Friday in the First Week of Lent Lord Christ, our eternal Redeemer, grant us such fellowship in your sufferings, that, filled with your Holy Spirit, we may subdue the flesh to the spirit, and the spirit to you, and at the last attain to the glory of your resurrection; who lives and reign with the Father and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen. Matthew 5:20 For I tell you, unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. 21 You have heard that it was said to those of ancient times, You shall not murder; and whoever murders shall be liable to judgment. 22 But I say to you that if you are angry with a brother or sister, you will be liable to judgment; and if you insult a brother or sister, you will be liable to the council; and if you say, You fool, you will be liable to the hell of fire. 23 So when you are offering your gift at the altar, if you remember that your brother or sister has something against you, 24 leave your gift there before the altar and go; first be reconciled to your brother or sister, and then come and offer your gift. 25 Come to terms quickly with your accuser while you are on the way to court with him, or your accuser may hand you over to the judge, and the judge to the guard, and you will be thrown into prison. 26 Truly I tell you, you will never get out until you have paid the last penny. Comment: I think the word flesh as found in Scripture is among the most misunderstood and misinterpreted. Christianity affirms the goodness of creation and of our human-ness, including our bodies with their needs and necessities. It is not spirit = good, body = bad. The flesh, in Paul and in biblical theology, means the web of defensiveness and selfishness we seem unable to avoid without an infusion of Grace. Grace (being loved) frees us from that web more and more as we grow into the image and likeness of Christ, who was fully human. Jesuss life reveals to us what a life free from fear and the manufacturing of a false self can be. -- Fr. S
Posted on: Fri, 14 Mar 2014 09:28:38 +0000
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