FOURTH WEDNESDAY OF LENT – James the Confessor, Bishop, 868
am: Ps 101, 109
pm: 119:121-144
Isaiah 26:21-27:9
1 Cor 12:1-11
John 5:17-30
FOURTH WEDNESDAY OF LENT – James the Confessor, Bishop, 868
LITURGICAL THEME FOR THE DAY: An 8th Century Saint of the Oriental Church, He was a monk of the Studion monastery in Constantinople, and a disciple of St Theodore the Studite. As a bishop he was severely persecuted by the iconoclasts in the time of the Emperor Constantine Copronymus, enduring hunger, imprisonment and mocking. Known for his steadfastness and piety, he reminds us of the importance of standing firm in the faith when ridicule comes our way.
MEDITATION OF THE DAY: In this very significant passage from St.Paul, he teaches with clarity that there are different kinds of gifts, different kinds of service, different kinds of workings but they all come from the same place. Namely, they come from God. There is an undoubted pointing to the Holy Trinity in these verses and what we notice is that the Holy Trinity gives gifts always to the same end. The gifts we receive do not come from different places and they do not come from a myriad of gods who are striving in competition with one another. The gifts we have come from the same God who works in cooperation with himself. All of these gifts are manifestations of God’s grace to us. All spiritual gifts, , are charismata, that is, grace gifts. In his mysterious way, God’s grace flows to us even in the gifts that he gives us to use for his own purposes in bringing glory to Jesus. If these gifts are gifts of grace to us, then it seems fair to conclude that their use should also be manifestations of God’s grace to others. How would you discern your gifts have been used as grace to others?
PRAYER OF THE DAY:Kindle in our hearts, O God, The flame of that love
which never ceases, that it may burn in us, giving light to others. May we shine forever in Thy holy temple. Set on fire with Thy eternal light, Even Thy son, Jesus Christ, Our Savior and Redeemer. Amen.
ANCIENT WISDOM/PRESENT GRACE: “ All of us can attain to Christian virtue and holiness, no matter in what condition of life we live and no matter what our life work may be”— St Francis de Sales
Lenten Discipline – Today would be a good inventory to asses how you are living your faith in accord with you gifts. If you are not clear on what your gifts are go to http://mintools.com/spiritual-gifts-test.htm and participate in the inventory to begin the process.