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Lord’s Prayer

Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come; Thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.

For Thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever and ever.

(Editor’s Note: I hope the following prayer will remind us all that Daily Prayer is not a page of cold words, but a community intending to pray together!)

Matins (Morning Prayer)

Word of God, as the Most High, our one hope,
Everlasting light of heaven and earth,
We break the silence of the peaceful night;
Saviour Divine, cast your eyes upon us!

Pour on us the fire of your mighty grace,
That all hell may flee at the sound of your voice;
Banish the slumber of a weary soul,
That brings forgetfulness of your laws!

O Christ, look with favor upon your faithful people
Now gathered here to praise you;
Receive their hymns offered to your endless glory;
May they go forth filled with your gifts.

~ “Cantique de Jean Racine”

Praise

Oh Lord God, you are what thought cannot better; you are who thought cannot reach; you are who no thinking can even conceive. Without you, man can have no being, no reason, no knowledge, no good desire, nothing. You, Oh Lord, are what you are, transcending all.

adapted from Eric Milner-White 8/11/2014

Meditation

“When God put a calling in your life, He already factored in your stupidity.”

Benediction

Be merciful, O Lord, to those who have entrusted me, an unworthy sinner, to pray for them. Be merciful, O Lord, to all who ask Your help. O Lord, make this day a day of Your mercy; give to each according to their petition. Be the Shepherd of the lost, the Guide of Light of unbelievers, the Teacher of the unwise, the Father of orphans, the Helper of the oppressed, the Healer of the sick, the Comforter of the dying, and lead us all to the desired end — to You, our refuge and blessed repose. Thus I pray, in the name of Christ,

? Mason Barge 1/2022

Think of the day ahead in terms of God with you, and visualize health, strength, guidance, purity, calm confidence, and victory as the gifts of His presence.

Christ and the Woman Taken in Adultery (detail), Rembrandt ca. 1644.

The Other Life

Galatians 2:19-20 (BSB)

or through the law I died to the law so that I might live to God. 20 I have been crucified with Christ, and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me.

DP Parallel Bible (3-Column) - Galatians 2

Notes on the Scripture

Death and Rebirth [Part 1] (Galatians #20)

“Through the law I died to the law so that I might live to God.” Paul, a Jew, tried to find life by following the Law of Moses, but he failed, as anyone must, because God requires perfection; and it is impossible to follow the Law perfectly. So if Paul failed to live . . . well, what is the opposite of “live”? Die. If we fail to live, we die.

All Christians today understand that “death” has two meanings, because we believe that even though our bodies will die, we can find eternal life for our souls — what Paul calls “living to God,” here. So in order to live to God, i.e. find eternal life, Paul says he “died to the Law,” an idiom meaning that he abandoned the Law. We have a similar idiom in English. If we say “Henry is dead to me,” we indicate a profound and absolute disavowal of our relationship with Henry.

Jesus and Nicodeumus

If this all seems self-evident to you, remember, you have had the benefit of many centuries of Christian scholarship. Imagine how strange it all sounded to some Greek shepherd or Jewish metal-worker in Galatia 2,000 years ago, who had just heard about some man named Jesus Christ; it would have been awfully strange . . . and incredibly exciting!

Today, most of us encounter the general idea for the first time when Jesus talks to Nicodemus in Chapter 3 of John:

But we must remember, the New Testament is not in chronological order. Galatians was written decades before the Gospel of John. Remember, Nicodemus was a Pharisee, and thus, a devoted follower of the Law. So the ideas of Nicodemus being “born again” and Paul (also a Pharisee) “dying to the Law, to live with God,” differ only in the metaphors used. Paul is putting “born again” into different words.

Paul then cements the concept by saying he was crucified with Christ. If Paul died (spiritually) by crucifixion, how can we not understand that he was (spiritually) born again? He is seeking to teach the same idea as John, using a slightly different analogy.

As for us today, we undergo a symbolic death and resurrection, also, in baptism. The more flamboyant denominations go to a river and are physically immersed; the more restrained have a sprinkle of water on the head. But the symbolism is the same in either case. Denominations have different ideas about baptism, but whether some sort of rebirth actually occurs, or occurs symbolically, or is simply demonstrated by baptism and occurs within the soul of the person at another time, the idea is that we get wet. Nobody stays dry during birth! And rebirth in the spirit is common to all Christianity.

To be continued. . .

Daily Inspiration

“Utter Faith”

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