Thursday of the Tenth Week in Ordinary Time(Click here for readings)
Jesus said his disciples: "I tell you, unless your righteousness surpasses that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will not enter into the Kingdom of heaven."
Taking the high road. So what is this righteousness? What must I do in order to surpass the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees? Answer: I must do what the Lord has done. I must take the initiative and seek reconciliation.
This is the high road (righteousness), especially when I know I am right! :)
Christ came into the world to save, not to destroy. He came to love, not to gloat. He came to forgive, not to condemn. He came show us the way, not to keep it a mystery.
Each morning we begin. A new day as dawned. A new me has risen. Today does not need to be like yesterday. I can right a wrong. I can make a correction. I can fix a fault. I can reach out a little further. I can show a little bit more compassion and love. I can speak a little less. I can listen a little more. I can be much slower to judge and much faster to help.
This is the life of a hard working Christian. This is the vision of an early morning saint. Every day is another opportunity to growth.
As St. Paul once wrote: "Whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is gracious, if there is any excellence and if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things" (cf. Phil 4:8).
What a wonderful thought. I plan on reading this scripture verse every morning during the summer months.
What is your early morning read?
My early morning read is typically the Morning Prayer from the Divine Office. I use the iBrievary app which also includes the readings of the day. Then, I'll check out the Magnificat meditation of the day. As I've grown in my faith, I've grown to appreciate the Liturgy of the Hours on a dynamic level. We are so blessed at St. Joseph to read the hours before each daily mass. I wish more parishes adopted this practice.
ReplyDelete-J.
Father:
ReplyDeleteI like your morning verse. My early morning contemplation is actually the prayer that the priest prays during mass.
By the mystery of this water and wine, may we come to share in the divinity of Christ, who humbled himself to share in our humanity.
Why?
1. Having the privilege of going to daily mass is awesome. We are so fortunate to worship freely I our country. I have been walking to mass through beautiful country each morning on vacation which makes it all the more special! Being able to receive Eucharist in different churches helps me to appreciate the transcendence of Christ and the universality of our faith.
2. God is a mystery and I love that I can't understand Him. I think it was Aquinas said if we understand God, then it's not God.
3. This prayer reminds me that God is God, and I am not (thank goodness!)
4. Humility is the path to holiness. I appreciate you hammering that in in the meditations. It's really helped me.