Daily Office Readings for Thursday of the 4th Week of Easter: Year 2
Morning, Psalm 50; Evening, Psalm 60;
Exodus 34:1 to 17; 1st Thessalonians 2:13 to 20; Matthew 5:21to 26:
“We also constantly give thanks to God for this, that when you received the word of God that you heard from us, you accepted it not as a human word but as what it really is, God’s word, which is also at work in you believers.” (1 Thessalonians 2:3)
We are the vessels of the Word of God! God speaks of love. That means we, as we carry out the word of God, we present love in word and deed to all whom we encounter. We are the cup of Christ. This is the Baptism that brought us into the Christian faith.
Please remember and fully accept that, “In the beginning was the Word.” The Word came to us for hearing and believing. Many times I have said that we are people of stories. God is in your story no matter who you are. You are God’s own. Therefore, God’s Self is in you. I give thanks for you knowing and believing that you are continuing the Word of God by telling your own truths about how God has acted, and is acting, in your life. Thank You Jesus.
Yes, we are human. But we are also God’s Word. This Word of God is at work in each of us whether we acknowledge it or not. Just as our Lord Jesus is the Word of God, so too are we the Word of God being made in the Image of God and therefore brothers and sisters of Christ Jesus.
This relationship does not stop with us. The people of Ukraine are also our brothers and sisters in Christ. They are made up of both Christians and Jews who fully accept God, albeit on different paths. Let us also constantly give thanks to God for this, that when they received the Word of God, that they heard from their faith leaders, they accepted it not as a human word but as what it really is, God’s Word, which is also at work in them as believers. Their trust is in the same God Almighty that we also trust in and worship. There is only one God Who loves Ukrainians, Russians, Americans, Africans, Europeans, Asians, and every nation, people and language that walks this planet. And for this we also should constantly give thanks to our One God for this.
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
onewhoponders 