05/04/07 Maundy Thursday
[PLEASE NOTE: THIS IS A "MENU" FROM WHICH TO PICK AND CHOOSE ONE OR MORE MEDITATIONS. PLEASE DO NOT THINK YOU HAVE TO PRAY ALL OF IT. PLEASE THINK OF IT AS A BUFFET OF THE DIFFERENT FLAVORS OF CHRISTIANITY. IT IS HOPED THAT ALL WILL PRAY THE COLLECT, REFLECT ON THE DAY'S SCRIPTURES AND PRAY THE ANGLICAN CYCLE OF PRAYER. AFTER THAT, YOUR CHOICE. THANK YOU]
If you would like these meditations to come directly to your in box, please click here:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/KnitternunMeditation/
Blessed are those for whom Easter is...
not a hunt, but a find;
not a greeting, but a proclamation;
not outward fashions, but inward grace;
not a day, but an eternity.
(anonymous)
Collect
Almighty Father, whose dear Son, on the night before he suffered, instituted the Sacrament of his Body and Blood: Mercifully grant that we may receive it thankfully in remembrance of Jesus Christ our Lord, who in these holy mysteries gives us a pledge of eternal life; and who now lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
++++++++++
Today's Scripture http://www.satucket.com/lectionary/
Psalm 102; PM Psalm 142, 143
Jer. 20:7-11; 1 Cor. 10:14-17, 11:27-32; John 17:1-11(12-26)
++++++++++
From Forward Day by Day: http://www.forwardmovement.org/todaysreading.cfm
John 13:1-15. Simon Peter said to him, "Lord, not only my feet, but also my hands and my head!"
Peter and the others had expected Jesus to take the lead role as Passover celebrant, to sit at the head of the table and wait for a server to come with a pitcher of water and a towel for the ritual hand-washing. Instead, Jesus takes the role of the lowliest, foot-washing servant. "Lord, you'll never wash my feet!" Peter exclaims. Then Jesus says, "If I don't, you're not mine." Impulsive Peter exclaims, "Wash all of me, Lord!"
Jesus gives us a living parable: we're to serve one another. What never hit me--until I heard our new parish does a foot washing service--is that Peter has something to teach us here, too. Am I horrified at getting my feet washed? Peter has nothing on me.
I like serving others, being the helper. I don't like the thought of being "done to," of needing anybody's help. I never have. Do I want a friend to wash my feet? No, thank you. I'll wash yours instead.
Peter may have gotten the pride knocked out of him when the cock crowed. But he got his first lesson in humility right here, when Jesus, towel in hand, said, "Accept that you need me, or you'll never be mine."
Pray for love and reconciliation among all the peoples of the world.
++++++++++
Morning Resolve, http://www.forwardmovement.org/morningresolve.cfm
A Morning Resolve
I will try this day to live a simple, sincere and serene life, repelling promptly every thought of discontent, anxiety, discouragement, impurity, and self-seeking; cultivating cheerfulness, magnanimity, charity, and the habit of holy silence; exercising economy in expenditure, generosity in giving, carefulness in conversation, diligence in appointed service, fidelity to every trust, and a childlike faith in God.
In particular I will try to be faithful in those habits of prayer, work, study, physical exercise, eating, and sleep which I believe the Holy Spirit has shown me to be right.
And as I cannot in my own strength do this, nor even with a hope of success attempt it, I look to thee, O Lord God my Father, in Jesus my Savior, and ask for the gift of the Holy Spirit.
++++++++++
Today in the Anglican Cycle of Prayer we pray for Religious Communities.
http://www.anglicancommunion.org/acp/index.cfm
++++++++++
40 Ideas for Lent: A Lenten calendar http://ship-of-fools.com/lent/index.html
38. EMPTY YOUR WALLET
THURS 5 APR
The next time you see a chance to give money... the homeless guy on the corner, the tip jar at Starbucks, the pennies for the blind display at the 7-11... just dump all the contents of your wallet into the container.
Lent quote: "There is your brother, naked, crying, and you stand there, confused over the choice of an attractive floor covering." – St Ambrose
++++++++++
A Celtic lenten Calendar
http://www.oursanctuary.net/celticlent.html
When the going gets tough
the tough get going.
It is easy to say 'No'
to take the easy way out
Easy to play safe
and live to fight another day.
Like Peter, who loved you
with such a passion, Lord
filled with such energy
so impetuous
ready to speak first
and ask questions later.
Except when asked
if he was with you, Lord
Except when his faith
was seriously challenged
when the road to the cross
became dangerous.
You knew Peter
knew the calibre of the man
and what would happen
before the cock crowed twice
But it didn't stop you choosing him
the rock upon which
your Church would be built.
There is comfort for us, Lord
in Peter's frailty
reassurance that your love
and confidence extends
to both strong and frail
as you look to our potential
and in your love forget
our momentary weakness
++++++++++
Carmelite.com: Reflections http://www.carmelite.com/spirituality/reflection.php
The spirit of God, insofar as it is hidden in the veins of the soul, is like soft refreshing water which satisfies the thirst of the spirit.
St John of the Cross
Living Flame, 3.8
++++++++++
Reading from the Desert Christians http://www.cin.org/dsrtftin.html
(Abba Isidore of Pelusia) said, 'Prize virtues and do not be the slave of glory; for the former are immortal, while the latter soon fades.'
++++++++++
Sayings of the Jewish Fathers (Pirqe Aboth)
http://www.sacred-texts.com/jud/sjf/index.htm
R. Chananiah ben Thradyon said, Two that sit together without words of Thorah are a session of scorners, for it is said, Nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful; but two that sit together and are occupied in words of Thorah have the Shekinah among them, for it is said, Then they that feared the Lord spake often one to another. One that sits and studies, the Scripture imputes to him as if he fulfilled the whole Thorah, for it is said, He sitteth alone and keepeth silence, because he hath borne it upon him.
++++++++++
Daily Meditation (Henri Nouwen) http://www.henrinouwen.org/home/free_eletters/
Deeply Rooted in God
Trees that grow tall have deep roots. Great height without great depth is dangerous. The great leaders of this world - like St. Francis, Gandhi, and Martin Luther King, Jr., - were all people who could live with public notoriety, influence, and power in a humble way because of their deep spiritual rootedness.
Without deep roots we easily let others determine who we are. But as we cling to our popularity, we may lose our true sense of self. Our clinging to the opinion of others reveals how superficial we are. We have little to stand on. We have to be kept alive by adulation and praise. Those who are deeply rooted in the love of God can enjoy human praise without being attached to it.
++++++++++
The Almost Daily eMo from GeraniumFarm.org
MAUNDY THURSDAY
On this night of Jesus' last supper with his friends, he instituted what we would come to call the Holy Eucharist and also washed the disciples' feet, as if he were not their master, but their servant. These things, he said, were dramatic examples of a new commandment, that we should love one another as he has loved us. Unstinting. Self-giving.
But isn't that an old commandment? Don't we already know something about it? You are up in the night again with a sick child -- not the sick child you were up with last night, but her sister. The family is passing the same germ from person to person, and you yourself feel heachache-y and a bit limp as you set up the vaporizer in her room and prop an extra pillow behind her, so she's all but sitting up. You sit down on the floor by the bed, rub some eucalyptus on her chest and a little on your own, and then you pull an extra tee shirt over her head and her pajama top over that. She takes another drink of water and asks you to sing "Shadabee." It's three in the morning, but you rest your head on her mattress and quietly begin to sing the nonsense syllables your mother set to the tune "Long, Long Ago." Just a few rounds is all it takes; your little one's cough quiets down and she is asleep. You pad back to bed and pull the covers up to your chin. You drift back to sleep, smelling the eucalyptus.
Your wife wakes you in the night. She calls for her mother first, and then for you; her mother has been dead for thirty years. Your wife has soiled herself again; she is weeping tears of shame. She tells you she is sorry several times, and you tell her it's okay. You weren't a dad who managed dirty diapers very well back when your kids were little, but you are different now. You get up and turn on the lamp. You go to the bathroom for the washbasin and fill it water and with a squirt of the special soap the nurse gave you. You get two more quilted pads out of the closet, and a clean towel. Expertly, you lift your wife's legs, slide the soiled pad out and one of the clean pads under, and begin to wash her. Then you pat her dry with the towel; and finally you change pads again. You move the lamp a little closer to look for sores, as the nurse taught you to do, and there aren't any, which is good. You carry the soiled pad to the bathroom and rinse it in the tub so you don't have to deal with it in the morning. You lie back down and fall asleep immediately, because you are really tired, but not before you wonder for the thousandth time how much longer you're going to be able to keep this up. If it doesn't get any worse than this, you think, I'll be all right. But it's going to get worse than this. Just when, is the question. You decide to think about that tomorrow.
Love transforms service, teaching us that there's no such thing as a menial task. Love teaches us that, if nothing is beneath us, nothing will be beyond us. Love remains with us after our unstinting efforts have all failed -- it doesn't conquer all, as the old saying goes, but it bears all things without turning away from any of them.
Copyright © 2007 Barbara Crafton - http://www.geraniumfarm.org
++++++++++
From the Principles of the Third Society of St. Francis:
Day Five - The First Aim of the Order
To make our Lord known and loved everywhere.
The Order is founded on the conviction that Jesus Christ is the perfect revelation of God; that true life has been made available to us through his Incarnation and Ministry, by his Cross and Resurrection, and by the sending of his Holy Spirit. The Order believes that it is the commission of the church to make the gospel known to all, and therefore accepts the duty of bringing others to know Christ, and of praying and working for the coming of the of the Kingdom of God.
++++++++++
Upper Room Daily Reflection http://www.upperroom.org/reflections/
IN THE PASSOVER MEAL we have come to call the Last Supper, Jesus chooses to share himself — his very body and blood — with his dearest friends. Christ gives not only bread and wine to his disciples present in that moment, but he also gives them a ritual of remembrance. … His intimate, self-giving gesture meant they had something to hold on to, something they could touch and taste, something to keep Christ close. In the Last Supper, Jesus gives the gift of himself not only in that moment but for all generations to come, promising his intimate presence to all who reenact this supper.
- Sarah Parsons
A Clearing Season
From pages 80-81 of A Clearing Season by Sarah Parsons. Copyright © 2006 by Sarah Parsons.
+++++++++++
Richard Rohr's Daily Reflection
http://cacradicalgrace.org/getconnected/getconnected_index.html
"The Breaking of the Bread"
There's no real story of the Last supper in the Gospel of John as we find it in the other Gospels. There is no passing of the bread or passing of the cup. Instead we come upon the story of Jesus on his knees washing the Apostles' feet. Perhaps John realized that after seventy years the other Gospels had been read. He wanted to give a theology of the Eucharist that revealed the meaning behind the breaking the bread. Peter symbolizes all of us as he protests, "You will never wash my feet!" (John 13:8). But Jesus answers, "If I do not wash you, you can have nothing in common with me." Sometimes we think we are being heroic in no letting God love us. We want to do the loving thing ourselves. Yet only when Peter capitulates and allows Jesus to minister to him does he experience the meaning of Jesus. He has to let Jesus get down before him as a servant. John is saying Jesus wants to do that for all of us. Eucharist is John's Gospel is not ritual or liturgy but suffering service.
from The Great Themes of Scripture
++++++++++
From John E. Rotelle, O.S.A., Tradition Day by Day: Readings from Church Writers. Augustinian Press. Villanova, PA, 1994.
http://www.artsci.villanova.edu/dsteelman/tradition/sources.htm
I am your forgiveness
Although he was the Lord, Christ clothed himself in human nature. He suffered for the sake of those who suffer, he was bound for those in bonds, condemned for the guilty, buried for those who lie in the grave; but he rose from the dead, and cried aloud: Who will contend with me? Let him confront me. I have freed the condemned, brought the dead back to life, raised those who were buried. Who has anything to say against me? I, he said, am the Christ; I have destroyed death, triumphed over the enemy, trampled hell underfoot, bound the strong one, and snatched human beings up to the heights of heaven: I am the Christ.
Come, then, people of every nation, receive forgiveness for the sins that defile you. I am your forgiveness. I am the Passover that brings salvation. I am the lamb who was immolated for you. I am your ransom, your life, your resurrection, your light, I am your salvation and your king. I will lead you to the heights of heaven. I will show you the eternal Father. With my right hand I will raise you up.
Melito of Sardis, (~190) was a highly respected bishop of that church in Lydia, and a prolific writer.
++++++++++
Daily Readings From "My Utmost for His Highest", Oswald Chambers
http://www.myutmost.org/
HIS AGONY AND OUR FELLOWSHIP
"Then cometh Jesus with them unto a place called Gethsemane, and saith unto the disciples, tarry ye here, and watch with Me." Matthew 26:36, 38
We can never fathom the agony in Gethsemane, but at least we need not misunderstand it. It is the agony of God and Man in one, face to face with sin. We know nothing about Gethsemane in personal experience. Gethsemane and Calvary stand for something unique; they are the gateway into Life for us.
It was not the death on the cross that Jesus feared in Gethsemane; He stated most emphatically that He came on purpose to die. In Gethsemane He feared lest He might not get through as Son of Man. He would get through as Son of God - Satan could not touch Him there; but Satan's onslaught was that He would get through as an isolated Figure only; and that would mean that He could be no Saviour. Read the record of the agony in the light of the temptation: "Then the devil leaveth Him for a season." In Gethsemane Satan came back and was again overthrown. Satan's final onslaught against our Lord as Son of Man is in Gethsemane.
The agony in Gethsemane is the agony of the Son of God in fulfilling His destiny as the Saviour of the world. The veil is drawn aside to reveal all it cost Him to make it possible for us to become sons of God. His agony is the basis of the simplicity of our salvation. The Cross of Christ is a triumph for the Son of Man. It was not only a sign that Our Lord had triumphed, but that He had triumphed to save the human race. Every human being can get through into the presence of God now because of what the Son of Man went through.
++++++++++
Today's reading from the Rule of St. Benedict http://www.osb.org/rb/
Chapter 53: On the Reception of Guests
Let there be a separate kitchen for the Abbot and guests,
that the brethren may not be disturbed when guests,
who are never lacking in a monastery,
arrive at irregular hours.
Let two brethren capable of filling the office well
be appointed for a year to have charge of this kitchen.
Let them be given such help as they need,
that they may serve without murmuring.
And on the other hand,
when they have less to occupy them,
let them go out to whatever work is assigned them.
And not only in their case
but in all the offices of the monastery
let this arrangement be observed,
that when help is needed it be supplied,
and again when the workers are unoccupied
they do whatever they are bidden.
The guest house also shall be assigned to a brother
whose soul is possessed by the fear of God.
Let there be a sufficient number of beds made up in it;
and let the house of God be managed by prudent men
and in a prudent manner.
On no account shall anyone who is not so ordered
associate or converse with guests.
But if he should meet them or see them,
let him greet them humbly, as we have said,
ask their blessing and pass on,
saying that he is not allowed to converse with a guest.
Commentary: http://www.eriebenedictines.org/Pages/INSPIRATION/insights.html
With the fall of the Roman Empire, travel through Europe on unguarded and unkept roads through hostile territory and at the prey of marauding bands became both difficult and dangerous. Benedictine monasteries became the hospice system of Europe. There, anyone was received at any time. Rich and poor alike were accepted as equals and given the same service: food, bedding, immediate attention day or night. Yet, so that the monastery could remain a monastery in the midst of a steadily growing need for this monastic service, a special kitchen and special workers were assigned to provide the necessary care. It's an important addition to a chapter that could otherwise be read to mean that the monastic life itself was at the mercy of meandering peasants. The fact is that we all have to learn to provide for others while maintaining the values and structures, the balance and depth, of our own lives. The community that is to greet the guest is not to barter its own identity in the name of the guest. On the contrary, if we become less than we must be then we will be no gift for the guest at all. Parents must parent and all the good work in the world will not substitute for that. Wives and husbands must be present to the other and all the needs in the world will not forgive that. Balance and order and prayer in the life of those who practice Benedictine spirituality is key to being a genuine support in the lives of others. Somehow we must take on the needs of the world with a humble heart. As Hale said, "I cannot do everything but I can do something and what I can do I will do, so help me God."
++++++++++
Church Fathers Lenten Reading Plan
Read Excerpts from the Church Fathers during Lent
http://www.churchyear.net/lentfathers.html
St. Leo the Great: Sermon XXI (On the Feast of the Nativity I): complete
++++++++++
Great and Holy Thursday, April 5, 2007 Wine & Oil
Ven. Theodora of Thessalonika
6th Hour: Isaiah 50:4-11 Epistle: 1 Corinthians 11:23-32
Gospel: St. Matthew 26:2-27:2
To Follow to Salvation: Isaiah 50:4-11 LXX, especially vs. 10: "Who is
among you that fears the Lord? Let him hearken to the voice of His
Servant: you that walk in darkness, and have no light, trust in the Name
of the Lord, and stay upon God." The well-read Christian who knows the
Faith and reads this passage will hear the account of the Passion of our
Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ. The words fire devotion. We are amazed
at the foresight of the Prophet. In this vein, St. Nikolai of Zica
encourages us to "examine, my brethren, how exact this prophecy is, word
for word. Examine with amazement how the discerning man of God foresaw
through the barrier of several hundred years more clearly than the
ordinary eye sees the clear bottom in shallow water." Yes, the Prophet
truly was used of God to foretell what would be.
However, after further reflection, Isaiah's words prompt "the obedient
son to go into the vineyard," himself and labor for his salvation as the
Father has bidden (Mt. 21:29). Thus, let us read Isaiah's words, grasp
how the Lord Jesus obeyed, and follow Him. He "turned not away [His]
face from the shame....but set [His] face as a solid rock"(Is. 50:6,7).
The Holy Fathers, being good teachers and pastors, valued application
most of all. Let us likewise learn from our Lord and follow in faith,
not merely observing Christ's saving acts as an awesome Divine gift, but
following Him in His Passion and taking up our own cross.
The first two verses of the lesson reveal the inner mindfulness of the
Lord Jesus during the Passion. St. Justin Martyr observed about the
Master that always before He had confuted the Pharisees and scribes, but
in the Passion He "kept silence, and chose to return no answer to any
one in the presence of Pilate...." What was the reason for His
silence? Was Christ silent to prove that Isaiah was a true Prophet? Of
course not! The Lord Jesus challenges us to seek composure in Him. As
St. Ambrose says, "How many have I seen fall into sin by speaking, but
scarcely one by keeping silent; and so it is more difficult to know how
to keep silent than to speak. He is wise, then, who knows how to keep
silent." In His humanity, the Lord "knew when it was fit to speak" and
had "an ear to hear, not to disobey nor to dispute" (vss. 4,5).
In the next four verses (6-9), our Lord and Master models the virtue of
embracing affliction, shame, and humiliation: "I gave My back to
scourges, and My cheeks to blows; and I turned not away My face from the
shame of spitting" (vs. 6). St. Athanasios pleads with us: "O, my
dearly beloved, if we shall gain comfort from afflictions, if rest from
labors, if health after sickness, if from death immortality, it is not
right to be distressed by the temporal ills that lay hold on mankind."
Like the Lord, and only by His aid, we are called to gain the grace of
giving our backs to scourges and our cheeks to blows. But, oh, how we
are wont, in our flesh, to dodge the badges of shame. As St. Isaac the
Syrian says: "God for your sake humbled Himself, but you, for your own
sake, do not humble yourself." Nevertheless, St. Isaac adds: "By your
labors your wounds are healed." Let us not fear but follow, even if we
cry, "Lord, save me!" (Mt. 14:30).
The last two verses are a call from Him Who made Himself a Servant for
our salvation. He invites us to "trust in His name and stay upon God"
(Is. 50:10). He expects us to translate His acts into our own lives, to
accept the risks of faith. Think of the Paschal invitation: "Come take
the Light which can never be overtaken by night." Let each one "kindle
a fire," and "feed a flame" that he may "...walk in the light...of the
flame which [he has] kindled" (vs. 11). God will not fail us, even
though He allow affliction and sorrow "for [His] sake" (vs. 11).
O Christ our God, Thou alone seest the weakness of each one of us.
Help us, that we may discover that which is necessary to our eternal
salvation. To Thee be glory and praise.
<*> To visit your group on the web, go to:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/orthodoxdynamis/
If you would like these meditations to come directly to your in box, please click here:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/KnitternunMeditation/
Blessed are those for whom Easter is...
not a hunt, but a find;
not a greeting, but a proclamation;
not outward fashions, but inward grace;
not a day, but an eternity.
(anonymous)
Collect
Almighty Father, whose dear Son, on the night before he suffered, instituted the Sacrament of his Body and Blood: Mercifully grant that we may receive it thankfully in remembrance of Jesus Christ our Lord, who in these holy mysteries gives us a pledge of eternal life; and who now lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
++++++++++
Today's Scripture http://www.satucket.com/lectionary/
Psalm 102; PM Psalm 142, 143
Jer. 20:7-11; 1 Cor. 10:14-17, 11:27-32; John 17:1-11(12-26)
++++++++++
From Forward Day by Day: http://www.forwardmovement.org/todaysreading.cfm
John 13:1-15. Simon Peter said to him, "Lord, not only my feet, but also my hands and my head!"
Peter and the others had expected Jesus to take the lead role as Passover celebrant, to sit at the head of the table and wait for a server to come with a pitcher of water and a towel for the ritual hand-washing. Instead, Jesus takes the role of the lowliest, foot-washing servant. "Lord, you'll never wash my feet!" Peter exclaims. Then Jesus says, "If I don't, you're not mine." Impulsive Peter exclaims, "Wash all of me, Lord!"
Jesus gives us a living parable: we're to serve one another. What never hit me--until I heard our new parish does a foot washing service--is that Peter has something to teach us here, too. Am I horrified at getting my feet washed? Peter has nothing on me.
I like serving others, being the helper. I don't like the thought of being "done to," of needing anybody's help. I never have. Do I want a friend to wash my feet? No, thank you. I'll wash yours instead.
Peter may have gotten the pride knocked out of him when the cock crowed. But he got his first lesson in humility right here, when Jesus, towel in hand, said, "Accept that you need me, or you'll never be mine."
Pray for love and reconciliation among all the peoples of the world.
++++++++++
Morning Resolve, http://www.forwardmovement.org/morningresolve.cfm
A Morning Resolve
I will try this day to live a simple, sincere and serene life, repelling promptly every thought of discontent, anxiety, discouragement, impurity, and self-seeking; cultivating cheerfulness, magnanimity, charity, and the habit of holy silence; exercising economy in expenditure, generosity in giving, carefulness in conversation, diligence in appointed service, fidelity to every trust, and a childlike faith in God.
In particular I will try to be faithful in those habits of prayer, work, study, physical exercise, eating, and sleep which I believe the Holy Spirit has shown me to be right.
And as I cannot in my own strength do this, nor even with a hope of success attempt it, I look to thee, O Lord God my Father, in Jesus my Savior, and ask for the gift of the Holy Spirit.
++++++++++
Today in the Anglican Cycle of Prayer we pray for Religious Communities.
http://www.anglicancommunion.org/acp/index.cfm
++++++++++
40 Ideas for Lent: A Lenten calendar http://ship-of-fools.com/lent/index.html
38. EMPTY YOUR WALLET
THURS 5 APR
The next time you see a chance to give money... the homeless guy on the corner, the tip jar at Starbucks, the pennies for the blind display at the 7-11... just dump all the contents of your wallet into the container.
Lent quote: "There is your brother, naked, crying, and you stand there, confused over the choice of an attractive floor covering." – St Ambrose
++++++++++
A Celtic lenten Calendar
http://www.oursanctuary.net/celticlent.html
When the going gets tough
the tough get going.
It is easy to say 'No'
to take the easy way out
Easy to play safe
and live to fight another day.
Like Peter, who loved you
with such a passion, Lord
filled with such energy
so impetuous
ready to speak first
and ask questions later.
Except when asked
if he was with you, Lord
Except when his faith
was seriously challenged
when the road to the cross
became dangerous.
You knew Peter
knew the calibre of the man
and what would happen
before the cock crowed twice
But it didn't stop you choosing him
the rock upon which
your Church would be built.
There is comfort for us, Lord
in Peter's frailty
reassurance that your love
and confidence extends
to both strong and frail
as you look to our potential
and in your love forget
our momentary weakness
++++++++++
Carmelite.com: Reflections http://www.carmelite.com/spirituality/reflection.php
The spirit of God, insofar as it is hidden in the veins of the soul, is like soft refreshing water which satisfies the thirst of the spirit.
St John of the Cross
Living Flame, 3.8
++++++++++
Reading from the Desert Christians http://www.cin.org/dsrtftin.html
(Abba Isidore of Pelusia) said, 'Prize virtues and do not be the slave of glory; for the former are immortal, while the latter soon fades.'
++++++++++
Sayings of the Jewish Fathers (Pirqe Aboth)
http://www.sacred-texts.com/jud/sjf/index.htm
R. Chananiah ben Thradyon said, Two that sit together without words of Thorah are a session of scorners, for it is said, Nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful; but two that sit together and are occupied in words of Thorah have the Shekinah among them, for it is said, Then they that feared the Lord spake often one to another. One that sits and studies, the Scripture imputes to him as if he fulfilled the whole Thorah, for it is said, He sitteth alone and keepeth silence, because he hath borne it upon him.
++++++++++
Daily Meditation (Henri Nouwen) http://www.henrinouwen.org/home/free_eletters/
Deeply Rooted in God
Trees that grow tall have deep roots. Great height without great depth is dangerous. The great leaders of this world - like St. Francis, Gandhi, and Martin Luther King, Jr., - were all people who could live with public notoriety, influence, and power in a humble way because of their deep spiritual rootedness.
Without deep roots we easily let others determine who we are. But as we cling to our popularity, we may lose our true sense of self. Our clinging to the opinion of others reveals how superficial we are. We have little to stand on. We have to be kept alive by adulation and praise. Those who are deeply rooted in the love of God can enjoy human praise without being attached to it.
++++++++++
The Almost Daily eMo from GeraniumFarm.org
MAUNDY THURSDAY
On this night of Jesus' last supper with his friends, he instituted what we would come to call the Holy Eucharist and also washed the disciples' feet, as if he were not their master, but their servant. These things, he said, were dramatic examples of a new commandment, that we should love one another as he has loved us. Unstinting. Self-giving.
But isn't that an old commandment? Don't we already know something about it? You are up in the night again with a sick child -- not the sick child you were up with last night, but her sister. The family is passing the same germ from person to person, and you yourself feel heachache-y and a bit limp as you set up the vaporizer in her room and prop an extra pillow behind her, so she's all but sitting up. You sit down on the floor by the bed, rub some eucalyptus on her chest and a little on your own, and then you pull an extra tee shirt over her head and her pajama top over that. She takes another drink of water and asks you to sing "Shadabee." It's three in the morning, but you rest your head on her mattress and quietly begin to sing the nonsense syllables your mother set to the tune "Long, Long Ago." Just a few rounds is all it takes; your little one's cough quiets down and she is asleep. You pad back to bed and pull the covers up to your chin. You drift back to sleep, smelling the eucalyptus.
Your wife wakes you in the night. She calls for her mother first, and then for you; her mother has been dead for thirty years. Your wife has soiled herself again; she is weeping tears of shame. She tells you she is sorry several times, and you tell her it's okay. You weren't a dad who managed dirty diapers very well back when your kids were little, but you are different now. You get up and turn on the lamp. You go to the bathroom for the washbasin and fill it water and with a squirt of the special soap the nurse gave you. You get two more quilted pads out of the closet, and a clean towel. Expertly, you lift your wife's legs, slide the soiled pad out and one of the clean pads under, and begin to wash her. Then you pat her dry with the towel; and finally you change pads again. You move the lamp a little closer to look for sores, as the nurse taught you to do, and there aren't any, which is good. You carry the soiled pad to the bathroom and rinse it in the tub so you don't have to deal with it in the morning. You lie back down and fall asleep immediately, because you are really tired, but not before you wonder for the thousandth time how much longer you're going to be able to keep this up. If it doesn't get any worse than this, you think, I'll be all right. But it's going to get worse than this. Just when, is the question. You decide to think about that tomorrow.
Love transforms service, teaching us that there's no such thing as a menial task. Love teaches us that, if nothing is beneath us, nothing will be beyond us. Love remains with us after our unstinting efforts have all failed -- it doesn't conquer all, as the old saying goes, but it bears all things without turning away from any of them.
Copyright © 2007 Barbara Crafton - http://www.geraniumfarm.org
++++++++++
From the Principles of the Third Society of St. Francis:
Day Five - The First Aim of the Order
To make our Lord known and loved everywhere.
The Order is founded on the conviction that Jesus Christ is the perfect revelation of God; that true life has been made available to us through his Incarnation and Ministry, by his Cross and Resurrection, and by the sending of his Holy Spirit. The Order believes that it is the commission of the church to make the gospel known to all, and therefore accepts the duty of bringing others to know Christ, and of praying and working for the coming of the of the Kingdom of God.
++++++++++
Upper Room Daily Reflection http://www.upperroom.org/reflections/
IN THE PASSOVER MEAL we have come to call the Last Supper, Jesus chooses to share himself — his very body and blood — with his dearest friends. Christ gives not only bread and wine to his disciples present in that moment, but he also gives them a ritual of remembrance. … His intimate, self-giving gesture meant they had something to hold on to, something they could touch and taste, something to keep Christ close. In the Last Supper, Jesus gives the gift of himself not only in that moment but for all generations to come, promising his intimate presence to all who reenact this supper.
- Sarah Parsons
A Clearing Season
From pages 80-81 of A Clearing Season by Sarah Parsons. Copyright © 2006 by Sarah Parsons.
+++++++++++
Richard Rohr's Daily Reflection
http://cacradicalgrace.org/getconnected/getconnected_index.html
"The Breaking of the Bread"
There's no real story of the Last supper in the Gospel of John as we find it in the other Gospels. There is no passing of the bread or passing of the cup. Instead we come upon the story of Jesus on his knees washing the Apostles' feet. Perhaps John realized that after seventy years the other Gospels had been read. He wanted to give a theology of the Eucharist that revealed the meaning behind the breaking the bread. Peter symbolizes all of us as he protests, "You will never wash my feet!" (John 13:8). But Jesus answers, "If I do not wash you, you can have nothing in common with me." Sometimes we think we are being heroic in no letting God love us. We want to do the loving thing ourselves. Yet only when Peter capitulates and allows Jesus to minister to him does he experience the meaning of Jesus. He has to let Jesus get down before him as a servant. John is saying Jesus wants to do that for all of us. Eucharist is John's Gospel is not ritual or liturgy but suffering service.
from The Great Themes of Scripture
++++++++++
From John E. Rotelle, O.S.A., Tradition Day by Day: Readings from Church Writers. Augustinian Press. Villanova, PA, 1994.
http://www.artsci.villanova.edu/dsteelman/tradition/sources.htm
I am your forgiveness
Although he was the Lord, Christ clothed himself in human nature. He suffered for the sake of those who suffer, he was bound for those in bonds, condemned for the guilty, buried for those who lie in the grave; but he rose from the dead, and cried aloud: Who will contend with me? Let him confront me. I have freed the condemned, brought the dead back to life, raised those who were buried. Who has anything to say against me? I, he said, am the Christ; I have destroyed death, triumphed over the enemy, trampled hell underfoot, bound the strong one, and snatched human beings up to the heights of heaven: I am the Christ.
Come, then, people of every nation, receive forgiveness for the sins that defile you. I am your forgiveness. I am the Passover that brings salvation. I am the lamb who was immolated for you. I am your ransom, your life, your resurrection, your light, I am your salvation and your king. I will lead you to the heights of heaven. I will show you the eternal Father. With my right hand I will raise you up.
Melito of Sardis, (~190) was a highly respected bishop of that church in Lydia, and a prolific writer.
++++++++++
Daily Readings From "My Utmost for His Highest", Oswald Chambers
http://www.myutmost.org/
HIS AGONY AND OUR FELLOWSHIP
"Then cometh Jesus with them unto a place called Gethsemane, and saith unto the disciples, tarry ye here, and watch with Me." Matthew 26:36, 38
We can never fathom the agony in Gethsemane, but at least we need not misunderstand it. It is the agony of God and Man in one, face to face with sin. We know nothing about Gethsemane in personal experience. Gethsemane and Calvary stand for something unique; they are the gateway into Life for us.
It was not the death on the cross that Jesus feared in Gethsemane; He stated most emphatically that He came on purpose to die. In Gethsemane He feared lest He might not get through as Son of Man. He would get through as Son of God - Satan could not touch Him there; but Satan's onslaught was that He would get through as an isolated Figure only; and that would mean that He could be no Saviour. Read the record of the agony in the light of the temptation: "Then the devil leaveth Him for a season." In Gethsemane Satan came back and was again overthrown. Satan's final onslaught against our Lord as Son of Man is in Gethsemane.
The agony in Gethsemane is the agony of the Son of God in fulfilling His destiny as the Saviour of the world. The veil is drawn aside to reveal all it cost Him to make it possible for us to become sons of God. His agony is the basis of the simplicity of our salvation. The Cross of Christ is a triumph for the Son of Man. It was not only a sign that Our Lord had triumphed, but that He had triumphed to save the human race. Every human being can get through into the presence of God now because of what the Son of Man went through.
++++++++++
Today's reading from the Rule of St. Benedict http://www.osb.org/rb/
Chapter 53: On the Reception of Guests
Let there be a separate kitchen for the Abbot and guests,
that the brethren may not be disturbed when guests,
who are never lacking in a monastery,
arrive at irregular hours.
Let two brethren capable of filling the office well
be appointed for a year to have charge of this kitchen.
Let them be given such help as they need,
that they may serve without murmuring.
And on the other hand,
when they have less to occupy them,
let them go out to whatever work is assigned them.
And not only in their case
but in all the offices of the monastery
let this arrangement be observed,
that when help is needed it be supplied,
and again when the workers are unoccupied
they do whatever they are bidden.
The guest house also shall be assigned to a brother
whose soul is possessed by the fear of God.
Let there be a sufficient number of beds made up in it;
and let the house of God be managed by prudent men
and in a prudent manner.
On no account shall anyone who is not so ordered
associate or converse with guests.
But if he should meet them or see them,
let him greet them humbly, as we have said,
ask their blessing and pass on,
saying that he is not allowed to converse with a guest.
Commentary: http://www.eriebenedictines.org/Pages/INSPIRATION/insights.html
With the fall of the Roman Empire, travel through Europe on unguarded and unkept roads through hostile territory and at the prey of marauding bands became both difficult and dangerous. Benedictine monasteries became the hospice system of Europe. There, anyone was received at any time. Rich and poor alike were accepted as equals and given the same service: food, bedding, immediate attention day or night. Yet, so that the monastery could remain a monastery in the midst of a steadily growing need for this monastic service, a special kitchen and special workers were assigned to provide the necessary care. It's an important addition to a chapter that could otherwise be read to mean that the monastic life itself was at the mercy of meandering peasants. The fact is that we all have to learn to provide for others while maintaining the values and structures, the balance and depth, of our own lives. The community that is to greet the guest is not to barter its own identity in the name of the guest. On the contrary, if we become less than we must be then we will be no gift for the guest at all. Parents must parent and all the good work in the world will not substitute for that. Wives and husbands must be present to the other and all the needs in the world will not forgive that. Balance and order and prayer in the life of those who practice Benedictine spirituality is key to being a genuine support in the lives of others. Somehow we must take on the needs of the world with a humble heart. As Hale said, "I cannot do everything but I can do something and what I can do I will do, so help me God."
++++++++++
Church Fathers Lenten Reading Plan
Read Excerpts from the Church Fathers during Lent
http://www.churchyear.net/lentfathers.html
St. Leo the Great: Sermon XXI (On the Feast of the Nativity I): complete
++++++++++
Great and Holy Thursday, April 5, 2007 Wine & Oil
Ven. Theodora of Thessalonika
6th Hour: Isaiah 50:4-11 Epistle: 1 Corinthians 11:23-32
Gospel: St. Matthew 26:2-27:2
To Follow to Salvation: Isaiah 50:4-11 LXX, especially vs. 10: "Who is
among you that fears the Lord? Let him hearken to the voice of His
Servant: you that walk in darkness, and have no light, trust in the Name
of the Lord, and stay upon God." The well-read Christian who knows the
Faith and reads this passage will hear the account of the Passion of our
Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ. The words fire devotion. We are amazed
at the foresight of the Prophet. In this vein, St. Nikolai of Zica
encourages us to "examine, my brethren, how exact this prophecy is, word
for word. Examine with amazement how the discerning man of God foresaw
through the barrier of several hundred years more clearly than the
ordinary eye sees the clear bottom in shallow water." Yes, the Prophet
truly was used of God to foretell what would be.
However, after further reflection, Isaiah's words prompt "the obedient
son to go into the vineyard," himself and labor for his salvation as the
Father has bidden (Mt. 21:29). Thus, let us read Isaiah's words, grasp
how the Lord Jesus obeyed, and follow Him. He "turned not away [His]
face from the shame....but set [His] face as a solid rock"(Is. 50:6,7).
The Holy Fathers, being good teachers and pastors, valued application
most of all. Let us likewise learn from our Lord and follow in faith,
not merely observing Christ's saving acts as an awesome Divine gift, but
following Him in His Passion and taking up our own cross.
The first two verses of the lesson reveal the inner mindfulness of the
Lord Jesus during the Passion. St. Justin Martyr observed about the
Master that always before He had confuted the Pharisees and scribes, but
in the Passion He "kept silence, and chose to return no answer to any
one in the presence of Pilate...." What was the reason for His
silence? Was Christ silent to prove that Isaiah was a true Prophet? Of
course not! The Lord Jesus challenges us to seek composure in Him. As
St. Ambrose says, "How many have I seen fall into sin by speaking, but
scarcely one by keeping silent; and so it is more difficult to know how
to keep silent than to speak. He is wise, then, who knows how to keep
silent." In His humanity, the Lord "knew when it was fit to speak" and
had "an ear to hear, not to disobey nor to dispute" (vss. 4,5).
In the next four verses (6-9), our Lord and Master models the virtue of
embracing affliction, shame, and humiliation: "I gave My back to
scourges, and My cheeks to blows; and I turned not away My face from the
shame of spitting" (vs. 6). St. Athanasios pleads with us: "O, my
dearly beloved, if we shall gain comfort from afflictions, if rest from
labors, if health after sickness, if from death immortality, it is not
right to be distressed by the temporal ills that lay hold on mankind."
Like the Lord, and only by His aid, we are called to gain the grace of
giving our backs to scourges and our cheeks to blows. But, oh, how we
are wont, in our flesh, to dodge the badges of shame. As St. Isaac the
Syrian says: "God for your sake humbled Himself, but you, for your own
sake, do not humble yourself." Nevertheless, St. Isaac adds: "By your
labors your wounds are healed." Let us not fear but follow, even if we
cry, "Lord, save me!" (Mt. 14:30).
The last two verses are a call from Him Who made Himself a Servant for
our salvation. He invites us to "trust in His name and stay upon God"
(Is. 50:10). He expects us to translate His acts into our own lives, to
accept the risks of faith. Think of the Paschal invitation: "Come take
the Light which can never be overtaken by night." Let each one "kindle
a fire," and "feed a flame" that he may "...walk in the light...of the
flame which [he has] kindled" (vs. 11). God will not fail us, even
though He allow affliction and sorrow "for [His] sake" (vs. 11).
O Christ our God, Thou alone seest the weakness of each one of us.
Help us, that we may discover that which is necessary to our eternal
salvation. To Thee be glory and praise.
<*> To visit your group on the web, go to:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/orthodoxdynamis/
posted by Gloriamarie Amalfitano @ 11:08 AM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home