8th September Trinity
Luke 17: 11-19
Luke 17: 11-19
And it happened as he was on the way to Jerusalem
that he passed through the middle of Samaria and Galilee.
And as he was entering a certain village, ten men
who had leprosy met him. They stood at a distance and they raised their voice,
saying
“Master, Jesus, have mercy on us!”
And seeing them he said, “Go, and show yourselves
to the priests.” And it came about that as they went on their way, they were
cleansed.
Now one of them, when he saw that he had been
healed, turned back, glorifying God with a loud voice, and fell on his face at
his feet, and thanked him--and he was a Samaritan.
And Jesus responded and said, “Were not all ten
cleansed? And the nine—where are they? Was no one seen returning to praise the
revelation of God’s working in this event except this foreigner?”
And he said to him, “Rise, and go your way. The
power of your trust has made you strong.”
8th August/September Trinity
Luke 17:11-19
A plant is rooted in the fertile earth, which gives it its
strength. It blossoms and bears fruit in the light of the sun. We, too, are
planted on earth. Much of our strength, our groundedness in upward striving,
comes from her.
Our souls, too, have their ground. They are best cultivated
in the fertile soil of trust, a trust in the divine and loving wisdom that
permeates the universe. When we plant our hearts in the solid trust in divine
providence, our hearts, upward striving, can blossom. The blossoming of the heart
in the light of the universe is gratitude. Trust in providence and gratitude
for all the events in our lives becomes our healing.
Gratitude lies at the very core of the Act of Consecration
of Man, the communion service. We perform this service to divine providence, in
imitation of Christ. The night before He was to die a human death, He gave thanks
to His Father. He gave His Father an offering of deep gratitude before breaking
the bread that would become His body; before drinking the cup of destiny that
would become the wine of His blood. He offered Himself in a great blossoming of
thanks for all that He had been allowed to do, and for all that He would be
able to do in the future. He was thus able to reveal God’s work in the destiny
of humanity, and the destiny of the world. He was able to reveal the healing of
the world.
And His deep gratitude was returned to Him as deep strength
for the days and centuries ahead. For Christ is still Here on earth. He deeply
trusts in the workings of what His Father provides in the world. He is deeply
grateful for all that He is allowed to do for the world. He is deeply grateful
for all who join with Him in His work.
www.thechristiancommunity.org
www.thechristiancommunity.org
