Skip to main content

A Meditation on Matthew 1

The Angry Gnome is turning over a new leaf. Or so I hope. Instead of political rants and self absorbed pouts I'm planning on sharing my morning meditations here instead. What do you think of that idea? I'm using Fr. John Bartunek's book "The Better Part." (http://www.amazon.com/Better-Part-Christ-Centered-Resource-Personal/dp/1933271108) as my starting point, using the method of mediation he presents, Concentrate, Consider, Converse and Commit. Concentrate on the Lord in prayer, then consider carefully and prayerfully a gospel passage, converse with the Lord about it and finally make a commitment to really do something with what I've read. Below is the result of todays effort.

This morning I read Matthew 1:1-17, that is the genealogy of Jesus.

I considered this, as it relates how Jesus comes into the world, the real world of sin and death. The real world of history, the world of lust and hate and sweat and tears and hunger and pain. Not a floating spirit in the sky but a tiny baby, a young boy, a man, a human being born of a real mother at a particular point in history, in a real town in Palestine.

I thanked Him for coming for me and confessed my myriad sins to Him right then and there. It was a moving moment for me. I am grateful that on this day my Lord granted me an experience of His love in this way, that I was given the joy of feeling His love in an emotional manner, that this day was not hollow and dry, as some days are, but that He granted me this boon to strengthen my faith and my will to continue on in my journey of faith and of prayer. I conversed back and forth some with Jesus, recalling how He entered into history not through a special line of Holy Saints but through a long line of both sinners and saints, kings and prostitutes, murderers and adulterers, gentiles and Hebrews. Normal, average, everyday people were His ancestors and He used them to bring about salvation for the world. He will use each and every one of us to change the world as well, He will use me.

At the end of my prayer time I made a commitment to recall throughout the day the reality of Christ, the physicality of Jesus, that He is not only a figure in history and God in heaven, but that He is here on earth in His very flesh and blood each and every day in the Holy Eucharist, He is present on altars all over the world at this very moment. He is in His people as real food and real drink. (John 6:52-59) He is not "up there somewhere" but here with us. My commitment today is to recall that wonderful truth all through the day and to act as though it is true, to behave as if I were truly in the presence of my Lord each moment of my day.

Lord help me to do this. Amen.

--
Larry Devich
I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content.
Philippians 4:11b

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

NBC anti-life?

I would boycott NBC, if I ever watched it that is. I actually never watch anything on the old line networks, NBC, CBS, ABC, FOX. Everything I watch is on the cable only stations... do they still broadcast over the air? Ah well, this story is about the fact that it seems NBC refused to air an ad put together by some Catholic outfit that features an embryo and all of the hardships it faced in early life ending up with the revelation that they were talking about Obama. Here is the ad , check it out and see how unoffensive it is. Like I said, if I watched them I'd quit now. :-/
Post a Comment
Read more

Viva California! USA out of California Now!

Gene Veith points to a Russian who predicts the breakup the American Empire. Gene is somehow unaware of the dozens of secessionist movements in various states. Granted they are almost all small but still, they exist and this could be a good time for us. Those who know me already understand that I'm a California Nationalist who I doesn't think California should have joined those united States in the first place. Being a part of that empire just costs us money, we get nothing in return. These days we get to be hated by foreigners for being Americans and mocked by Americans for being Californians. Getting us out of the US yesterday would be a day too late as far as I'm concerned.
5 comments
Read more

Government = Violence

What it comes down to is this, any law you propose states this, I will kill you if you do not agree to do "X." I say this because ALL laws say this. All . Jay walking is a "crime." So, what does that mean? It means if you jay walk you risk death at the hands of government enforcers. How so? You are accosted while jay walking by the local police. You say, "Buzz off bucko!" The cop says "you are under arrest!" You say "Not even." They attempt to restrain you and you resist, you are now "resisting arrest" and in the process of subduing you force will be used to make you to comply. The harder you resist the more likely "they" are to simply kill you. All laws imply deadly force. All laws = the death penalty. Of course they won't say you are being killed for the "crime" of jay walking, but for resisting arrest or attempting to escape or whatever, but really it's the original "crim
5 comments
Read more