This Daily Devotion is to help our members and others reflect on the understanding of Christian service to our Lord.
Devotion for Wednesday, February 14, 2024
The Rt. Rev. Archimandrite, Msgr. George Appleyard
An Invitation to Prayer
Rejoice, thirsty wilderness,
and let the wasteland be glad.
—The deserted regions of the Jordan
shall blossom and rejoice. (Isaiah 35:1)
Come, let us adore the God of glory!
Psalm 80(81):1-8
Rejoice in God, our helper,
acclaim the God of Jacob.
Raise a melody, sound the drum,
a sweet harp with a lyre.
Blow the horn at the New Moon,
at the holiday of our feast.
For this is an ordinance for Israel,
a rule of the God of Jacob.
He made it a decree for Joseph
when he left the land of Egypt,
where he heard a language
he did not understand.
He took the burden from his back,
and the slaves’ basket from his hands.
“You called to me in your affliction
and I rescued you.
I heard you in the center of the storm;
I tested you at the waters of contention.”
From St. Basil’s Homily Against Anger, sec. 4 cont.
Suppose someone calls you a poor worker. If he speaks the truth, admit it. If he is lying, what is his opinion to you? Do not be puffed up with conceit that goes beyond the truth, nor be offended by insults that do not apply to you. Don’t you see how arrows pierce hard and rigid objects while their force is blunted by soft and yielding things? Consider that the power of abuse is similar. One who resists it is run through, while one who backs off softens the wickedness brought against him by his gentle character.
A Prayer
O Holy Spirit, if only I would open my eyes and look around me I would see so many beautiful and appealing things, all the work of a loving Creator intended for my enjoyment and inspiration. Never let me get fixated on the irritations and hurts caused me by others so that in my annoyance I lose sight of what makes me glad. Amen.