Dear Lord God, how St. Vincent teaches us about the proud man who did good works but lack humility thinking his looks, works were all his doing was declared evil; yet the humble sinner conscious of his quilt was justified because he was lowly in heart. O how mush we have to learn, O how far I still have to go; practicing a walk with You present aware of Your grace and mercy, thankful in all that You would forgive and love someone like me. Not that I am the worst, but nor am I not. For it is true but for Your grace I am what I am, Your child a sinner seeking to repent, looking to be one with You.
How Solomon teaches us about wisdom his mistress, how she was Your first creation present from the beginning part of each of us but only found by those willing to sacrifice and pay the price; a secret treasure to be sought by all, but obtained by a select few and even then elusive if not nurtured by You and seen through Your eyes, spoken with Your words, discerned by Your heart. O Lord God I know I have been a poor steward of the gifts and blessings You have given, I know I allow myself to trip me up and take me down the wrong paths, but even Solomon stumbled and fell, failing to heed Your words after You had given him the woman he desired most. Is she truly like the other treasures under the sun, corrupting those that find her. Only You know my Lord God, in all I know is that she will only be mine if You see fit to bless me with her; if it is Your will for me, if it enables me to fulfill Your purpose for me.
How blessed I am to be able to meditate on these readings today, to read them over and over, to know that through the Holy Spirit is helping me discern their meaning for me, and that this is likely different for each of my brother and sister believers. For just as we are the same, we are different and through the Spirit You work within me and those You seek You and know that Jesus is the door to You, a door that we must open if we are to let Him into our hearts so the Spirit can do Your work. O Lord God there is so much to think of, so much to know. Is this why Jesus tells us to be like young children, not thinking, not asking to know, just accepting, just believing with all the love, faith and hope that only a child can give with out questions.
O Lord thank You for these words today, for this time, for Your Son Jesus, My Lord and for giving Him the Spirit to give to me.
What, on the other hand, was the lot of the Pharisee? Here was a man praying, fasting and doing many good works, and in spite of all that he was censured by God. Why was this? Simply because he prided himself on his good works, and took satisfaction out of them as though they were of his own doing. Here we see a just man lacking humility and declared evil, and a sinner, conscious of his guilt and moved to a real sense of humility, justified because of his lowliness of heart.
— St Vincent de Paul
Proverbs 8:22-31
22 The LORD created me at the beginning of his work, the first of his acts of old. 23 Ages ago I was set up, at the first, before the beginning of the earth. 24 When there were no depths I was brought forth, when there were no springs abounding with water. 25 Before the mountains had been shaped, before the hills, I was brought forth; 26 before he had made the earth with its fields, or the first of the dust of the world. 27 When he established the heavens, I was there, when he drew a circle on the face of the deep, 28 when he made firm the skies above, when he established the fountains of the deep, 29 when he assigned to the sea its limit, so that the waters might not transgress his command, when he marked out the foundations of the earth, 30 then I was beside him, like a master workman; and I was daily his delight, rejoicing before him always, 31 rejoicing in his inhabited world and delighting in the sons of men.
Bible Study: [1-36] Wisdom is here personified as in Proverb 1:20-33, to confirm the words of the teacher of wisdom. She exalts her grandeur and origin, and invites all (Proverb 8:1-11) to be attentive to her salutary influence in human society (Proverb 8:12-21), for she was privileged to be present at the creation of the world (Proverb 8:22-31). Finally, she promises life and the favor of God to those who find her, death to those who despise her. [22-31] Wisdom is of divine origin. It is here represented as a being which existed before all things (Proverb 8:22-26) and concurred with God when he planned and executed the creation of the universe, adorned it with beauty and variety, and established its wonderful order (Proverb 8:27-30). Here that plurality of divine Persons is foreshadowed which was afterward to be fully revealed when Wisdom in the Person of Jesus Christ became incarnate. [23] Poured forth: the exact meaning of the Hebrew is uncertain; the expression must imply the equivalent of "born." The Hebrews liken the movement of air and of spirit to that of liquids. [24-26] The formless mass from which God created the heavens and the earth; cf Genesis 1:1-2; 2:4-6. [30] His craftsman: furnishing God with the plan, as it were, for the creation of all things; cf Job 38:1-2; Wisdom 7:22-8:1. I was his delight: the ever-present object of God’s complacency.
Psalm 8:4-9
4 what is man that thou art mindful of him, and the son of man that thou dost care for him? 5 Yet thou hast made him little less than God, and dost crown him with glory and honor. 6 Thou hast given him dominion over the works of thy hands; thou hast put all things under his feet, 7 all sheep and oxen, and also the beasts of the field, 8 the birds of the air, and the fish of the sea, whatever passes along the paths of the sea. 9 O LORD, our Lord, how majestic is thy name in all the earth!
Bible Study: Of David – [Psalm 8] While marveling at the limitless grandeur of God (Psalm 8:2-3), the psalmist is struck first by the smallness of human beings in creation (Psalm 8:4-5), and then by the royal dignity and power that God has graciously bestowed upon them (Psalm 8:6-9). [1] Upon the gittith: probably the title of the melody to which the psalm was to be sung or a musical instrument. [3] Babes and infants: the text is obscure. Some join this line to the last line of Psalm 8:2 (itself obscure) to read: "(you) whose majesty is exalted above the heavens / by the mouths of babes and infants." Drawn a defense: some prefer the Septuagint’s "fashioned praise," which is quoted in Matthew 21:16. Enemy and avenger: probably cosmic enemies. The primeval powers of watery chaos are often personified in poetic texts (Psalm 74:13-14; 89:11; Job 9:13; 26:12-13; Isaiah 51,9). [5] Humans . . . mere mortals: literally, "(mortal) person". . . "son of man (in sense of a human being, Hebrew ‘adam)." The emphasis is on the fragility and mortality of human beings to whom God has given great dignity. [6] Little less than a god: Hebrew ‘elohim, the ordinary word for "God" or "the gods" or members of the heavenly court. The Greek version translated ‘elohim by "angel, messenger"; several ancient and modern versions so translate. The meaning seems to be that God created human beings almost at the level of the beings in the heavenly world. Hebrews 2:9 finds the eminent fulfillment of this verse in Jesus Christ, who was humbled before being glorified. Cf also 1 Cor 15:27 where St. Paul applies to Christ the closing words of Psalm 8:7.
Romans 5:1-5
1 Therefore, since we are justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. 2 Through him we have obtained access to this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in our hope of sharing the glory of God. 3 More than that, we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, 4 and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, 5 and hope does not disappoint us, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit which has been given to us.
Bible Study: [1-11] Popular piety frequently construed reverses and troubles as punishment for sin; cf John 9:2. Paul therefore assures believers that God’s justifying action in Jesus Christ is a declaration of peace. The crucifixion of Jesus Christ displays God’s initiative in certifying humanity for unimpeded access into the divine presence. Reconciliation is God’s gift of pardon to the entire human race. Through faith one benefits personally from this pardon or, in Paul’s term, is justified. The ultimate aim of God is to liberate believers from the pre-Christian self as described in Romans 1-3. Since this liberation will first find completion in the believer’s resurrection, salvation is described as future in Romans 5:10. Because this fullness of salvation belongs to the future it is called the Christian hope. Paul’s Greek term for hope does not, however, suggest a note of uncertainty, to the effect: "I wonder whether God really means it." Rather, God’s promise in the gospel fills believers with expectation and anticipation for the climactic gift of unalloyed commitment in the holy Spirit to the performance of the will of God. The persecutions that attend Christian commitment are to teach believers patience and to strengthen this hope, which will not disappoint them because the holy Spirit dwells in their hearts and imbues them with God’s love (Romans 5:5).
John 16:12-15
12 "I have yet many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. 13 When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth; for he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears he will speak, and he will declare to you the things that are to come. 14 He will glorify me, for he will take what is mine and declare it to you. 15 All that the Father has is mine; therefore I said that he will take what is mine and declare it to you.
Bible Study: [13] Declare to you the things that are coming: not a reference to new predictions about the future, but interpretation of what has already occurred or been said.
/ raangulo
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