This Daily Devotion is to help our members and others reflect on the understanding of Christian service to our Lord.
Devotion for Thursday, January 11, 2024
The Rt. Rev. Archimandrite, Msgr. George Appleyard
An Invitation to Prayer
Listen! A voice shouting out in the desert,
“Prepare the way of the Lord!”
-And all flesh will see the saving work of our God.Lk 3:4
Psalm 76/77:1-9
I raised my voice to cry to the Lord;
I directed my voice to the Lord and he turned to me.
On the day of my affliction I sought God,
I waved my hands at night before him, and I was not wrong.
My soul refused to be consoled.
I remembered God, was I cheered?
I prattled on, and my spirit became discouraged.
Watching all my enemies watch me,
I was troubled but said nothing.
I reflected on the days of old,
and remembered the years gone by and reflected.
At night I conversed with my heart,
and inquired of my spirit-
Will the Lord reject forever?
Is there nothing more to please him?
Will he cut off his mercy forever,
generation after generation?
Will God forget to be compassionate,
or will his compassion be locked up in anger?
A reading adapted from Basil’s, Homily on Proverbs 1:1-5
We also call a body of knowledge a discipline. That does not imply applying oneself to just any kind of knowledge. Rather, it intimates that knowledge which is the most useful of all and which makes a significant contribution to our salvation. Some people are devoted to geometry, or to astrology, and yet ignore divine utterances. Others spend their time with literature and discussions, even when the object of these pursuits is frivolous. After all, fiction is just that, fiction. Since many, in their addiction to these pursuits, grow old neglecting knowledge of God, a knowledge of discipline is needed even to choose the right discipline and for avoiding the one that is useless or even harmful.
A Prayer
Almighty and loving Father, as people gathered to hear the Baptist preach, they asked him what they should do.Cf. Lk 3:10 Put your Spirit into my heart to ask you sincerely what I should do, what discipline I should undertake to become what you would have me be. And if my learning of your will becomes irksome or irritating, give me a soldier’s courage to endure the hardships of the campaign that I might enjoy the benefits of victory, through Jesus Christ, my Lord.
Amen!