(Edited and republished from December 3, 2019)
Daily Office Readings for Tuesday of Week 1 of Advent: Year 2
Morning, Psalms 5 and 6; Evening, Psalms 10 and 11;
Amos 3:1 to 11; 2nd Peter1:12 to 21; Matthew 21:12 to 22:
“First of all you must understand this, that no prophecy of scripture is a matter of one’s own interpretation, because no prophecy ever came by human will, but men and women moved by the Holy Spirit spoke from God.” (2 Peter 1: 20 – 21)
This is one of the readings that I have read at our Education for Ministry (EfM) graduations. We have a Holy Eucharist with our graduation. We want the Holy Spirit to be present with us. After four years of study, graduating participants stand before the gathered community, some of whom are also graduates of EfM, and express what EfM has meant for them. It is always a moving experience.
A big component of EfM are the Theological Reflections. This is a time of deep pondering of what the Holy Spirit is really saying to us. The message of the Holy Spirit can be in accordance with the words of scripture or the words of scripture can be a catalyst for where the Spirit wants us to be. It is prophetic. And “no prophecy of scripture is a matter of one’s own interpretation, because no prophecy ever came by human will, but men and women moved by the Holy Spirit spoke from God.”
The Bible should be read within prayer. One’s reading of the Bible should be in the context of believing that God has made all things good (including us), and loves us more than we can imagine. In this way we will see, even words of war and wrath, in a merciful way. The prayer we pray will help us to see where God is in the readings. We should not pry into the Bible but rather pray into the Bible. If a person doesn’t pray into the Bible, he or she shouldn’t even bother reading the Bible. The prophetic message comes through the words in the Bible riding on the faith of the reader.
As we listen to what the Spirit is saying to us, let us live to love, to serve, and to teach, while pondering anew what the Almighty can do. John
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