Scripture

Oct292020

Epistle of Jude

But you must remember, beloved, the predictions of the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ; they said to you, “In the last time there will be scoffers, following their own ungodly passions.” It is these who set up divisions, worldly people, devoid of the Spirit. But you, beloved, build yourselves up on your most holy faith; pray in the Holy Spirit; keep yourselves in the love of God; wait for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life. And convince some, who doubt; save some, by snatching them out of the fire; on some have mercy with fear, hating even the garment spotted by the

Benediction

Now to him who is able to keep you from falling and to present you without blemish before the presence of his glory with rejoicing, to the only God, our Savior through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, dominion, and authority, before all time and now and forever. Amen.

Chapter 17-25

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Oct252020

Greatest Commandments

When the Pharisees heard that Jesus had silenced the Sadducees, they gathered together, and one of them, a scholar of the law tested him by asking, “Teacher, which commandment in the law is the greatest?” He said to him, “You shall love the Lord, your God, with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the greatest and the first commandment. The second is like it: You shall love your neighbor. Gospel of Matthew

The devil’s aim here must not be made light of, for he is trying to bring about a cooling of charity and love among the sisters, and if he could do this he would be working a great deal of harm. Let us realize, my daughters, that true perfection consists in the love of God and of our neighbour, and the more nearly perfect is our observance of these two commandments, the nearer to perfection we shall be. Our entire Rule and Constitutions are nothing but means which enable us to do this the more perfectly. Let us refrain from indiscreet zeal, which may do us great harm: let each one of you look to herself. As I have said a great deal to you about this elsewhere, I will not enlarge on it further.

This mutual love is so important for us that I should like you never to forget it; for if the soul goes about looking for trifling faults in others (which sometimes may not be imperfections at all, though perhaps our ignorance may lead us to make the worst of them) it may lose its own peace of mind and perhaps disturb that of others. See, then, how dearly perfection can be bought. The devil might also use this temptation in the case of a prioress, and then it would be more dangerous still. Much discretion is necessary here; for, if it were a question of her contravening the Rule and Constitutions, it would not always do to take a lenient view of the matter—she would have to be spoken to about it; and, if she did not then amend, the prelate would have to be told: to do this would be a charity. This would also apply to the sisters, where the fault was a grave one: to say nothing through fear that taking the matter up would be yielding to temptation would itself be to yield to temptation. However, to prevent deception by the devil, it should be strongly stressed that no sister must discuss such things with any other, for from this practice the devil can pluck great advantage and start habits of slander; these matters must be discussed, as I have said, only with the person whose concern they are. Here, glory be to God, we keep almost continuous silence, so that the opportunity does not arise; none the less, it is well that we should be on our guard. –St Teresa of Avila ‘Interior Castle’

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Sep242020

No new normal

Vanity of vanities, says Qoheleth,
vanity of vanities!  All things are vanity!
What profit has man from all the labor
which he toils at under the sun?
One generation passes and another comes,
but the world forever stays.
The sun rises and the sun goes down;
then it presses on to the place where it rises.
Blowing now toward the south, then toward the north,
the wind turns again and again, resuming its rounds.
All rivers go to the sea,
yet never does the sea become full.
To the place where they go,
the rivers keep on going.
All speech is labored;
there is nothing one can say.
The eye is not satisfied with seeing
nor is the ear satisfied with hearing.
What has been, that will be;
what has been done, that will be done.
Nothing is new under the sun.
Even the thing of which we say, “See, this is new!”
has already existed in the ages that preceded us.
There is no remembrance of the men of old;
nor of those to come will there be any remembrance
among those who come after them.

Ecclesiastes

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Sep172020

Wisdom undeniable

Brothers and sisters:
Strive eagerly
for the greatest spiritual gifts.

But I shall show you
a still more excellent way.

If I speak in human and angelic tongues
but do not have love,
I am a resounding gong or a clashing cymbal.
And if I have the gift of prophecy
and comprehend all mysteries and all knowledge;
if I have all faith so as to move mountains,
but do not have love,
I am nothing.
If I give away everything I own,
and if I hand my body over so that I may boast
but do not have love,
I gain nothing.

Love is patient,
love is kind.
It is not jealous,
Love is not pompous,
it is not inflated,
it is not rude,
it does not seek its own interests,
it is not quick-tempered,
it does not brood over injury,
it does not rejoice over wrongdoing
but rejoices with the truth.

Love bears all things,
believes all things,
hopes all things,
endures all things.
Love never fails.

If there are prophecies,
they will be brought to nothing;
if tongues, they will cease;
if knowledge, it will be brought to nothing.
For we know partially and we prophesy partially,
but when the perfect comes,
the partial will pass away.

When I was a child,
I used to talk as a child,
think as a child,
reason as a child;
when I became a man,
I put aside childish things.

At present we see indistinctly,
as in a mirror,
but then face to face.
At present I know partially;
then I shall know fully,
as I am fully known.
So faith, hope, love remain,
these three;
but the greatest of these is love.

Epistle of Paul: 1st Corinthians

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Sep112020

It Takes Time

Why did you show yourself?
To me, humble, unknown adored,
Awakening enduring devotion,
A heart murmur, an eruption,
Overflowing, passing forth,
Into welcoming stillness,
The continuation of a dream,
Attention, pacification, stupefication,
Heavenly winds gently caressing,
Your gown radiating grace,
Steadfast anchor within a hurricane,
Lifetime achievement, time, an end,
Fortitude, persevering, suffering,
A never ending upward glance,
Enchantment soothing into action,
Prayerful participation, fellowship,
A legion of warriors, charitable,
Happy for the arrival of a new day.

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Sep102020

Love over knowledge

Brothers and sisters:
Knowledge inflates with pride,
but love builds up.
If anyone supposes he knows something,
he does not yet know as he ought to know.
But if one loves God, one is known by him.

Epistle of Paul: 1st Corinthians

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Sep052020

Mother of Sorrows

But Mary kept all these words, pondering them in her heart.
……….
And his father and mother were wondering
at those things which were spoken concerning him.
And Simeon blessed them, and said to Mary his mother:
Behold this child is set for the fall,
and for the resurrection of many in Israel,
and for a sign which shall be contradicted;

And thy own soul a sword shall pierce,
that, out of many hearts, thoughts may be revealed.
……….
And all that heard him (Jesus) were astonished
at his wisdom and his answers.
And seeing him, they wondered.
And his mother said to him:
Son, why hast thou done so to us?
behold thy father and I have sought thee sorrowing.
And he said to them:
How is it that you sought me?
did you not know,
that I must be about my father’s business?
And they understood not the word that he spoke unto them.
And he went down with them, and came to Nazareth,
and was subject to them.
And his mother kept all these words in her heart.
And Jesus advanced in wisdom, and age, and grace with God and men.

Gospel of Luke: chapter 2

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