Daily Office Readings for Tuesday of the 5th Week of Epiphany: Year 1
AM Psalm 78:1to39; PM Psalm 78:40to72;
Isaiah 59:1to15a; 2 Timothy 1:1to14; Mark 9:42to50
“Guard the good treasure entrusted to you, with the help of the Holy Spirit living in us.” (2nd Timothy 1:14)
Yes, the Holy Spirit is truly living in us. However, the Holy Spirit is like many of the TV stations we pay for, but never tune into. There is so much valuable leadership, coaching and guidance within the Holy Spirit if we would just listen to, and heed it. But no, too many of us would rather tune into the rhetoric of social media and the often les than honorable inclinations of the world. How sad.
We truly have a hidden treasure entrusted in us. We are invited to be “children” of our Creator. And there is a piece of the Creator within each of us. With our piece of the Creator we can stop our fighting and bickering with each other and live in harmony with one another as God intends for us.
As we go forward let us find ways to calm one another down. As we are able, let us not take statements personally, (even when they are). It may be that it is the role of The Christian Church to turn the world into a more hospitable place, despite our sad history of violence. In this way our Church would go through a conversion as Paul himself did. Remember, he turned from one who persecuted the Church to one who grew the Church through evangelism outside of Israel.
We have that treasured Holy Spirit in ourselves. Being a calming presence is contagious. Try it. Try permitting silence to happen when in a group. Take notice of the nervousness people have when no one is speaking. Don’t be led to believe that you have to be the same. “Guard the good treasure entrusted to you, with the help of the Holy Spirit living in us.”
Let us hear what the Spirit is saying to, and through, the saints of God, and then ponder anew what the Almighty can do. John
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