B
BarbaraTherese
Guest
I have extra time today and thought I would post the Readings and Meditation.
I really encourage others if they feel motivated to go ahead and post a Daily Reading and Meditation. Most of the time, I think anyway, that I will not have time to do so and especially once school is on my agenda again and also the Prayer Intentions Forum which is really important to me.
Today’s Gospel from St. John is a particularly beautiful reading.
The meditation is another beautiful reading and asks me not to dwell on the past and failings as this will bring with it a sense of despondancy, which state is the one that Satan likes best - to have us down in the dumps and edging on a certain despair. Rather I need see this new year of 2008 as a completely new beginning in every way - I am renewed!..and the past I can confidently and trustfully leave with The Cross and my Confessions and take up the reality of what The Cross and Confession actually means - that God has literally forgotten completely all those sins and failings and restored me totally to that state as if they had never occured in the first place. How The Father embraced fully and lovingly the dying request of His Son “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do” - and this total embracing of The Father is far more totally encompassing than any human forgiveness.
This is a truly astounding matter that I anyway cannot quite grasp in its fullness while investing in Dark Faith that it is actually so.
I think one of the reasons I cannot grasp the reality of The Cross and God’s Mercy in its fullness is because I am not at all like God’s Loving Mercy…I may be able to forgive but I just cannot forget. God does both!
Let us be full of gratitude and great praise of such a God as ours! Alleluia! Amen!
At times I am acutely aware of an abyss between who I am and what it means to be human … and Who God Is and Who He Is. The only thing that can bridge this abyss is Faith- the point where logic is literally stupified and stunned and Faith takes that leap of nonunderstanding in trust and confidence…often not at all felt yet takes the leap anyway.
Today’s Readings:
usccb.org/nab/123107.shtml
Gospel: “What came to be through him was life,
and this life was the light of the human race;
the light shines in the darkness,
and the darkness has not overcome it.”
wau.org/meditations/meditations.asp?month=12&day=31&year=2007&x=12&y=7
Meditation
“In the beginning . . .” (John 1:1)
Beginnings are such fascinating times. So much is fresh and new, and you still don’t know what the outcome will be. Today’s Gospel tells us that Jesus was with God at the beginning—and it also tells us that he is the beginning for all those baptized in his name. He has given us all the “power to become children of God” (John 1:12).
What a beautiful reading to contemplate as we stand on the cusp of a new year! As we cross into 2008, it can be tempting to remain stuck in 2007—especially in thinking about the failures and setbacks of the previous year. It can be tempting to reflect on the ways we could have loved someone more or put our lives in better order. But that only leads us to look at the coming year with a sense of despondency.
Don’t do it! God knows where you have fallen short this year. And he has already forgiven you. You may need to confess a few things, but it is even more important that you lay hold of the grace available to you in this new year—the grace of a new beginning—and face the future with faith and confidence. The devil is the one who wants us to remain fixated on our failings. But God is saying, “No. That time is over. Simply bring all these concerns to my cross so that I can comfort you and heal you.”
As the new year dawns, never forget that your God loves you deeply and passionately. He wants none of his children to miss out on his grace and on the marvelous blessings he has planned for this new year. So go ahead and say “yes” to whatever he wants to do in you. Let him transform you into a powerful witness of what it means to live in the victory and confidence that Jesus has won for you. It’s a new beginning, and that is always the most exciting time! “Jesus, I give my heart to you this day and commit my life to you for the coming year. May you find in me an open heart that says ‘yes’ to you all year long. Come, Lord, and fill me with your love, so that I can bring you to the world.”
I really encourage others if they feel motivated to go ahead and post a Daily Reading and Meditation. Most of the time, I think anyway, that I will not have time to do so and especially once school is on my agenda again and also the Prayer Intentions Forum which is really important to me.
Today’s Gospel from St. John is a particularly beautiful reading.
The meditation is another beautiful reading and asks me not to dwell on the past and failings as this will bring with it a sense of despondancy, which state is the one that Satan likes best - to have us down in the dumps and edging on a certain despair. Rather I need see this new year of 2008 as a completely new beginning in every way - I am renewed!..and the past I can confidently and trustfully leave with The Cross and my Confessions and take up the reality of what The Cross and Confession actually means - that God has literally forgotten completely all those sins and failings and restored me totally to that state as if they had never occured in the first place. How The Father embraced fully and lovingly the dying request of His Son “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do” - and this total embracing of The Father is far more totally encompassing than any human forgiveness.
This is a truly astounding matter that I anyway cannot quite grasp in its fullness while investing in Dark Faith that it is actually so.
I think one of the reasons I cannot grasp the reality of The Cross and God’s Mercy in its fullness is because I am not at all like God’s Loving Mercy…I may be able to forgive but I just cannot forget. God does both!
Let us be full of gratitude and great praise of such a God as ours! Alleluia! Amen!
At times I am acutely aware of an abyss between who I am and what it means to be human … and Who God Is and Who He Is. The only thing that can bridge this abyss is Faith- the point where logic is literally stupified and stunned and Faith takes that leap of nonunderstanding in trust and confidence…often not at all felt yet takes the leap anyway.
Today’s Readings:
usccb.org/nab/123107.shtml
Gospel: “What came to be through him was life,
and this life was the light of the human race;
the light shines in the darkness,
and the darkness has not overcome it.”
wau.org/meditations/meditations.asp?month=12&day=31&year=2007&x=12&y=7
Meditation
“In the beginning . . .” (John 1:1)
Beginnings are such fascinating times. So much is fresh and new, and you still don’t know what the outcome will be. Today’s Gospel tells us that Jesus was with God at the beginning—and it also tells us that he is the beginning for all those baptized in his name. He has given us all the “power to become children of God” (John 1:12).
What a beautiful reading to contemplate as we stand on the cusp of a new year! As we cross into 2008, it can be tempting to remain stuck in 2007—especially in thinking about the failures and setbacks of the previous year. It can be tempting to reflect on the ways we could have loved someone more or put our lives in better order. But that only leads us to look at the coming year with a sense of despondency.
Don’t do it! God knows where you have fallen short this year. And he has already forgiven you. You may need to confess a few things, but it is even more important that you lay hold of the grace available to you in this new year—the grace of a new beginning—and face the future with faith and confidence. The devil is the one who wants us to remain fixated on our failings. But God is saying, “No. That time is over. Simply bring all these concerns to my cross so that I can comfort you and heal you.”
As the new year dawns, never forget that your God loves you deeply and passionately. He wants none of his children to miss out on his grace and on the marvelous blessings he has planned for this new year. So go ahead and say “yes” to whatever he wants to do in you. Let him transform you into a powerful witness of what it means to live in the victory and confidence that Jesus has won for you. It’s a new beginning, and that is always the most exciting time! “Jesus, I give my heart to you this day and commit my life to you for the coming year. May you find in me an open heart that says ‘yes’ to you all year long. Come, Lord, and fill me with your love, so that I can bring you to the world.”
The Gospel and also the Meditation said much to me…
…it is now 9.59am on Tuesday 1st. January 2008 - Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God.