April 15, 2023

Saint of the Week

St. Gregory of Nazianzen

April 14, 2023

JUSTIFIED BY THE CHILDREN

Luke 7:31-35

And the Lord said, “To what then shall I liken the men of this generation, and what are they like? They are like children sitting in the marketplace and calling to one another, saying:

‘We played the flute for you,
And you did not dance;
We mourned to you,
And you did not weep.’

For John the Baptist came neither eating bread nor drinking wine, and you say, ‘He has a demon.’ The Son of Man has come eating and drinking, and you say, ‘Look, a glutton and a winebibber, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!’ But wisdom is justified by all her children.”

Encouraging Words

Jesus had just been reprimanded by the leaders of His church for hanging out with sinners and sharing His teachings in the midst of the common world. The Pharisees and Sadducees were so wrapped up in their teachings (not God's) and their traditions (not God's) that they could not engage with the world that God specifically called them to take His message to. We must always be careful of getting so attached to the ways that our faith practice worships God that we lose sight of God Himself. Jesus responds and rebukes these leaders by proclaiming that the proof of His approach is in the numbers and sincerity of His children. History has born this out. Glory be to God!

April 13, 2023

TESTING GOD

Judith 8:11-13

They came to her, and she said to them, “Listen to me now, rulers of the people of Bethulia! Your words spoken today to the people are not right, nor is the oath you have sworn and pronounced between God and yourselves, promising to surrender the city to our adversaries unless the Lord turns and helps you in so many days.

“Now who are you to have put God to the test this day, setting yourselves up as God's equal among the sons of men? You are testing the Lord Almighty, but you will never come to know anything!”

Personal Challenge

Judith is another one of the apocryphal books that many western Christians have never read. It is indeed worth the read. Judith is challenging the leaders of Bethulia because they have just made a decree that they will give God five days to deliver them from the army of Holofernes. If He doesn't do that then they will surrender. We do not have the right or the power to box God in this way. He will always rescue us on His timeline and in his way. Our role is to trust in Him and keep living for Him, no matter how dire the situation may get. That is when His deliverance shows the brightest. Glory be to God!

April 11, 2023

COMPASSION

Luke 7:13

When the Lord saw her, He had compassion on her and said to her, “Do not weep.”

Encouraging Words

We do not serve a ruthless, in-compassionate God. God is love! God is mercy! God cares for all of His creation, not just those who have chosen to follow Him. His desire is that all might come to him. We too must be willing to show compassion to others. We cannot be selective in who we show God's love to for He was not selective in His love for us. Glory be to God!

April 10, 2023

BECOMING A REPROACH

Judith 5:20-21

“Now my lord and master, if there is any sin of ignorance in this people and they sin against their God, then we will identify their offense and will go up to defeat them. But if there is no lawlessness in their nation, then let my lord leave them alone, lest their Lord shield them, and their God defend them, and we will become a reproach before the whole earth.”

Personal Challenge

Achior wan an Ammonite conscripted by the Assyrian army to betray the Israelites. These were vicious times and army commanders like Holefernes were relentless in conquering people. Achior made this statement about the Israelites in order to warn the attackers that the God of Israel was invincible and that if His people were being true to Him, then they would be invincible as well. He was trying to save them from becoming is a reproach in front of the entire world of that day. We too can avoid becoming a reproach in our lives by staying true to our God. The choice is ours. Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, the sinner!

April 9, 2023

FROM OUR HEART

Luke 6:45

A good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth good; and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart brings forth evil. For out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks.

Personal Challenge

That which comes out of our mouths truly reveals what is in our hearts. It is indeed possible to maintain a facade and convince those around us that we are good and godly people...for a while. Only if what we are presenting is what is within our hearts will we no longer be presenting a facade but our true representation. Do we make snide remarks? Do we put others down jokingly? Are use constantly complaining? Are we really grumpy and lacking joy? Do we demean others? What comes out of our mouths is what is present in our hearts. Lord, have mercy! Lord, have mercy! Lord, have mercy!

April 8, 2023

Saint of the Week

Elder Nektary of Optina