A Reflection on the Daily Office Readings

Genesis 31:1-24

What are we supposed to do when the world disregards us? The answer to this question might be found in reflecting on what Jacob did when he perceived that Laban did not regard him as favorably as he once did. Jacob reminded himself of God’s unchanging faithfulness, and Jacob returned to the roots of his faith in God. This act of spiritual centering brought Jacob great strength in a time of extreme distress. In what ways do we center ourselves spiritually? What spiritual practices do we incorporate into our busy life that help us return to the roots of our faith in God and remind us of God’s unwavering faithfulness. God did not permit Laban to be harmed; God will not forsake us.


1 John 2:1-11

The laws of God are given to us not to control or diminish us in any way but to guide us in living a life of abundance. In Jesus Christ, we have someone who will advocate for us, lead us down the path of righteousness, and redeem us from our sin and suffering. If we model our life after Christ, then we will experience joy and peace. The more we abide in Christ, the more we will abide in the perfect love of God. Not only must we talk as Christ talked but we must also walk as Christ walked. This is not a new commandment, but rather an old one. The word of God which has been given to us is the same yesterday, today and forever. Do we receive and respond to the word of God, Christ incarnate, in a way that leads us out of darkness and into the light that is already shining? How can we say that we are in the light if we continue to hate our brother or sister in Christ? Whoever loves a brother or sister lives in the light, and in such a person there is no cause for stumbling. But whoever hates another believer is in the darkness, walks in the darkness, and does not know the way to go, because the darkness has brought on blindness. May the law of love shape the way we live our life.


John 9:18-41

Too good to be true? Have you ever witnessed something so good that you could not believe it was true? The Jews did not believe the words of a blind man who told them that he had received his sight. The Jews called the parents of the man who had received his sight and asked them, "Is this your son, who you say was born blind? How then does he now see?" His parents answered, "We know that this is our son, and that he was born blind; but we do not know how it is that now he sees, nor do we know who opened his eyes. The sad thing here is that the parents actually knew how their son was healed - it was through Jesus. However, because the parents were so afraid of the Jews, they knowingly denied the truth of what their son had experienced. In what ways have we denied the truth of others because we ourselves were too afraid of identifying with that truth and being shunned by our community? What truths have others shared with us that we have refused to listen to or accept? If we are truly the children of God, then we must not listen to the lies propagated by this world. Rather, we must listen to the truth of those who worship God and obey his will regardless of how the world might react to us. Lies will only lead us to a life of emptiness. Truth will set us free to live a life of fulness. What truth are we trying to drive out from the midst of us? What lies are we choosing to believe? The truth about ourselves, about others and about God is starring us square in the face, and we must welcome the truth. Some of us might wonder - “How do we know what is a truth and what is a lie?” The way we determine a truth or a lie is to hold it upto the light of Jesus Christ who came into this world so that those who desire the truth may in fact see the truth, and those who do deny the truth may be clearly shown to be blind. How is your vision?


To God be the glory now and forever. Amen.

Fr. Thomas+



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