Daily Office Readings for Saturday following the 1st Sunday of Advent: Year 2
Morning, Psalms 20 and 21:1 to 7; Evening, Psalms 110:1 to 5 and Psalms 116 and 117;
Amos 5:18 to 27; Jude 17 to 25; Matthew 22:15 to 22:
“It is these worldly people, devoid of the Spirit, who are causing divisions. But you, beloved, build yourselves up on your most holy faith; pray in the Holy Spirit; keep yourselves in the love of God; look forward to the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ that leads toeternal life:” (Jude 19 to 21).
I believe every human being has the Spirit of God in them, but many do not rely on it. I think this is what Jude means when he talks about worldly people devoid of the Spirit. He goes on the say that such worldly people cause division among us. And to this I add laziness and blaming others for all the bad that happens to us is easy and infectious and makes us feel that we are not responsible for the way we are, how we feel, or what we say and do.
Jude continues, “But you, beloved, build yourselves up on your most holy faith.” Having and relying on our faith is so important. With our faith we strive to see our Lord Jesus in all people. The good knowledge we have is that we can, and should, look for our Lord Jesus even in people who do not profess Christianity as well as those who do. See if you can discover a Christ-like quality in a non Church-person or someone who is of a faith other than Christianity, or even no professed faith at all. If you do see a loving Jesus quality in such a person you can always say (to yourself) “That’s awfully Jesus of you.” Just don’t say it out loud. Remember it is you who are looking for our Lord Jesus in the other, not them. I’m thinking they have him and don’t know it. So let your faith be the search for our Lord Jesus in others regardless of what they may, or may not, believe.
Finally, Jude says to “pray in the Holy Spirit.” Remember that when you pray you are responding to God who is already praying, you are not initiating the prayer. God has already done that. All any of us has to do is just relax and let the Holy Spirit pray through us. “Oh what a relief it is.”
Please keep up your thoughts and prayers and hopes for Ukraine and Russia, Israel and Palestine, 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 