Proverbs 16:24
Kind words are like a honecomb; sweet to the spirit and healthy to the body.
Beloved, this is truly a very wise man who wrote these words. He would have found from experience that it is easy to scatter the best of friends with an unpalatable truth spoken baldly. The same truth can be spoken in a manner that is pleasing and sensitive and you will not only keep your friends, it will cause them to atleast reflect on what you have said. I know the same holds true for me personally and You have always dealt very kindly with me. Thank You.
Ephesians 6:1-9
1 Children, obey your parents for this is right: 2 Honor your father and your mother. And this is the first commandment that has promise: 3 that you may be happy and enjoy long life in the land. 4 And you, fathers, do not make rebels of your children, but educate them by correction and instruction which the Lord may inspire.
5 Servants, obey your masters of this world with fear and respect, with simplicity of heart, as if obeying Christ. 6 Do not serve only when you are watched or in order to please others, but become servants of Christ who do God’s will with all your heart. 7 Work willingly, for the Lord and not for humans, mindful that the good each one has done, 8 whether servant or free, will be rewarded by the Lord.
9 And you, masters, deal with your servants in the same way, and do not threaten them, since you know that they and you have the same Lord who is in heaven, and he treats all fairly.
My Beloved, how beautifully St. Paul writes and how good is the advice he gives. "Honor your father and your mother in order to be happy and enjoy long life in the land." I think that to cause even a momentary sadness or anxiety in a parent is a terrible thing to do especially if they are old and dependant on you. It can make them bitter and resentful and we would be held responsible for having caused it. Do as you would like to be done by is another good maxim to remember. I must do all as if I was doing it for You my Love.
Luke 13:22-30,
• 22 Jesus went through towns and villages teaching and making his way to Jerusalem. 23 Someone asked him, “Lord, is it true that few people will be saved?”
And Jesus answered, 24 “Do your best to enter by the narrow door, for many, I tell you, will try to enter and will not be able. 25 When once the master of the house has got up and locked the door, you will stand outside; then you will knock at the door calling: ‘Lord, open to us.’ But he will say to you: ‘I do not know where you come from.’
26 Then you will say: We ate and drank with you and you taught in our streets! 27 But he will reply: ‘I don’t know where you come from. Away from me all you workers of evil.’
28 You will weep and grind your teeth when you see Abraham and Jacob and all the prophets in the kingdom of God, and you yourselves left outside. 29 Others will sit at table in the kingdom of God, people coming from east and west, from north and south. 30 Some who are among the last will be the first, and others who were first will be last!”
"Do your best to enter by the narrow door."
Beloved, in this world where almost everyone pushes and shoves and all want to be first it is good to remember that You call us to be different. More kind, more compassionate, more caring, more giving. Less of self and more of the other. For all of us who look for easy solutions to the problems we face in life, this is not very appealing advice.
To enter from the narrow gate one needs to get rid of a lot of unnecessary baggage. We are all called to holiness and it involves a constant struggle with self and the ego. The most shocking truth is that many who serve You now as an obligation, devoid of love or compassion, will be astonished to find that all their work was done for self-glorification and so have already received their reward.
It is sobering to know that many who may have not heard of You but lived the Gospel values will be seated at the Banquet, while many who we though would certainly find a place are out in the cold and strangers to You.
Psalm 145:13-14
13 Your reign is from age to age; your dominion endures from generation to generation.
The Lord is true to his promises and lets his mercy show in all he does.
14 The Lord lifts up those who are falling and raises those who are beaten down.
Verse 14 of this Psalm is most reassuring. I can always count on You my Beloved to stoop down tenderly and lift me up when I fall, if I am sorry. Thank You.
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