Sunday-Ps.86 appears today. It is a psalm that bears marks of a courtier who praises to gain a hearing. At the same time, it is a desperate prayer of need and longing. It wants more than divine presence,as it pleads for hte divine hand to change a situation. Our main reading for today was Hagar in Gen. 21, Surely this could be her prayer too, and for anyone in a depserate plight. When do you enegage is such prayer?
Monday-“"Prayer does not demand that we interrupt our work, but that we continue working as if it were a prayer." Mother Teresa (1910-1997)
Tuesday-God not only loves me as I am, but also knows me as I am. Because of this I don't need to apply spiritual cosmetics to make myself presentable to Him. I can accept ownership of my poverty and powerlessness and neediness.”- Brennan Manning
Wednesday-Brother Lawrence in The Practice of the Presence of God, the classic little book of his letters, recommends you begin each outward action with "a little interior gaze." He also says to repeat this little interior gaze often during the task and again after completing the task. What is this little interior gaze? Call it mindfulness or attentiveness to the sacred presence in the most ordinary or intense work. I often repeat key lines of my poem below after presenting a retreat or teaching a class.-Kent Ira Groff
Thursday-Jesus leaves the disciples with a commission to go into the world, but promises to be with them through the end of the age. The letter to the church in Corinthians ends with instructions about conduct and behavior that will help that community follow Jesus in the absence of Paul's presence with them. The life of the Christian is full of endings and goodbyes. Yet the message of the Resurrection is that every ending, every goodbye, really ends with "till we meet ... till we meet at Jesus' feet." The promise of that meeting sustains and strengthens us through the variety of changes and farewells that occur in our lives. Michelle Collins
Friday-We Christians really have no other claim to make than that we're forgiven sinners. So, it isn't surprising to find hypocrites among us, or, perhaps more accurately, to find hypocrisy in us, along with a lot of other sins. Hypocrisy is, after all, just another garden variety of sin, and a pretty puny, pallid, timid, sorry excuse for a sin it is. Lest we let ourselves off the hook too easily, we should take note of the stumbling block hypocrisy can be, keeping other people who may be drawn by God's Spirit at a distance simply because they don't want to associate with ... well ... us. Michael Jinkins
Saturday-God knows these boundaries better than we. And God knows the damage that is done when people apply the wrong principle to the wrong decision. Prayer is the common denominator in decisions that require transparency and decisions that require discretion. When I am honest with God, God will give me the wisdom to navigate my way through the gray area where transparency and discretion coexist. This gray area is the church. Dear God, give me the wisdom to know when to speak openly and when to remain silent, when to reveal and when to conceal, when to share and when to keep things to myself. Amen.Jeff Gross
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