not as God, which would have been terrifying for our weakness, but as a slave so as to free those who live in slavery. Who could be so lacking in sensibility and so ungrateful as not to join all here present in our gladness, exultation, and radiant joy? This feast belongs to the whole of creation. Let everyone contribute and be grateful. Let our voices too ring out in songs of jubilation.
Basil the Great, Basil the Great (330-379), bishop of Caesarea, organized Cappadocian monasticism and left many writings as his legacy. More info: www.newadvent.org/cathen/02330b.htm ; en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Basil_of_Caesarea
Rule of St. Benedict from http://www.osb.org/rb/index.html#English
Prologue
Let us arise, then, at last,
for the Scripture stirs us up, saying,
"Now is the hour for us to rise from sleep" (Rom. 13:11).
Let us open our eyes to the deifying light,
let us hear with attentive ears
the warning which the divine voice cries daily to us,
"Today if you hear His voice,
harden not your hearts" (Ps. 94:8).
And again,
"Whoever has ears to hear,
hear what the Spirit says to the churches" (Matt. 11-15; Apoc. 2:7).
And what does He say?
"Come, My children, listen to Me;
I will teach you the fear of the Lord" (Ps. 33:12).
"Run while you have the light of life,
lest the darkness of death overtake you" (John 12:35).
Daily Reflection on this portion of the Rule: http://www.eriebenedictines.org/Pages/INSPIRATION/insights.html
The paragraph is an insistent one, full of intensity, full of urgency. We put off so much in life--visiting relatives, writing letters, going back to school, finding a new job. But one thing stays with us always, present whether pursued or not, and that is the call to the center of ourselves where the God we are seeking is seeking us. Benedict says, Listen today. Start now. Begin immediately to direct your life to that small, clear voice within.
In this paragraph Benedict makes his first of the multiple allusions to scripture which emerge in the Rule time and time again to the point that a reader gets the idea that the Rule is simply a chain of scriptural quotations. The particular passages cited are important, of course, and give emphasis to the point of the excerpt. In these first references, for instance, Benedict reminds us that life is short, that we don't have time to waste time, that some things are significant in life and some things are not. We all have to ask ourselves what time it is in our own lives. We each have to begin to consider the eternal weight of what we are spending life doing. We have to start someday to wonder if we have spent our lives on gold or dross.
But as important as the content of the scriptural quotations themselves is the very message of their presence: The life laid out in this Rule is a life based on the Gospel of Jesus Christ. It is not the prescriptions of a private guru. It is an immersion in the Gospel life so intense that we never forget for a moment what we are really about. We don't just stumble through life from one pious exercise to another, hoping that in the end everything will be all right. We don't surfeit on this life, even the spiritual systems of it, and forget the life to come. No, we run toward the light, not with our hair shirts in hand but with the scriptures in hand, responsible to the presence of God in every moment and sure that life is only beginning when it ends.
From the Principles of the Third Society of St. Francis, http://orders.anglican.org/tssf/commobe/index.html
the example of His own sacrifice, Jesus reveals the secret of bearing fruit. In surrendering Himself to death, He becomes the source of new life. Lifted from the earth on the Cross, He draws all people to Himself. Clinging to life causes life to decay; the life that is freely given is eternal.
O God, You resist the proud and give grace to the humble: help us not to think proudly, but to serve You with humility that pleases You, so we may walk in the steps of Your servant Francis and receive the gift of Your grace; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
On the 9th day of Christmas my true love gave to me...
Day 9, January 2
Nine Ladies Dancing
The nine Fruit of the Holy Spirit: 1) love, 2) joy, 3) peace, 4) patience, 5) kindness,
6) generosity, 7) faithfulness, 8) gentleness, and 9) self-control. (Galatians 5:22)
2 Corinthians 7:1 "Having therefore these promises, dearly beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God.
To follow up on yesterday's devotional, to make changes in our lives that will last a lifetime, each of us needs to do a few things every day. Paul first reminds us that God has filled the Bible with promises for the changed person. He has given us promises that will never change and will always be there for the person who has changed through the power of Jesus Christ. And with those promises we are to cleanse ourselves from all things of the past. We are to cleanse ourselves of all the fleshly attitudes, habits, and living. Then, each day we are to allow God to make us holy as we serve Him in respect and love.
To allow real change to take effect and to become a lifestyle there are three things (according to one writer) that we must understand. And they are all found in Scripture. First, we must understand that our lives are not futile. We have reason for living, we have purpose for our life, and we have a part in God's plan in history.
Second, we need to believe that our failures are not fatal. We will fail from time to time. We will bomb out in our decisions. We will make a fool of ourselves at one time or another - but it is not the end of the world. Our failures are NOT fatal.
Then third, we need to remember that our death is not final. There is life after death, there is a reward for good, clean living. There is a real reason for our being. And there is true happiness for eternity. With these truths in mind - we will have a great year. We will enjoy true peace every single day of our lives.
Have a great year.
~ Joe Talhelm
Crowley, Louisiana, USA
Lord,
I don't like to fail. I don't think I'm alone in that. But, I also know that it is only as I make myself vulnerable in response to Your leadership that I accomplish anything for You. Thank You for Your grace which makes provision for those times when my vulnerability does not achieve what I hoped it would. Remind me that even when I fail, there is still acceptance to be found in You. Lord, help me to be courageous enough to follow You, no matter what I am to do, or where I am to go.
now what
now what will you do
with those gifts?
now what will you do
with that love
God has given to you -
to share with those
you don't like?
now what will you do
with that hope
God put under the tree -
can you pass it on
to a despairing neighbor?
now what will you do
with that joy
you didn't expect -
hoard it all for yourself
or hand it to a grieving widow?
now what will you
do with that grace
God stuck in your stocking -
leave it there
or find the stranger who needs it?
now what will you do
with all that forgiveness
God has given to you
in the Babe -
throw it out
with the wrapping paper
or offer it to the one
who has hurt you so much?
now
that Christmas is over,
what will you do?
(c) 2006 Thom M. Shuman
posted by Gloriamarie Amalfitano @ 1:16 PM
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