Friday, December 08, 2006

By the footsteps of the poor December 7

For the LORD is an eternal Rock. He humbles those in high places, and the lofty city he brings down. Isaiah 26:4-5

It is better to take refuge in the LORD than to trust in man. It is better to take refuge in the LORD than to trust in princes. Psalm 118:8-9

Everyone who listens to these words of mine and acts on them will be like a wise man who built his house on rock. The rain fell, the floods came, and the winds blew and buffeted the house. But it did not collapse; it had been set solidly on rock. Matthew 7:24-25

Piety

Let us pray: Jesus, help us to put our full faith and trust in you. Give us the humility that people with great wealth and power need not to be swayed by the riches we enjoy. Help to always hear the footsteps of the poor and follow you through them, to a closer relationship with God. Amen.

Study
http://www.usccb.org/nab/120706.shtml

“There is only do or do not.”

Today we have another passage which contributes to the discussions of faith and works. For me, there is no tension. Faith and works are different sides of the same equation. Works without faith is social work…a noble profession but lacking in any faith dimension. Faith without works is the subject of today’s Gospel.

When and where the two join forces in the Church and the Kingdom of God, that is where strength and stability are reinforced.

Can anyone read this passage and not also think forward to the passage where Jesus commissions Peter to build the Church? “And so I say to you, you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church, and the gates of the netherworld shall not prevail against it. I will give you the keys to the kingdom of heaven. Whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven; and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.” Matthew 16:18-19

Action

Day 5: Dec. 7 - 5. Tend to our physical health. Eat correctly, exercise and have regular medical checkups. Eat locally grown organic food as much as possible, meat as little as possible. (From http://www.simpleliving.org/)

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