My brothers and sisters, if anyone among you should
stray from the truth and someone bring him back, he should know that whoever
brings back a sinner from the error of his way will save his soul from death and
will cover a multitude of sins. James 5:19-20
My brothers and sisters, if anyone among you should
stray from the truth and someone bring him back, he should know that whoever
brings back a sinner from the error of his way will save his soul from death and
will cover a multitude of sins. Mark 10:14b-15
Piety
Let my prayer be incense before
you. Psalm 141:2a
Study
With the new month,
despite the forecast for storm Titan rotating toward us as the world turns,
spring cannot be far away. As the weather
warms, the grill on the deck beckons. My
happy cooker is a nice aged kettle grill that still uses charcoal and dried
mesquite chips for cooking. No gas tank required.
As those coals heat up and
dinner-to-be is set above the burning embers, smoke pours up toward your humble
chef. I can move from one side to the
other, but I cannot escape the smell of the smoke getting on my clothes, irritating
my eyes, and adding fragrance to the still heat on a hot summer night.
Prayer – we hear in today’s
readings -- is like that smoky grill. When
we send up our thanks, supplication, and offerings, the nostrils of the Most
High cannot fail to breathe it in. Maybe
that’s why the Hebrew people were so reliant upon burnt offerings. Sacrifice offered another way would not
pervade the Lord’s very being. Words
might be drowned out by the prayers of others or some heavenly harps. Images alone might be missed if a glance does
not come in the right direction. But smoky
praise, well, that fills the heavens like the incense which will bless the
altar.
Action
Burn some incense or light
a candle today as part of your prayer.
Smell it. Feel the warmth near the fire.
Use it to ignite your spiritual side in these last few days of ordinary
time.
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