Daily Office Readings for Tuesday of Proper 6: Year 1
Morning, Psalm 78:1 to 39; Evening, Psalm 78:40 to 72;
1st Samuel 1:21 to 2:11; Acts 1:15 to 26; Luke 20:19 to 26:
“So they watched him and sent spies who pretended to be honest, in order to trap him by what he said, so as to hand him over to the jurisdiction and authority of the governor. So they asked him, ‘Teacher, we know that you are right in what you say and teach, and you show deference to no one, but teach the way of God in accordance with truth. Is it lawful for us to pay taxes to the emperor, or not?’ But he perceived their craftiness and said to them, ‘Show me a denarius. Whose head and whose title does it bear?’ They said, ‘The emperor’s.’ He said to them, ‘Then give to the emperor the things that are the emperor’s, and to God the things that are God’s:” (Luke 20: 20 to 25)
My history sources inform me that the use of coin money predates the appearance of our Lord Jesus by about five thousand years, that is, about the year five thousand B.C. There were, and are good reasons for money. Foods and other needed products have short shelf lives. Coin money maintained its serviceability for a long time, but not forever. Money quickly became the great tool for the establishment of the rich and the poor – the haves and the have-nots. Money worked its way into our relationship with God, albeit without God’s approval. God does not want our money. God wants our hearts, our love. Love then is what we should give to God. Even metal or plastic money is not eternal; but love is. Thank You Lord Jesus.
Today we remember Evelyn Underhill: Theologian and Mystic (15 JUNE 1941)
“Evelyn Underhill’s most valuable contribution to spiritual literature must surely be her conviction that the mystical life is not only open to a saintly few, but to anyone who cares to nurture it and weave it into everyday experience, and also (at the time, a startling idea) that modern psychological theories and discoveries, far from hindering or negating spirituality, can actually enhance and transform it. Evelyn Underhill’s writings proved appealing to many, resulting in a large international circle of friends and disciples, making her much in demand as a lecturer and retreat director. She died, at age 65, in London on June 15, 1941”; (Great Cloud of Witnesses for June 15). I thank you Lord Jesus for Evelyn Underhill among us.
Let us live in order that we might love, rather than just live to live, listening to what the Spirit is saying to, and through, the saints of God, while pondering anew what the Almighty can do. John
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