Daily Meditation - Saturday 8th. March 2008 - HUMBLE AND RECEPTIVE HEARTS

[BarbaraTherese]

If anyone finds the way I break up the meditation into ‘highlights’ if it is annoying, if you let me know…I will desist!

DAILY MASS READINGS
usccb.org/nab/readings/030808.shtml

Meditation
wau.org/meditations/meditations.asp?month=03&day=08&year=2008&x=13&y=2

Never before has anyone spoken like this one. (John 7:46)

Have you ever tried to argue with someone in uniform? You may have noticed that soldiers and policemen are not easily swayed. They have a job to do and they do it. But the Temple guards who were sent to arrest Jesus were stopped in their tracks. Perhaps for the first time in their lives, they heard the truth. They didn’t know who this rabbi was, but they knew that his message was for real. They sensed that they were d***ealing with a higher authority! ***

Unfortunately, their superiors wouldn’t buy it. They knew what the truth was, and besides, if they listened to Jesus, they might have to admit they were wrong!

The humble words of these streetwise soldiers didn’t move them. Even Nicodemus, who was one of their own, couldn’t convince them. What was the result? An innocent man, the Son of God, was put to death on trumped-up charges. How astounding that these men could be so blind!

Who among us hasn’t closed our ears to the truth at times?

Perhaps a friend told us something we needed to hear, but we were blinded by our preconceptions and expectations.

Perhaps we’ve been so resentful or envious of someone that we couldn’t hear what they were saying to us. Or maybe we’ve met someone a little different, only to “kill”

them with our prejudice and self-righteousness.

Whenever we place too much confidence in ourselves
it’s hard
to recognize our mistakes.

No one likes to face up to their sins and failings. But such self-evaluations are not meant to discourage us;

they should build us up. When we let the light of the Holy Spirit shine into the dark places of our lives, we can come to grips with our weaknesses and repent.*** And that’s when the healing comes.*** We just need to ask God to give us humble, receptive hearts. Then we will be able to see Jesus clearly and receive the abundant life he offers us.

No matter what stage you are at in your walk with the Lord, he has more to give you. Are you ready to accept it?

“Come, Holy Spirit!

No one has ever spoken like Jesus—please open my heart
and my mind.
Give me the wisdom to understand his words of truth and life.”

 

[Called_to_Serve]

I’m not sure how you do things on the Daily Meditation threads. This is my first time here. This is a wonderful thread BTW.

The reflection which stands out is “whenever we place too much confidence in ourselves it’s hard to recognize our mistakes.” If we look @ the Psalm for the day we see that without God to redeem us, Satan will take the opportunity to seize our souls. St. Robert Bellarmine said In his Commentary on the Book of Psalms “David knew that all human industry, without God, was (is) of no avail.” We must first recognize our mistakes and our reliance on God for redemption.

 

[BarbaraTherese]

I’m not sure how you do things on the Daily Meditation threads. This is my first time here. This is a wonderful thread BTW.

The reflection which stands out is “whenever we place too much confidence in ourselves it’s hard to recognize our mistakes.” If we look @ the Psalm for the day we see that without God to redeem us, Satan will take the opportunity to seize our souls. St. Robert Bellarmine said In his Commentary on the Book of Psalms “David knew that all human industry, without God, was (is) of no avail.” We must first recognize our mistakes and our reliance on God for redemption.

Hi there Called to Serve…Welcome to Catholic Answers:tiphat: and I hope you will find it a rewarding experience! I sure have and have been affirmed and encouraged and also challenged …all in all it has been a real growth experience for me - a community experience.
These “Daily Meditation Threads” are nothing official on Catholic Answers, I have just taken on posting them daily and if anyone has any thoughts or comments, or even challenges, questions - they are very welcome indeed. So post away wherever and however you do feel inspired.

Thank you for sharing your very welcome thoughts…it reminds me of a line from a Psalm “give success to the work of our hands” which of course is asking God’s Grace on our efforts and grant them success. Honor, glory and appreciation is never ours, it always belongs to God and His Grace. In the ways of the world it is the person who has succceeded and attained, but in the ways of The Lord/spirituality our eyes and hearts are opened to the Truth and Reality: it is God and His Grace that is victorious and which has succeeded and attained. My dear Dad used to say if anyone thanked him : “Dont thank me, thank The Lord”…this had impact on me, though I long pondered it before I connected it up to our theology and what he was intrinsically saying - and always in a most offhand type of manner.
The other point you had made is a really good one I thought. Recognizing and knowing our faults, failings, mistakes and sins should never discourage us. It affirms what Jesus has told us and that is that we are sinners, but loved sinners and if we ask forgiven sinners. To ask for forgiveness, I need to recognize that I do indeed need it. One of the weapons that Satan uses is that in the face of our own weakness and failures and our recognition of them is to trigger despondancy and discouragement - there is no need at all for this. Always the surprise is not that we are indeed very weak and often fail and sometimes badly…surprise rather is justified when we do succeed in some way and then all gratitude and thanksgiving, victory, is to The Lord and His Grace.
I need to ask and hope for a heart that is receptive and humble as the meditaiton points out. During our Easter ceremonies and also in the Divine Office we hear “I will take your hearts of stone and give you a heart of flesh”…and the Introductory Antiphon in the Divine Office for Lent: “If today you hear His Voice, hearden not your hearts”
Thank you again for your (name removed by moderator)ut and sharing which raised some excellent points, and another welcome to these Forums.............Blessings this coming to a close Lent...............Barb:)