This Daily Devotion is to help our members and others reflect on the understanding of Christian service to our Lord.
Devotion for Sunday, January 14, 2024
The Rt. Rev. Archimandrite, Msgr. George Appleyard
An Invitation to Prayer
The heavens are opened
and the Holy Spirit descends like a dove.
-Come, let us be with Jesus
as the Spirit drives him into the wilderness.Cf. Matt 4:1
Psalm 17/18:2-7
I will love you, O Lord, my strength-
the Lord, my support, my refuge and my savior.
My God is my ally, and I will trust him,
my defense, the horn of my salvation
and my back up.
I will call upon the Lord with praise,
and I will be saved from my enemies.
The travail of death stalked me,
and the floods of wickedness attacked me.
The pains of hell surrounded me,
the snares of death were set for me.
When I was being surrounded I called upon the Lord,
and I cried out to my God.
From his Holy Temple he heard the sound of my voice,
my call to him reaching his ears.
A reading adapted from Basil’s, Homily on Proverbs 1:1-5
At present there are conflicting laws among nations which can be so different one from another that they confuse those who do not have an accurate sense of justice. Some allow this and forbid that. Some value moderation and sobriety, others encourage unfettered personal liberty. In fact, some people embrace some very long-standing customs and practices and never realize how abominable these are. This book teaches the essence of real justice, and thus rescues people from irrational attitudes. Among us there is only one kind of justice, equitable sharing. Even if we are not entirely successful in achieving this, but act with just intentions, then we will not fall far from the mark.
A Prayer
Holy Lord Jesus, your herald-John the Baptist-said you would separate the grain from the chaff, and then take the grain into your barn and burn the chaff.Matt 3:12 May the Holy Spirit, which came upon you in your baptism and then sent you into the desert to confront Satan, lead me to discern what around me is noble and to be treasured, and what is perverse and to be rejected. May my sense of what is right and just become increasingly accurate, so that I may come to stand beside you and hear the Father approve of me as he did you.
Amen!