Monday, June 06, 2005
Daily Office, Year One, Proper 5, Monday
Today's Readings:
If we don't read Deuteronomy carefull, we fall into the trap of assuming that if we are wealthy and powerful, we have God's favor. We reverse the causality of God's favor to earthly wealth to suit ourselves. But from Paul we read that we should really stay within our limits. I read this as a "Know Thyself" passage. We have to know our strengths and limits to serve God properly. In Luke, I wonder why Jesus speaks about himself in third person. This kind of writing makes me wonder if Jesus believed that He was messiah, or if the messiah was still to be found. Hard to say, it raises a lot of argumentative questions.
The beggar in the Gospel passage wants to see again, and he is healed when he asks Jesus for mercy. A few odd thoughts: I don't believe that disease is caused by sin or demonic possession, so the healing stories are hard to assimilate. One day I'll figure out how, I hope. But if the blind beggar wants his sight back, and he has obviously heard of Jesus, why didn't he go searching for Jesus? Was is faith not strong enough to propel him across the lands, looking for his salvation? It's also intersting that blindness in mythology is usually a sign that the person has 'second sight' and can see deeper truths than mere mortals, but in the Bible blindness is always seen as a bad thing. I'm losing steam with this daily routine. I didn't think that everyday would bring an exciting topic that inspires me, but I'm tired. I have to ask myself if this is a chore or a form of worship. ¶ 12:16 PM
- Psalm 56,57
- Deut. 30:1-10
- 2 Cor. 10:1-18
- Luke 18:31-43
If we don't read Deuteronomy carefull, we fall into the trap of assuming that if we are wealthy and powerful, we have God's favor. We reverse the causality of God's favor to earthly wealth to suit ourselves. But from Paul we read that we should really stay within our limits. I read this as a "Know Thyself" passage. We have to know our strengths and limits to serve God properly. In Luke, I wonder why Jesus speaks about himself in third person. This kind of writing makes me wonder if Jesus believed that He was messiah, or if the messiah was still to be found. Hard to say, it raises a lot of argumentative questions.
The beggar in the Gospel passage wants to see again, and he is healed when he asks Jesus for mercy. A few odd thoughts: I don't believe that disease is caused by sin or demonic possession, so the healing stories are hard to assimilate. One day I'll figure out how, I hope. But if the blind beggar wants his sight back, and he has obviously heard of Jesus, why didn't he go searching for Jesus? Was is faith not strong enough to propel him across the lands, looking for his salvation? It's also intersting that blindness in mythology is usually a sign that the person has 'second sight' and can see deeper truths than mere mortals, but in the Bible blindness is always seen as a bad thing. I'm losing steam with this daily routine. I didn't think that everyday would bring an exciting topic that inspires me, but I'm tired. I have to ask myself if this is a chore or a form of worship. ¶ 12:16 PM
