Daily Meditation 12/29/07, On the 5th Day of Christmas, Feast of St Thomas Becket
[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]
Nativity Prayer of St. Augustine
Let the just rejoice,
for their justifier is born.
Let the sick and infirm rejoice,
For their saviour is born.
Let the captives rejoice,
For their Redeemer is born.
Let slaves rejoice,
for their Master is born.
Let free men rejoice,
For their Liberator is born.
Let All Christians rejoice,
For Jesus Christ is born.
St. Augustine of Hippo (AD 354-440)
Collect
O God, our strength and our salvation, you called your servant Thomas Becket to be a shepherd of your people and a defender of your Church: Keep your household from all evil and raise up among us faithful pastors and leaders who are wise in the ways of the Gospel; through Jesus Christ the shepherd of our souls, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
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Today's Scripture http://www.satucket.com/lectionary/
AM Psalm 18:1-20; PM Psalm 18:21-50
2 Samuel 23:13-17b; 2 John 1-13; John 2:1-11
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From Forward Day by Day: http://www.forwardmovement.org/todaysreading.cfm
2 John 1-13. Let us love one another....This is the commandment just as you have heard it from the beginning--you must walk in it.
Who's in charge here? We all know the answer: God.
We give ready lip service to the idea, but in practical terms, we have trouble coming to grips with it. Too many things seem to get in the way, from illness to injustice, from natural disasters to natural-born bullies. Confronted with difficulties in the here and now, our tendency is to forget God's promises for the future.
In a way, it's like traveling, like walking versus flying. In the air, we see the path clearly, and where it ends. Slogging along on foot, we focus on what's directly before us, on the potholes and rocks in the road, on loose dogs that threaten us and foul weather that makes the way more difficult. We can't see over the next hill, or beyond the next curve in the road. It's easy to conclude that we'll never make it to our destination.
God has given us a map and directions. Following them isn't always easy; we want to wander off onto interesting byways or get confused about where to turn. But if we follow God's path in love, we will return home at last.
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Today we remember:
http://www.satucket.com/lectionary
Thomas a Becket
Psalm 126
2 Esdras 2:42-48; Matthew 10:16-22
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Today in the Anglican Cycle of Prayer we pray for the Diocese of Zanzibar (Tanzania)
http://www.anglicancommunion.org/acp/index.cfm
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From: Christmas CLARESHARE December 2006
Ty Mam Duw Poor Clare Colettine Community
http://www.poorclarestmd.org/
29th December
St Thomas Becket
He was a Prime Minister of Great Britain. He was a martyr.
Think of one good thing your political leader/head of state has done (if you
can) and add it to your collection on the fridge door.
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Twelve Days of Christmas
http://www.cresourcei.org/cy12days.html
On the Fifth Day of Christmas
« Thread Started on Jan 2, 2007, 2:29pm » [Quote] [Modify] [Delete]
Collect:
Purify our conscience, Almight God, by your daily visitation, that your Son Jesus Christ, at his coming, may find in us a mansion prepared for himself; who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.
Readings:
AM Psalm 18:1-20; PM Psalm 18:21-50
Isa. 12:1-6; Rev. 1:1-8; John 7:37-52
Collect for Thomas a Becket:
O God, our strength and our salvation, who called your servant Thomas Becket to be a shepherd of your people and a defender of your Church: Keep your household from all evil and raise up among us faithful pastors and leaders who are wise in the ways of the Gospel; through jesus christ the shepherd of our souls, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God for ever and ever. Amen.
Thomas a Becket
www.newadvent.org/cathen/14676a.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_Becket
Psalm 126
2 Esdras 2:42-48; Matthew 10:16-22
From Forward Day by Day:
Revelation 1:1-8. Blessed is the one who reads aloud the words of the prophecy, and blessed are those who hear and who keep what is written in it; for the time is near.
The prophecies come to us in many ways; stories in Sunday school, sermons, and watching Christians live. Family members made sure I attended church and participated. But it wasn't until about 25 years ago I personally started really reading the word, meditating on the message, and keeping what is written.
Forward Day by Day was on display at church. I brought it home and put it in the place I might have a few minutes to read. There I started reading one page each day, then reading the passages listed, then came the interest in study, then the calling to serve, and then the way to serve.
We each have our own journey. We each will come to our own call, but if we don't ever start, we will never discover what that might be.
The Lord is my rock, my fortress, and my deliverer, my God, my rock in whom I take refuge, my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.
--Psalm 18:2
Anglican Cycle of Prayer: Leicester - (Canterbury, England)
From John E. Rotelle, O.S.A., Tradition Day by Day: Readings from Church Writers. Augustinian Press. Villanova, PA, 1994.:
A love that desires to see God
In all the events we have recalled, the flame of divine love enkindled human hearts and its intoxication overflowed into the senses. Wounded by love, people longed to look upon God with their bodily eyes. Yet how could our narrow human vision apprehend God, whom the whole world cannot contain? But the law love follows has no regard for what will happen, what ought to happen, or what can happen. Love does not reflect; it is unreasonable and knows no moderation. Love refuses to be consoled when its goal proves impossible, despises all hindrances to the attainment of its object. Love destroys lovers if they cannot obtain what they love; love follows its own promptings and does not think of right and wrong. Love inflames desire which impels it toward things that are forbidden. But why continue?
It is intolerable for love not to see the object of its longing. That is why whatever reward they merited was nothing to the saints if they could not see the Lord. A love that desires to see God, even though it has no right to this, is proof of filial devotion.
Peter Chrysologus, Peter Chrysologous (400 - 450), bishop of Ravenna, was above all a pastor and preached many sermons to his people.
Advent calendar: Ways to Move Systems -- like businesses and governments -- Toward Sustainability:
3. Protest and boycott. Help: "Boycott News," www.boycotts.org
Advent Calendar: Open Wide the Doors To Christ by Elizabeth Bookser Barkley
(Is 7:10-14; Lk 1:26-38) Be an agent for good. Mary’s "Let it be done to me as you say" could imply a passive attitude toward the inevitable in life. Troubled by the messenger’s announcement, Mary questioned, then cooperated with the plan for salvation. Not passivity but contemplation allowed her to declare herself a free agent of the Lord. Like Mary, we are called to hear and reflect on the word of God, then to act on it.
From: Christmas CLARESHARE December 2006
Ty Mam Duw Poor Clare Colettine Community
29th December
St Thomas Becket
He was a Prime Minister of Great Britain. He was a martyr.
Think of one good thing your political leader/head of state has done (if you
can) and add it to your collection on the fridge door.
On the 5th day of Christmas my true love gave to me...
Day 5, December 29
Five Gold Rings
The first Five Books of the Old Testament, known as the Torah or the Pentateuch: 1) Genesis, 2) Exodus, 3) Leviticus, 4) Numbers, and 5) Deuteronomy, which gives the history of humanity's sinful failure and God's response of grace in the creation of a people to be a light to the world.
EMMANUEL
God Incarnate
God in the flesh
God with us
GOD WITH ME!!
That is, after all, what this season is all about. He’s not just some all-powerful being out there somewhere, speaking universes into existence, holding worlds in orbit, designing the intricacies of the human body.
He is here!
He is with me!
He is in me!
The obvious question is: "Why?"
What was it that drew Him here, and at such a price?
And that’s where the miracle takes place. It was me! He chose to come to this world, begin as a baby, grow up, and give up His life on the cross, rather than spend eternity without me. He loves me. It’s as simple, yet as profound as that.
Have you ever longed for someone to love you? Have you ever cried yourself to sleep at night, aching with loneliness? It doesn’t have to be that way! Emmanuel is here. He loves you with a love that cost Him everything.
"Everything." That is your worth to God. Is it any wonder that He pursues you so relentlessly? You are so valuable to Him that He gave up His life just so He could be with you forever. His name says it all:
EMMANUEL
GOD WITH US
GOD WITH YOU!
Debi Peck
Tucson, Arizona, USA
Lord,
You love, this I know, not only because the Bible tells me so, but because You are constantly drawing me close and letting me know how precious I am to You. You go everywhere with me, and while sometimes that is sort of a scary thought, when I find that I am in trouble, it is wonderful to know that You are already there. I have no idea why I am that precious to You. But, thank you much for Your total expenditure on my behalf. I sure hope You get Your money's worth.
Amen
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Speaking to the Soul: http://www.episcopalcafe.com/
On love alone
Daily Reading for December 29 • Thomas Becket, 1170
The Child we seek
doesn’t need our gold.
On love, on love alone
he will build his kingdom.
His piercéd hand will hold no scepter,
his haloed head will wear no crown;
his might will not be built
on your toil.
Swifter than lightning
he will soon walk among us.
He will bring us new life
and receive our death,
and the keys to his city
belong to the poor.
Amahl and the Night Visitors by Gian Carlo Menotti (G. Schirmer, 1950).
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Spiritual Practice of the Day http://www.spiritualityandpractice.com/
Human beings are not our enemy. Our enemy is not the other person. Our enemy is the violence, ignorance, and injustice in us and in the other person. When we are armed with compassion and understanding, we fight not against other people, but against the tendency to invade, to dominate, and to exploit.
— Thich Nhat Hanh in Anger: Wisdom for Cooling the Flames
To Practice This Thought: Meditate upon the manifestations of violence, ignorance, and injustice in our world.
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Carmelite.com: Reflections http://www.carmelite.com/spirituality/reflection.php
If you would progress a long way on this road and ascend to the Mansions of your desire, the important thing is not to think much but to love much; do then, whatever most arouses your love.
St Teresa of Jesus
Interior Castle, IV.1
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Reading from the Desert Christians http://www.cin.org/dsrtftin.html
from http://www.balamandmonastery.org.lb/fathers/indexsayings2.htm
For to despise the present age, not to love transitory things,
unreservedly to stretch out the mind in humility to God and our
neighbor, to preserve patience against offered insults and, with
patience guarded, to repel the pain of malice from the heart, to
give one's property to the poor, not to covet that of others, to
esteem the friend in God, on God's account to love even those who
are hostile, to mourn at the affliction of a neighbor, not to
exult in the death of one who is an enemy, this is the new
creature whom the Master of the nations seeks with watchful eye
amid the other disciples, saying:"If, then, any be in Christ a new
creature, the old things are passed away. Behold all things are
made new" (2 Cor. 5:17).
St. Gregory the Great
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Daily Meditation (Henri Nouwen) http://www.henrinouwen.org/home/free_eletters/
A Ministry that Never Ends
Reconciliation is much more than a one-time event by which a conflict is resolved and peace established. A ministry of reconciliation goes far beyond problem solving, mediation, and peace agreements. There is not a moment in our lives without the need for reconciliation. When we dare to look at the myriad hostile feelings and thoughts in our hearts and minds, we will immediately recognize the many little and big wars in which we take part. Our enemy can be a parent, a child, a "friendly" neighbor, people with different lifestyles, people who do not think as we think, speak as we speak, or act as we act. They all can become "them." Right there is where reconciliation is needed.
Reconciliation touches the most hidden parts of our souls. God gave reconciliation to us as a ministry that never ends.
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From the Principles of the Third Society of St. Francis: http://www.tssf.org/textonly/principles.shtml
Day Twenty Nine - The Third Note, cont'd
This joy is a divine gift, coming from union with God in Christ. It is still there even in times of darkness and difficulty, giving cheerful courage in the face of disappointment, and an inward serenity and confidence through sickness and suffering. Those who possess it can rejoice in weakness, insults, hardship, and persecutions for Christ's sake; for when we are weak, then we are strong.
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Upper Room Daily Reflection http://www.upperroom.org/reflections/
Thanks Living
December 29th, 2007
Saturday’s Reflection
LOVING GOD,
we thank you for the goodness
and acts of kindness
that surround our lives.
May our thanksgiving
be thanks living. Amen.
- Richard Morgan
Settling In
From p. 117 of Settling In: My First Year in a Retirement Community by Richard Morgan. Copyright © 2006 by the author. Published by Upper Room Books. All Rights Reserved. Used with permission. http://www.upperroom.org/bookstore/
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Richard Rohr's Daily Reflection
http://cacradicalgrace.org/getconnected/getconnected_index.html
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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
A love that desires to see God
In all the events we have recalled, the flame of divine love enkindled human hearts and its intoxication overflowed into the senses. Wounded by love, people longed to look upon God with their bodily eyes. Yet how could our narrow human vision apprehend God, whom the whole world cannot contain? But the law love follows has no regard for what will happen, what ought to happen, or what can happen. Love does not reflect; it is unreasonable and knows no moderation. Love refuses to be consoled when its goal proves impossible, despises all hindrances to the attainment of its object. Love destroys lovers if they cannot obtain what they love; love follows its own promptings and does not think of right and wrong. Love inflames desire which impels it toward things that are forbidden. But why continue?
It is intolerable for love not to see the object of its longing. That is why whatever reward they merited was nothing to the saints if they could not see the Lord. A love that desires to see God, even though it has no right to this, is proof of filial devotion.
Peter Chrysologus
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Daily Readings From "My Utmost for His Highest", Oswald Chambers
http://www.myutmost.org/
DESERTER OR DISCIPLE?
"From that time many of His disciples went back, and walked no more with Him." John 6:66
When God gives a vision by His Spirit through His word of what He wants, and your mind and soul thrill to it, if you do not walk in the light of that vision, you will sink into servitude to a point of view which Our Lord never had. Disobedience in mind to the heavenly vision will make you a slave to points of view that are alien to Jesus Christ. Do not look at someone else and say - Well, if he can have those views and prosper, why cannot I? You have to walk in the light of the vision that has been given to you and not compare yourself with others or judge them, that is between them and God. When you find that a point of view in which you have been delighting clashes with the heavenly vision and you debate, certain things will begin to develop in you - a sense of property and a sense of personal right, things of which Jesus Christ made nothing. He was always against these things as being the root of everything alien to Himself. "A man's life consisteth not in the abundance of the things that he possesseth." If we do not recognize this, it is because we are ignoring the undercurrent of Our Lord's teaching.
We are apt to lie back and bask in the memory of the wonderful experience we have had. If there is one standard in the New Testament revealed by the light of God and you do not come up to it, and do not feel inclined to come up to it, that is the beginning of backsliding, because it means your conscience does not answer to the truth. You can never be the same after the unveiling of a truth. That moment marks you for going on as a more true disciple of Jesus Christ or for going back as a deserter.
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Today's reading from the Rule of St. Benedict http://www.osb.org/rb/
April 29, August 29, December 29
Chapter 71: That the Brethren Be Obedient to One Another
Not only is the boon of obedience
to be shown by all to the Abbot,
but the brethren are also to obey one another,
knowing that by this road of obedience they are going to God.
Giving priority, therefore, to the commands of the Abbot
and of the Superior appointed by him
(to which we allow no private orders to be preferred),
for the rest
let all the juniors obey their seniors
with all charity and solicitude.
But if anyone is found contentious,
let him be corrected.
And if any brother,
for however small a cause,
is corrected in any way by the Abbot or by any of his Superiors,
or if he faintly perceives
that the mind of any Superior is angered or moved against him,
however little,
let him at once, without delay,
prostrate himself on the ground at his feet
and lie there making satisfaction
until that emotion is quieted with a blessing.
But if anyone should disdain to do this,
let him undergo corporal punishment
or, if he is stubborn, let him be expelled from the monastery.
Insight for the Ages: A Commentary by Sr Joan Chittister
http://www.eriebenedictines.org/Pages/INSPIRATION/insights.html
Into a democratic country and a highly individualistic culture, into a society where personalism approaches the pathological and independence is raised to high art, the rule brings a chapter on listening and wisdom. The rule says that we are not our own teachers, not our own guides, not our own standard setters, not a law unto ourselves. In addition to the "officials" in our lives--the employers, the supervisors, the lawgivers and the police--we have to learn to learn from those around us who have gone the path before us and know the way. It is a chapter dedicated to making us see the elderly anew and our colleagues with awe and our companions with new respect. In a society that depends on reputation to such a degree that people build themselves up by tearing other people down, the chapter on mutual obedience turns the world awry. Monastic spirituality says that we are to honor one another. We are to listen to one another. We are to reach across boundaries and differences in this fragmented world and see in our differences distinctions of great merit that can mend a competitive, uncaring and foolish world.
The Tao teaches:
If you want to become whole,
let yourself be partial.
If you want to become straight,
let yourself be crooked.
If you want to become full,
let yourself be empty.
What monastic spirituality wants among us is respect and love, not excuses, not justification, not protests of innocence or cries of misunderstandings. The rule wants respect for the elder and love for the learner. The rule wants a human response to the mystery of misunderstanding--not stand-offs, not pouting, not rejection, not eternal alienation. The rule wants relationships that have been ruptured to be repaired, not by long, legal defenses but by clear and quick gestures of human sorrow and forgiveness. The question in the rule is not who is right and who is wrong. The question in the rule is who is offended and who is sorry, who is to apologize and who is to forgive. Quickly. Immediately. Now.
The rabbi of Sassov, the Hasidic masters tell us, once gave away the last money he had in his pocket to a man of ill repute who quickly squandered it all. The rabbi's disciples threw it up to him. He answered them: "Shall I be more finicky than God, who gave it to me?" What monastic spirituality teaches in this paragraph of the Rule is that we must all relate to one another knowing our own sinfulness and depending on the love we learn from one another.
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Dynamis http://groups.yahoo.com/group/orthodoxdynamis/
Dynamis is a daily Bible meditation based upon the lectionary of the Holy Orthodox Church.
Sat., Dec. 29, 2007 Orthodox Christians Who Died from Hunger,
Thirst, the Sword, & Freezing
3rd Vigil Nativity: Micah 4:6-7; 5:2-4 Epistle: 1 Timothy
6:11-16 Gospel: St. Matthew 12:15-21
A New Day: Micah 4:6-7; 5:2-4 LXX, especially vs. 7: "I will make her
that was bruised a remnant, and her that was rejected a mighty nation:
and the Lord shall reign over them in Mount Zion from henceforth, even
for ever." It is a curious role that God cast for His Prophets. They
appear to us today hazily, as figures behind a screen upon which God
broadly sketched His message. We rarely see much of them at all as they
utter, "saith the Lord" (vs. 6). The present Prophecy is from the Lord;
but it was first spoken to men by Micah, God's Prophet from Moresheth in
southern Judah sometime between 750 BC to 680 BC.
God spoke through His servant Micah concerning a future day. Look at
the wording: "In that day...I will gather...and will receive....And I
will make...and the Lord shall reign" (vss. 6,7). Ah, but that new day
has come! Christ is born! Glorify Him all the earth! Illumined by
grace of the Holy Spirit, the Prophet put voice to the Lord's forecast,
and reveals its import for the Church today. God's future moment is
upon "her that is bruised" (vs. 6), Who is now "gathered" into the
pasture of the Lord, Who is "beside the water of rest" and nurtured (Ps.
22:2 LXX). She was "cast out," seemingly "rejected" by the Lord (Mic.
4:6), but now is received at His table, filled from His cup, anointed
with oil, to dwell in His house (Ps. 22:5,6 LXX).
At the dawn of the new day, the Lord Jesus' Apostolic remnant was tiny,
"a brand plucked out of the fire" (Amos 4:11 LXX) by the firm hand of
the Lord. Today, the Church is a torch that burns, but is not
consumed. She gives saving light to all nations. Today, we are "a
mighty nation" (Mic. 4:7) within every nation, desiring to claim no land
of our own, but pleased to live before the final, end-time of the
Kingdom of God while the Lord reigns over us "from henceforth, even for
ever" within the Church that is called "Mount Zion" (vs. 7).
As the new day began, "with one accord in prayer and supplication with
the women and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with His brothers....the
number of names was [only] about a hundred and twenty" (Acts 1:14,15)!
Yet, look at us now, spread over every continent. Yes, we are not well
received in some nations, but at least we are known in every land. The
bruising, the casting out, and the rejection continue in every
generation - now here, now there. But in the Church it is all Christ
Jesus, gathering the bruised, upholding the rejected, extending His
reign over us in this new day, whenever we gather and wherever.
Those of us in the Church who reside in certain places, where at this
moment we are allowed to live relatively quiet and peaceful lives,
should realize that our respite is temporary. The norm for God's People
is bruising, casting out, and rejection. To realize what is the norm
for Christians in this present life is what makes this message of the
new day so special for Orthodox Christians now living under Islam, eking
out their existence in countries ravaged by, and still recovering from,
militant Marxist atheism, or clinging to each other in lands where
active warfare, bombing, sudden death, looting, rapine, and murder are
commonplace.
Perhaps your life is difficult while others beside you enjoy
prosperity. Then the message of this new day is especially for you as
you endure bruising, casting out, and rejection. Before His birth in
time, the Lord promised to address the diminishing conditions that mark
this fallen world. Then, He came as one of us, bruised, cast out, and
rejected; but trampling down these deaths by death. Now, His Body and
His Blood are for you, whoever you are, however you are hurting; for in
the Church, in Mt. Zion, He reigns, henceforth, now, and forever.
Christ is Born!
Be Thou entreated for the sake of the sufferings of Thy Saints which thy
endure for Thee, O Lord, and do Thou heal all our pains, we pray, O
Friend of Man!
Nativity Prayer of St. Augustine
Let the just rejoice,
for their justifier is born.
Let the sick and infirm rejoice,
For their saviour is born.
Let the captives rejoice,
For their Redeemer is born.
Let slaves rejoice,
for their Master is born.
Let free men rejoice,
For their Liberator is born.
Let All Christians rejoice,
For Jesus Christ is born.
St. Augustine of Hippo (AD 354-440)
Collect
O God, our strength and our salvation, you called your servant Thomas Becket to be a shepherd of your people and a defender of your Church: Keep your household from all evil and raise up among us faithful pastors and leaders who are wise in the ways of the Gospel; through Jesus Christ the shepherd of our souls, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
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Today's Scripture http://www.satucket.com/lectionary/
AM Psalm 18:1-20; PM Psalm 18:21-50
2 Samuel 23:13-17b; 2 John 1-13; John 2:1-11
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From Forward Day by Day: http://www.forwardmovement.org/todaysreading.cfm
2 John 1-13. Let us love one another....This is the commandment just as you have heard it from the beginning--you must walk in it.
Who's in charge here? We all know the answer: God.
We give ready lip service to the idea, but in practical terms, we have trouble coming to grips with it. Too many things seem to get in the way, from illness to injustice, from natural disasters to natural-born bullies. Confronted with difficulties in the here and now, our tendency is to forget God's promises for the future.
In a way, it's like traveling, like walking versus flying. In the air, we see the path clearly, and where it ends. Slogging along on foot, we focus on what's directly before us, on the potholes and rocks in the road, on loose dogs that threaten us and foul weather that makes the way more difficult. We can't see over the next hill, or beyond the next curve in the road. It's easy to conclude that we'll never make it to our destination.
God has given us a map and directions. Following them isn't always easy; we want to wander off onto interesting byways or get confused about where to turn. But if we follow God's path in love, we will return home at last.
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Today we remember:
http://www.satucket.com/lectionary
Thomas a Becket
Psalm 126
2 Esdras 2:42-48; Matthew 10:16-22
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Today in the Anglican Cycle of Prayer we pray for the Diocese of Zanzibar (Tanzania)
http://www.anglicancommunion.org/acp/index.cfm
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From: Christmas CLARESHARE December 2006
Ty Mam Duw Poor Clare Colettine Community
http://www.poorclarestmd.org/
29th December
St Thomas Becket
He was a Prime Minister of Great Britain. He was a martyr.
Think of one good thing your political leader/head of state has done (if you
can) and add it to your collection on the fridge door.
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Twelve Days of Christmas
http://www.cresourcei.org/cy12days.html
On the Fifth Day of Christmas
« Thread Started on Jan 2, 2007, 2:29pm » [Quote] [Modify] [Delete]
Collect:
Purify our conscience, Almight God, by your daily visitation, that your Son Jesus Christ, at his coming, may find in us a mansion prepared for himself; who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.
Readings:
AM Psalm 18:1-20; PM Psalm 18:21-50
Isa. 12:1-6; Rev. 1:1-8; John 7:37-52
Collect for Thomas a Becket:
O God, our strength and our salvation, who called your servant Thomas Becket to be a shepherd of your people and a defender of your Church: Keep your household from all evil and raise up among us faithful pastors and leaders who are wise in the ways of the Gospel; through jesus christ the shepherd of our souls, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God for ever and ever. Amen.
Thomas a Becket
www.newadvent.org/cathen/14676a.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_Becket
Psalm 126
2 Esdras 2:42-48; Matthew 10:16-22
From Forward Day by Day:
Revelation 1:1-8. Blessed is the one who reads aloud the words of the prophecy, and blessed are those who hear and who keep what is written in it; for the time is near.
The prophecies come to us in many ways; stories in Sunday school, sermons, and watching Christians live. Family members made sure I attended church and participated. But it wasn't until about 25 years ago I personally started really reading the word, meditating on the message, and keeping what is written.
Forward Day by Day was on display at church. I brought it home and put it in the place I might have a few minutes to read. There I started reading one page each day, then reading the passages listed, then came the interest in study, then the calling to serve, and then the way to serve.
We each have our own journey. We each will come to our own call, but if we don't ever start, we will never discover what that might be.
The Lord is my rock, my fortress, and my deliverer, my God, my rock in whom I take refuge, my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.
--Psalm 18:2
Anglican Cycle of Prayer: Leicester - (Canterbury, England)
From John E. Rotelle, O.S.A., Tradition Day by Day: Readings from Church Writers. Augustinian Press. Villanova, PA, 1994.:
A love that desires to see God
In all the events we have recalled, the flame of divine love enkindled human hearts and its intoxication overflowed into the senses. Wounded by love, people longed to look upon God with their bodily eyes. Yet how could our narrow human vision apprehend God, whom the whole world cannot contain? But the law love follows has no regard for what will happen, what ought to happen, or what can happen. Love does not reflect; it is unreasonable and knows no moderation. Love refuses to be consoled when its goal proves impossible, despises all hindrances to the attainment of its object. Love destroys lovers if they cannot obtain what they love; love follows its own promptings and does not think of right and wrong. Love inflames desire which impels it toward things that are forbidden. But why continue?
It is intolerable for love not to see the object of its longing. That is why whatever reward they merited was nothing to the saints if they could not see the Lord. A love that desires to see God, even though it has no right to this, is proof of filial devotion.
Peter Chrysologus, Peter Chrysologous (400 - 450), bishop of Ravenna, was above all a pastor and preached many sermons to his people.
Advent calendar: Ways to Move Systems -- like businesses and governments -- Toward Sustainability:
3. Protest and boycott. Help: "Boycott News," www.boycotts.org
Advent Calendar: Open Wide the Doors To Christ by Elizabeth Bookser Barkley
(Is 7:10-14; Lk 1:26-38) Be an agent for good. Mary’s "Let it be done to me as you say" could imply a passive attitude toward the inevitable in life. Troubled by the messenger’s announcement, Mary questioned, then cooperated with the plan for salvation. Not passivity but contemplation allowed her to declare herself a free agent of the Lord. Like Mary, we are called to hear and reflect on the word of God, then to act on it.
From: Christmas CLARESHARE December 2006
Ty Mam Duw Poor Clare Colettine Community
29th December
St Thomas Becket
He was a Prime Minister of Great Britain. He was a martyr.
Think of one good thing your political leader/head of state has done (if you
can) and add it to your collection on the fridge door.
On the 5th day of Christmas my true love gave to me...
Day 5, December 29
Five Gold Rings
The first Five Books of the Old Testament, known as the Torah or the Pentateuch: 1) Genesis, 2) Exodus, 3) Leviticus, 4) Numbers, and 5) Deuteronomy, which gives the history of humanity's sinful failure and God's response of grace in the creation of a people to be a light to the world.
EMMANUEL
God Incarnate
God in the flesh
God with us
GOD WITH ME!!
That is, after all, what this season is all about. He’s not just some all-powerful being out there somewhere, speaking universes into existence, holding worlds in orbit, designing the intricacies of the human body.
He is here!
He is with me!
He is in me!
The obvious question is: "Why?"
What was it that drew Him here, and at such a price?
And that’s where the miracle takes place. It was me! He chose to come to this world, begin as a baby, grow up, and give up His life on the cross, rather than spend eternity without me. He loves me. It’s as simple, yet as profound as that.
Have you ever longed for someone to love you? Have you ever cried yourself to sleep at night, aching with loneliness? It doesn’t have to be that way! Emmanuel is here. He loves you with a love that cost Him everything.
"Everything." That is your worth to God. Is it any wonder that He pursues you so relentlessly? You are so valuable to Him that He gave up His life just so He could be with you forever. His name says it all:
EMMANUEL
GOD WITH US
GOD WITH YOU!
Debi Peck
Tucson, Arizona, USA
Lord,
You love, this I know, not only because the Bible tells me so, but because You are constantly drawing me close and letting me know how precious I am to You. You go everywhere with me, and while sometimes that is sort of a scary thought, when I find that I am in trouble, it is wonderful to know that You are already there. I have no idea why I am that precious to You. But, thank you much for Your total expenditure on my behalf. I sure hope You get Your money's worth.
Amen
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Speaking to the Soul: http://www.episcopalcafe.com/
On love alone
Daily Reading for December 29 • Thomas Becket, 1170
The Child we seek
doesn’t need our gold.
On love, on love alone
he will build his kingdom.
His piercéd hand will hold no scepter,
his haloed head will wear no crown;
his might will not be built
on your toil.
Swifter than lightning
he will soon walk among us.
He will bring us new life
and receive our death,
and the keys to his city
belong to the poor.
Amahl and the Night Visitors by Gian Carlo Menotti (G. Schirmer, 1950).
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Spiritual Practice of the Day http://www.spiritualityandpractice.com/
Human beings are not our enemy. Our enemy is not the other person. Our enemy is the violence, ignorance, and injustice in us and in the other person. When we are armed with compassion and understanding, we fight not against other people, but against the tendency to invade, to dominate, and to exploit.
— Thich Nhat Hanh in Anger: Wisdom for Cooling the Flames
To Practice This Thought: Meditate upon the manifestations of violence, ignorance, and injustice in our world.
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Carmelite.com: Reflections http://www.carmelite.com/spirituality/reflection.php
If you would progress a long way on this road and ascend to the Mansions of your desire, the important thing is not to think much but to love much; do then, whatever most arouses your love.
St Teresa of Jesus
Interior Castle, IV.1
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Reading from the Desert Christians http://www.cin.org/dsrtftin.html
from http://www.balamandmonastery.org.lb/fathers/indexsayings2.htm
For to despise the present age, not to love transitory things,
unreservedly to stretch out the mind in humility to God and our
neighbor, to preserve patience against offered insults and, with
patience guarded, to repel the pain of malice from the heart, to
give one's property to the poor, not to covet that of others, to
esteem the friend in God, on God's account to love even those who
are hostile, to mourn at the affliction of a neighbor, not to
exult in the death of one who is an enemy, this is the new
creature whom the Master of the nations seeks with watchful eye
amid the other disciples, saying:"If, then, any be in Christ a new
creature, the old things are passed away. Behold all things are
made new" (2 Cor. 5:17).
St. Gregory the Great
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Daily Meditation (Henri Nouwen) http://www.henrinouwen.org/home/free_eletters/
A Ministry that Never Ends
Reconciliation is much more than a one-time event by which a conflict is resolved and peace established. A ministry of reconciliation goes far beyond problem solving, mediation, and peace agreements. There is not a moment in our lives without the need for reconciliation. When we dare to look at the myriad hostile feelings and thoughts in our hearts and minds, we will immediately recognize the many little and big wars in which we take part. Our enemy can be a parent, a child, a "friendly" neighbor, people with different lifestyles, people who do not think as we think, speak as we speak, or act as we act. They all can become "them." Right there is where reconciliation is needed.
Reconciliation touches the most hidden parts of our souls. God gave reconciliation to us as a ministry that never ends.
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From the Principles of the Third Society of St. Francis: http://www.tssf.org/textonly/principles.shtml
Day Twenty Nine - The Third Note, cont'd
This joy is a divine gift, coming from union with God in Christ. It is still there even in times of darkness and difficulty, giving cheerful courage in the face of disappointment, and an inward serenity and confidence through sickness and suffering. Those who possess it can rejoice in weakness, insults, hardship, and persecutions for Christ's sake; for when we are weak, then we are strong.
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Upper Room Daily Reflection http://www.upperroom.org/reflections/
Thanks Living
December 29th, 2007
Saturday’s Reflection
LOVING GOD,
we thank you for the goodness
and acts of kindness
that surround our lives.
May our thanksgiving
be thanks living. Amen.
- Richard Morgan
Settling In
From p. 117 of Settling In: My First Year in a Retirement Community by Richard Morgan. Copyright © 2006 by the author. Published by Upper Room Books. All Rights Reserved. Used with permission. http://www.upperroom.org/bookstore/
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Richard Rohr's Daily Reflection
http://cacradicalgrace.org/getconnected/getconnected_index.html
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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
A love that desires to see God
In all the events we have recalled, the flame of divine love enkindled human hearts and its intoxication overflowed into the senses. Wounded by love, people longed to look upon God with their bodily eyes. Yet how could our narrow human vision apprehend God, whom the whole world cannot contain? But the law love follows has no regard for what will happen, what ought to happen, or what can happen. Love does not reflect; it is unreasonable and knows no moderation. Love refuses to be consoled when its goal proves impossible, despises all hindrances to the attainment of its object. Love destroys lovers if they cannot obtain what they love; love follows its own promptings and does not think of right and wrong. Love inflames desire which impels it toward things that are forbidden. But why continue?
It is intolerable for love not to see the object of its longing. That is why whatever reward they merited was nothing to the saints if they could not see the Lord. A love that desires to see God, even though it has no right to this, is proof of filial devotion.
Peter Chrysologus
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Daily Readings From "My Utmost for His Highest", Oswald Chambers
http://www.myutmost.org/
DESERTER OR DISCIPLE?
"From that time many of His disciples went back, and walked no more with Him." John 6:66
When God gives a vision by His Spirit through His word of what He wants, and your mind and soul thrill to it, if you do not walk in the light of that vision, you will sink into servitude to a point of view which Our Lord never had. Disobedience in mind to the heavenly vision will make you a slave to points of view that are alien to Jesus Christ. Do not look at someone else and say - Well, if he can have those views and prosper, why cannot I? You have to walk in the light of the vision that has been given to you and not compare yourself with others or judge them, that is between them and God. When you find that a point of view in which you have been delighting clashes with the heavenly vision and you debate, certain things will begin to develop in you - a sense of property and a sense of personal right, things of which Jesus Christ made nothing. He was always against these things as being the root of everything alien to Himself. "A man's life consisteth not in the abundance of the things that he possesseth." If we do not recognize this, it is because we are ignoring the undercurrent of Our Lord's teaching.
We are apt to lie back and bask in the memory of the wonderful experience we have had. If there is one standard in the New Testament revealed by the light of God and you do not come up to it, and do not feel inclined to come up to it, that is the beginning of backsliding, because it means your conscience does not answer to the truth. You can never be the same after the unveiling of a truth. That moment marks you for going on as a more true disciple of Jesus Christ or for going back as a deserter.
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Today's reading from the Rule of St. Benedict http://www.osb.org/rb/
April 29, August 29, December 29
Chapter 71: That the Brethren Be Obedient to One Another
Not only is the boon of obedience
to be shown by all to the Abbot,
but the brethren are also to obey one another,
knowing that by this road of obedience they are going to God.
Giving priority, therefore, to the commands of the Abbot
and of the Superior appointed by him
(to which we allow no private orders to be preferred),
for the rest
let all the juniors obey their seniors
with all charity and solicitude.
But if anyone is found contentious,
let him be corrected.
And if any brother,
for however small a cause,
is corrected in any way by the Abbot or by any of his Superiors,
or if he faintly perceives
that the mind of any Superior is angered or moved against him,
however little,
let him at once, without delay,
prostrate himself on the ground at his feet
and lie there making satisfaction
until that emotion is quieted with a blessing.
But if anyone should disdain to do this,
let him undergo corporal punishment
or, if he is stubborn, let him be expelled from the monastery.
Insight for the Ages: A Commentary by Sr Joan Chittister
http://www.eriebenedictines.org/Pages/INSPIRATION/insights.html
Into a democratic country and a highly individualistic culture, into a society where personalism approaches the pathological and independence is raised to high art, the rule brings a chapter on listening and wisdom. The rule says that we are not our own teachers, not our own guides, not our own standard setters, not a law unto ourselves. In addition to the "officials" in our lives--the employers, the supervisors, the lawgivers and the police--we have to learn to learn from those around us who have gone the path before us and know the way. It is a chapter dedicated to making us see the elderly anew and our colleagues with awe and our companions with new respect. In a society that depends on reputation to such a degree that people build themselves up by tearing other people down, the chapter on mutual obedience turns the world awry. Monastic spirituality says that we are to honor one another. We are to listen to one another. We are to reach across boundaries and differences in this fragmented world and see in our differences distinctions of great merit that can mend a competitive, uncaring and foolish world.
The Tao teaches:
If you want to become whole,
let yourself be partial.
If you want to become straight,
let yourself be crooked.
If you want to become full,
let yourself be empty.
What monastic spirituality wants among us is respect and love, not excuses, not justification, not protests of innocence or cries of misunderstandings. The rule wants respect for the elder and love for the learner. The rule wants a human response to the mystery of misunderstanding--not stand-offs, not pouting, not rejection, not eternal alienation. The rule wants relationships that have been ruptured to be repaired, not by long, legal defenses but by clear and quick gestures of human sorrow and forgiveness. The question in the rule is not who is right and who is wrong. The question in the rule is who is offended and who is sorry, who is to apologize and who is to forgive. Quickly. Immediately. Now.
The rabbi of Sassov, the Hasidic masters tell us, once gave away the last money he had in his pocket to a man of ill repute who quickly squandered it all. The rabbi's disciples threw it up to him. He answered them: "Shall I be more finicky than God, who gave it to me?" What monastic spirituality teaches in this paragraph of the Rule is that we must all relate to one another knowing our own sinfulness and depending on the love we learn from one another.
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Dynamis http://groups.yahoo.com/group/orthodoxdynamis/
Dynamis is a daily Bible meditation based upon the lectionary of the Holy Orthodox Church.
Sat., Dec. 29, 2007 Orthodox Christians Who Died from Hunger,
Thirst, the Sword, & Freezing
3rd Vigil Nativity: Micah 4:6-7; 5:2-4 Epistle: 1 Timothy
6:11-16 Gospel: St. Matthew 12:15-21
A New Day: Micah 4:6-7; 5:2-4 LXX, especially vs. 7: "I will make her
that was bruised a remnant, and her that was rejected a mighty nation:
and the Lord shall reign over them in Mount Zion from henceforth, even
for ever." It is a curious role that God cast for His Prophets. They
appear to us today hazily, as figures behind a screen upon which God
broadly sketched His message. We rarely see much of them at all as they
utter, "saith the Lord" (vs. 6). The present Prophecy is from the Lord;
but it was first spoken to men by Micah, God's Prophet from Moresheth in
southern Judah sometime between 750 BC to 680 BC.
God spoke through His servant Micah concerning a future day. Look at
the wording: "In that day...I will gather...and will receive....And I
will make...and the Lord shall reign" (vss. 6,7). Ah, but that new day
has come! Christ is born! Glorify Him all the earth! Illumined by
grace of the Holy Spirit, the Prophet put voice to the Lord's forecast,
and reveals its import for the Church today. God's future moment is
upon "her that is bruised" (vs. 6), Who is now "gathered" into the
pasture of the Lord, Who is "beside the water of rest" and nurtured (Ps.
22:2 LXX). She was "cast out," seemingly "rejected" by the Lord (Mic.
4:6), but now is received at His table, filled from His cup, anointed
with oil, to dwell in His house (Ps. 22:5,6 LXX).
At the dawn of the new day, the Lord Jesus' Apostolic remnant was tiny,
"a brand plucked out of the fire" (Amos 4:11 LXX) by the firm hand of
the Lord. Today, the Church is a torch that burns, but is not
consumed. She gives saving light to all nations. Today, we are "a
mighty nation" (Mic. 4:7) within every nation, desiring to claim no land
of our own, but pleased to live before the final, end-time of the
Kingdom of God while the Lord reigns over us "from henceforth, even for
ever" within the Church that is called "Mount Zion" (vs. 7).
As the new day began, "with one accord in prayer and supplication with
the women and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with His brothers....the
number of names was [only] about a hundred and twenty" (Acts 1:14,15)!
Yet, look at us now, spread over every continent. Yes, we are not well
received in some nations, but at least we are known in every land. The
bruising, the casting out, and the rejection continue in every
generation - now here, now there. But in the Church it is all Christ
Jesus, gathering the bruised, upholding the rejected, extending His
reign over us in this new day, whenever we gather and wherever.
Those of us in the Church who reside in certain places, where at this
moment we are allowed to live relatively quiet and peaceful lives,
should realize that our respite is temporary. The norm for God's People
is bruising, casting out, and rejection. To realize what is the norm
for Christians in this present life is what makes this message of the
new day so special for Orthodox Christians now living under Islam, eking
out their existence in countries ravaged by, and still recovering from,
militant Marxist atheism, or clinging to each other in lands where
active warfare, bombing, sudden death, looting, rapine, and murder are
commonplace.
Perhaps your life is difficult while others beside you enjoy
prosperity. Then the message of this new day is especially for you as
you endure bruising, casting out, and rejection. Before His birth in
time, the Lord promised to address the diminishing conditions that mark
this fallen world. Then, He came as one of us, bruised, cast out, and
rejected; but trampling down these deaths by death. Now, His Body and
His Blood are for you, whoever you are, however you are hurting; for in
the Church, in Mt. Zion, He reigns, henceforth, now, and forever.
Christ is Born!
Be Thou entreated for the sake of the sufferings of Thy Saints which thy
endure for Thee, O Lord, and do Thou heal all our pains, we pray, O
Friend of Man!
Labels: 5th day of Christmas, meditation, Thomas Becket
posted by Gloriamarie Amalfitano @ 8:56 AM
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