Daily Retreat 11/11/08
2008 Nov 11 Tue: Martin of Tours, bp M
Ti 2: 1-8. 11-14/ Ps 36(37): 3-4. 18 and 23. 27 and 29/ Lk 17: 7-10
From today’s readings: “For the grace of God has appeared, saving all and training us to reject godless ways and worldly desires and to live temperately, justly, and devoutly in this age.... The salvation of the just comes from the Lord.... We are unworthy servants; we have done what we were obliged to do....”
Eager to do what is good
Some people tend to think of Christian morality primarily as a collection of prohibitions: Thou shalt not do this, thou shalt not do that.... While it’s certainly true that some negative imperatives are essential to Christian ethics, putting faith into action is a lot more than merely following a list of what not to do.
In fact, the Word of God is even more emphatic about spelling out what we should be doing as Christians. For instance, the Epistle to Titus includes exhortations to “say what is consistent with sound doctrine... be temperate, dignified, self-controlled, sound in faith.... be reverent... teaching what is good... remaining in self-control, serving as a model of good deeds in every respect, with integrity in teaching, dignity, and sound speech.... rejecting godless ways and worldly desires, living temperately, justly, and devoutly....”
In short, since God has redeemed us and chosen us as His own people, it’s not enough to merely avoid doing what we shouldn’t be doing or complacently assume we're already doing enough good; rather, we need to always be positively eager to do what is good!
Ti 2: 1-8. 11-14/ Ps 36(37): 3-4. 18 and 23. 27 and 29/ Lk 17: 7-10
From today’s readings: “For the grace of God has appeared, saving all and training us to reject godless ways and worldly desires and to live temperately, justly, and devoutly in this age.... The salvation of the just comes from the Lord.... We are unworthy servants; we have done what we were obliged to do....”
Eager to do what is good
Some people tend to think of Christian morality primarily as a collection of prohibitions: Thou shalt not do this, thou shalt not do that.... While it’s certainly true that some negative imperatives are essential to Christian ethics, putting faith into action is a lot more than merely following a list of what not to do.
In fact, the Word of God is even more emphatic about spelling out what we should be doing as Christians. For instance, the Epistle to Titus includes exhortations to “say what is consistent with sound doctrine... be temperate, dignified, self-controlled, sound in faith.... be reverent... teaching what is good... remaining in self-control, serving as a model of good deeds in every respect, with integrity in teaching, dignity, and sound speech.... rejecting godless ways and worldly desires, living temperately, justly, and devoutly....”
In short, since God has redeemed us and chosen us as His own people, it’s not enough to merely avoid doing what we shouldn’t be doing or complacently assume we're already doing enough good; rather, we need to always be positively eager to do what is good!
posted by FrPitstick | 11/10/2008
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