1) The reading Deuteronomy 4:39-40a- "Know and fix in your heart, that the Lord is God in the heavens above and on earth below, and that there is no other. You must keep his statutes and commandments which I enjoin on you today."
2) The prayer: "Father,
keep in mind your holy covenant,
sealed with the blood of the Lamb.
Forgive the sins of your people
and let this new day bring us closer to salvation."
Photograph used under a Creative Common License
Last night a friend posted something on FB, something to which we can all easily relate: that every day is a beautiful day until someone comes along and screws it up. I responded with something that surprised me: No one can screw up beauty. It really did surprise me because my initial impulse was "Yeah, I know what you're talking about!" So, I am not being smug or superior.So, it is true that every day is a beautiful day, it is all the more beautiful for the challenges we face, the people and circumstances we encounter. It is all a gift, the gift not only of life, but my life, where Christ comes to meet me, my path for today toward my destiny, the specific means used by God, our loving Father, to bring me closer to salvation. So, it is not a question of screwing up beauty, neither is it a problem recognizing beauty, it is delving into experience and not stopping at the mere observation of beauty, but knowing who is the cause of beauty, Beauty itself.
Even writing this is strange because I awoke this morning very down about a couple of things; one is not a big thing at all, the other a big thing, but not terribly crucial right now. I am thankful that I recognize in these the seeds of something great Christ is doing. It remains to be seen how these seeds will blossom, but I move forward in the certainty that they will.
Veni Sancti Spiritus, veni per Mariam.