Month: February 2021

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Daily Meditation – Not Ruin, But Restoration

“So, if God has not resolved to cast His work back into nothingness forever, if this earth, sanctified by the footsteps of Christ, is destined, once radiant and renewed, to remain forever, then man must rise again in a future life to reconquer its scepter and kingship. Hence, once more, it follows that death means not ruin but restoration. If God has decreed that our earthly abode shall one day be dissolved, it is not for the purpose of despoiling us of it, but to render it subtle, immortal, serene. His aim may be compared to that of an architect, says St. John Chrysostom, who has the inhabitants leave his house for a short period, in order to have him return with greater glory to that same house, now rebuilt in greater splendor.”—  Fr. Charles Arminjon, p. 84

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Daily Devotion – Your Reward

“I am coming soon, bringing my reward with me, to repay all according to their deeds. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End.” – Revelation 22:12-13 NLT

Each of us has been given 24 hours a day. And God has given each person different gifts and resources as well as unique opportunities to use those gifts. Every day, we must make choices about how we spend our time and what we do with our resources.

Many people make decisions primarily based on what seems important at the moment. They’re not concerned about the future but about what feels best right now.

How easily we forget that even if we solved every problem today, we would face new challenges tomorrow. While no moment of pleasure lasts forever, our actions have eternal consequences.

The Bible urges us to realize that our lives are like a vapor, a blink of an eye. Yet many people focus on this vapor and forget that today’s choices will impact them throughout their lives and into eternity.

Yes, we are saved by grace alone through faith. But the Bible reminds us that the choices we make here and now will help determine how we spend eternity.

Jesus said that when He comes again, He will bring His reward with Him. What rewards will He bring for you? You can help determine your rewards based on your decisions and actions today. Stay faithful to Him. Keep sowing seeds into His kingdom from your time, talents, and treasures. Remember, you will reap what you sow – in this life and into eternity.

Prayer

Father, give me Your perspective on my life. Help me to be faithful with the gifts You have given me. In Jesus’ name, amen.

Extended Reading

Revelation 22

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Minute Meditation – God Give You Peace

As I pilgrimed through Assisi that morning, the town began to waken. Street cleaners and sanitation workers began their day. Innkeepers opened their doors and parents sent their children off to school. As the silent morning morphed into a busy day in which other pilgrims and tourists would soon fill the streets, I remembered the greeting that characterized Francis’s encounters, “May God give you peace” as I quietly blessed each recently awakened passerby. And so, as we embark with Francis on our daily pilgrimages in mystical activism, I pray, “May God give you peace” on the path you travel, and may your adventures be plentiful as you bring peace and healing to this good earth. Francis encouraged his companions to greet everyone with “May God give you peace.” Let that blessing fill your day. Whether spoken or silent, bless everyone you meet. Pray that every encounter brings peace and healing to the world. Experience your kinship with all creation, blessing the human and nonhuman world, including those you are tempted to curse. A life of blessing joins us with all creation and enables us to claim our vocation as God’s beloved companions one moment at a time.

—from the book Walking with Francis of Assisi: From Privilege to Activism
by Bruce G. Epperly

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Saint of the Day – February 2nd

St. Brigid of Ireland (451–525 A.D.), also known as St. Brigit of Kildare, was born to a pagan Irish chieftain and a Christian slave mother. Being the daughter of a slave woman, she also was a slave, and worked as a dairy maid. She became known for her virtuous life and her charity to the poor.

Recognizing her great piety and special graces, a Christian king convinced her father to grant Brigid her freedom. Once free to follow her own course in life, St. Brigid refused marriage, consecrated herself to Christ, and became Ireland’s first nun. She also formed Ireland’s first convent at Kildare and became its abbess. She went on to found many other religious communities, as well as a School of Art famous for its metal working and illuminated manuscripts.

St. Brigid was known for her extraordinary spirituality, even converting her father to the faith after he witnessed her fashioning the sign of the cross from strands of rushes. She was also a contemporary and friend of St. Patrick. When she died, her sisters kept a fire burning in an enclosure at her Kildare convent. This fire burned for centuries, tended by the sisters and not burning out until the 13th century. It was later re-lit and burned for 400 more years until the Protestant revolt.

St. Brigid is the patroness of Ireland and many other causes, most notably of dairy and milk maids, chicken farmers, travelers, and sailors. Her feast day is February 1st.

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Meditation of the Day – Love Your Neighbor as Yourself

“Furthermore, let us produce worthy fruits of penance. Let us also love our neighbors as ourselves. Let us have charity and humility. Let us give alms because these cleanse our souls from the stains of sin. Men lose all the material things they leave behind them in this world, but they carry with them the reward of their charity and the alms they give. For these they will receive from the Lord the reward and recompense they deserve. We must not be wise and prudent according to the flesh. Rather we must be simple, humble and pure. We should never desire to be over others. Instead, we ought to be servants who are submissive to every human being for God’s sake. The Spirit of the Lord will rest on all who live in this way and persevere in it to the end. He will permanently dwell in them. They will be the Father’s children who do his work. They are the spouses, brothers and mothers of our Lord Jesus Christ.”— St. Francis of Assisi, p. 333