Advent Meditations: Wednesday 18 December
| Wed Dec 18 |
am: 119:49-72 pm: 49, 53 |
Zech 3:1-10 | 1 Tim 1:18-20, | Mark 10:11-16 |
Notes on the Liturgical Feast for Today : St. Modestos, Monk & Archbishop of Jerusalem, 634. After becoming a monk, he became head of the monastery of Saint Theodosios the Great (founded in the IV Century) in Palestine. At this time (the year 614), military forces of the Persian emperor Chosroes fell upon Syria and Palestine, killing 90 thousand Christians and laying waste the Christian churches. The Jerusalem Patriarch, Zakharias and a multitude of Christians together with the Cross of the Lord were taken into captivity. Saint Modestos was entrusted to temporarily govern the Jerusalem Church in the capacity of locum tenens of the patriarchal cathedra. With the help of the Alexandrian Patriarch, Modestos set about the restoring of devastated Christian holy places. After 14 years, Patriarch Zakharias returned from, and after his death Saint Modestos became Patriarch of Jerusalem. St Modestos died at age 97 in the year 634.
Biblical Meditation : Both of today’s New Testament Lessons are taken from The lectionary of the OCA to honor the saint from the Eastern Church commemorated today. The Gospel of Mark reminds us that we are to be childlike in our faith. But the fact is that receiving the kingdom of God as a little child is not easy for most of us. We who have many years from that experience would be well served to think back on what that was like or to consider the children in our own lives. The attributes are many but one that cannot be missed is that to be child like means that we are no independent beings. As children much of what we need to exist and function requires dependency on someone else. It is ironic n this season where we have the Son of God come down and model surrender and dependency even though he was God, there are some of us who are too proud or too self reliant to understand that we for all our talents are still dependent beings. The O Antiphon for today “O Adonai” expresses that he is Lord. In the ancient of days, the residents of a land that they did not own who were under he protection of the landowner were subjects of their Lord. They were acutely aware in difficult days about being dependent upon the Lord, what would it take for us to make the same insight?
PRAYER: Lord, like a loving parent, you offer me your comforting hand and tell me not to be afraid. Help me to anticipate your coming with patience and to listen to what you ask of me. AMEN
Spiritual Discipline /Activity – Spend some time with children today and consider their world view. Ask them about God and how they live each day? Are they hopefully, happy, concerned? Some deep answers may stir you! ANCIENT WISDOM/PRESENT GRACE: “We have an allergic reaction to dependency, but this is the state of the heart most necessary for a praying life. A need heart is a praying heart. Dependency is the heartbeat of prayer.” -― Paul E. Miller , A Praying Life: Connecting with God in a Distracting World. ”
O Antiphon : O Adonai – O LORD OF ISRAEL, who showed Yourself to Moses in the burning bush, who gave him the holy law on Sinai mountain: Come, stretch out Your mighty hand, to set us free..
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