Daily Office Readings for Saturday of the 7th Week of Easter: Year 1
Morning, Psalm 107:33 to 108:6; Ezekiel 43:1 to 12; Hebrews 9:1 to 14; Luke 11:14 to 23;
Eve of Pentecost: Psalm 33; Exodus 19:3 to 8 and 16 to 20; 1st Pet. 2:4 to 10;
“Now therefore, if you obey my voice and keep my covenant, you shall be my treasured possession out of all the peoples. Indeed, the whole earth is mine, but you shall be for me a priestly kingdom and a holy nation. These are the words that you shall speak to the Israelites:” (Exodus 19: 5 and 6).
These are some of the words we read for the Eve of Pentecost, which tomorrow is Pentecost, the Day we remember as the Day the Holy Spirit descended upon us to be with us and guide us.
The Holy Spirit can be heard as the Voice of God speaking in our hearts and minds. This Voice is heard by our souls. Our souls are in dialogue with God. Then our souls try to lead us, if we will listen and heed its guidance.
The whole world, and all the people that walk the earth, belong to God, but too few believe, or follow the connection that our souls make with God. For those of us who do, we are a priestly kingdom and a holy nation. The path to becoming a part this kingdom and holy nation, is believing. Believing in God and what God wants of us, changes the way we live our lives.
We are commanded to love God and then to love our neighbor. It has to be in that order. If not, we tend to put God on the back burner. But it is only through God that we have our very existence; the One in whom we live and move and have our being. If we didn’t exist we couldn’t love at all. But please know this: God is God even if we never existed. So let’s be thankful, trusting and loving: thankful to be here, trusting that God wants what’s best for us and loving back to God and all who God has made, including yourself.
My own personal creed is: “I Trust in the Creating Word through the Holy Spirit of the Incarnate Word, in whom we live and move and love and have our being, and to whom we must give an account.” What do you believe? Write a short statement about what you truly believe. It may evolve over time. Don’t be afraid to capture your faith in your own words. You don’t have to share it. But it’s a start in your own spiritual development. Do you believe in God? What path to God are you on? Go ahead, write something down. Then, revisit it from time to time and examine how you have moved, or not
Please keep up your thoughts and prayers and hopes for Ukraine, Russia, and our schools.
As we listen to what the Spirit of God is saying to us, let us live to love and serve, and to teach others to love and serve, while pondering anew what the Almighty can do. John
onewhoponders 