MEDITATION:
Written by Martin Luther (1483-1546), a German professor of theology, composer, priest and Augustinian monk. He was a seminal figure in the Reformation.
What could be more clear and concise than the truth of the Golden Rule? But the world won’t let us reflect on these words. Our sinful nature won’t let us measure our lives against this standard. We let this verse go in one ear and out the other. If we would continually compare our lives and actions against this standard, we wouldn’t live so carelessly. We would have more than enough to do and wouldn’t need to pursue other works we consider holy. We would become our own teachers and begin teaching ourselves how we should live. We wouldn’t need so many lawyers and law books, for this standard is concise and easy to learn. If only we were diligent and serious enough to live according to it.
Let me give a rough illustration. No one would like to be robbed. If you ask yourself, you would have to admit that you certainly wouldn’t enjoy it. So why don’t you conclude that everyone else feels the same way? At the market, you see that vendors charge as much as they wish for what they’re selling, so that it costs three times what it is worth. If you were to ask a vendor, “Excuse me, would you like this done to you?” he would have difficulty replying. If he were honest and thinking sensibly, he would have to say, “I want to pay the market value, what is just and fair. I don’t want to be overcharged.” So do you see the point? Your heart tells you how you would like to be treated, and your conscience tells you that you should treat others the same way.
PRAYER:
Written by Dionysius (?-845), patriarch of the Syrian Jacobite Church and author of important documents on Eastern Christianity.
God the Father, source of Divinity,
good beyond all that is good,
fair beyond all that is fair,
in you is calmness, peace, and unity.
Repair the things that divide us from each other
and restore our unity of love like your divine love.
And as you are above all things,
unite us in goodness and love that we may be spiritually one,
with you and with each other,
through your peace which makes all things peaceful
and through the grace, mercy, and tenderness
of your only Son, Jesus Christ. Amen.
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