This Daily Devotion is to help our members and others reflect on the understanding of Christian service to our Lord.
Devotion for Friday, January 8, 2021
The Rt. Rev. Archimandrite, Msgr. George Appleyard
An Invitation to Prayer
Christ is revealed to us-
let us worship him
-and bring him our gifts!
Psalm 65/66:8-15
Bless our God, you nations,
raise the sound of his praise aloud.
He brought my soul to life;
he does not allow my steps to falter.
For you have tested us, O God,
the way silver is tested in fire.
You have led us into a trap.
You have laid burdens on our backs,
you let people run over our heads.
We went through fire and water,=
but you brought us out to relief.
So I will enter your house with holocausts
and pay my vows which my lips made to you,
which my mouth made when I was in distress.
I will offer you fattened holocausts,
with the aroma of rams,
and I will offer you oxen and goats.
A reading adapted from Basil’s, Homily on Proverbs 1;1-5
It is written, “Let the foolish turn back to me.”Prov. 9:4 Just as the sick need healing, so do the foolish need wisdom. For it says, “Wisdom is a better currency for investments than gold or silver.”Prov 3:14 If you become wise, your neighbors benefit as well.Prov. 9:12 But “wisdom will not enter a soul that plots evil.”Wis 1:4 And so the souls of those who are going to cultivate a personal relationship with wisdom are first purified through fear of God. For if one were to throw the mysteries of salvation to any bystander, making them equally accessible to the corrupted and those not yet astute, it would be like pouring a very expensive perfume into a filthy bottle. That’s why fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom!Prov 1:7
A Prayer
Lead me to respect you in every way, Lord Jesus.
Lead me to follow your teachings and directives,
and may I never presume to excuse myself from any of your mandates.
Even if I slip and fall, never allow me to minimize my failure,
nor to blame people and circumstances for my weakness.
Never let me become a spiritual coward.
Amen!