It seems only reasonable to follow reading
Luke’s Gospel by reading his historical account of the growth of the newborn
Church as part of a holy hour.
Last night we read the 5th chapter.
There
is no way to avoid the collision; either when reading Scripture or reading the
Rule.
This is likely one of the primary reasons why people simply do not
read the Scriptures or the Rule as lectio divina – they are both [by virtue of their
inspiration] masters at revealing our inadequacies and inconsistencies. They
wrestle control of our lives out of our hands. They make all too obvious the
inconsistencies between our talk and our walk.
It is easy to talk a good line.
Walking it?
And every day in the temple and at home they did not cease to
teach and proclaim Jesus as the Messiah. [Acts 5:42]
Every day.
In public.
In private.
Where does my walk fall short of my talk?
Does my life truly resemble the lives of those
early ones or have I relegated them to some sort of special historical status
that removes me from measuring my life by theirs?
Do I really love the Lord
God with the whole heart, the whole soul, the whole strength?
Only
in discovering what this whole heart, whole soul, whole strength toward
God thing is about can I possibly escape my own ego and love myself without succumbing
to the lust of the flesh, lust of the eyes, and the pride of life [1 John
2:16]. How can I truly love myself
[and my neighbor] when I am yet so full of my own ego?
End Note:
A heartfelt thank you to all who stop by to read these Oblate Reflections and Hermitage Notes. You are truly appreciated. It is my hope and prayer that you discover something in these Reflections and Notes that encourages you in your own process of conversatio morum; in your own process of conversion of life.
Pray for me as I endeavor to yield this self of mine to the unselfishness of Christ.
And, in closing out 2019, I am reminded of Saint Benedict's counsel that says, If you notice something good in yourself, give credit to God, not to yourself, but be certain that the evil you commit is always your own and yours to acknowledge. [Holy Rule 4:42-43]
2020 is going to be a great year of growing in grace.
PAX
Your brother,
David
Agree David. I too want to grow in grace and stature and wisdom and everything that Jesus went home to do with his family. Every day we begin again.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Joanne, for stopping by. Deo Gratias. I will include you in my prayers.
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