MEDITATION:
Written by Corrie ten Boom (1892-1983), Dutch Christian Holocaust survivor and author.
Making a living can keep us so busy that the Sabbath catches us like a noose. Not only do our worries snare us, so do happy expectations: the harvest on the new stretch of land, the fur coat, the holidays, and the lecture on the Bible topic. In themselves they are all good things.
I remember moments during World War II when suddenly there was an immediate threat to our lives during an air raid or in prison. At that moment you saw everything from God’s point of view, and it gave you a totally different perspective, because you touched death, and therefore eternity. You saw that small things were small and big things were big. You would see everything in the right proportions.
Sometimes it’s necessary to draw apart, to look inward to achieve the quiet that allows repentance. The kind of personal reflection known as introspection has all but disappeared from our lives, let alone our vocabularies. When we get down to it, many of us view reflection of any kind as overly time-consuming, even nonproductive. Why don’t Christians spend more time agonizing over their sin and pleading for mercy?
PRAYER:
Written by Benedict (480-547), the father of Western monasticism and founder of the Rule of St. Benedict, a monastic community.
Father, in Your goodness grant me the intellect to comprehend You, the perception to discern You, and the reason to appreciate You. In Your kindness endow me with the diligence to look for You, the wisdom, to discover You, and the spirit to apprehend You. In Your graciousness bestow on me a heart to contemplate You, ears to hear You, eyes to see You, and a tongue to speak of You. In Your mercy to confer on me a conversation pleasing to You, the patience to wait for You, and the perserverance to long for You. Grant me a perfect end, Your holy presence. I ask this in the name of Your Son, Our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.
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