HUMP DAY +ONE
Proverbs, Chapter
3, Verse 24-26
24 When
you lie down, you will not be afraid,
when you rest, your sleep will be sweet. 25 Do
not be afraid of sudden terror, of
the ruin of the wicked when it comes; 26 For the LORD will be your
confidence, and will keep your foot from the snare.
Where does your
confidence come from? In whom do you trust?
This
word, confidence, summarizes the three theological virtues: faith, hope,
and charity sovereign virtues which bring all the others in their train. But if
these are the highest virtues, then the greatest heroism is demanded of us in
order to realize them in the face of the mystery of a "hidden God." A
man must be heroic to live always in
faith, hope, and love. Why? Because, as a result of Original Sin, no one can be
certain with the certainty of faith that he is saved, but only with a moral
certainty based upon fidelity to grace; and because as sinners we are
constantly tempted by doubt and anxiety. It was in order to resolve this
conflict between our desires and our powerlessness that Jesus came to earth and
took our infirmities upon Himself. Little Thérèse understood that it is our
state of misery which attracts His mercy. It is confidence, and nothing but
confidence, which will open the arms of Jesus to you so that He will bear you
up. Confidence will be for you the golden key to His Heart. We have been
trained in the habit of looking at our dark side, our ugliness, and not at the
purifying Sun, Light of Light, which He is, who changes the dust that we are
into pure gold. We think about examining ourselves, yet we do not think, before
the examination, during the examination, and after the examination, to plunge
ourselves, with all our miseries, into the consuming and transforming furnace
of His Heart, which is open to us through a single humble act of confidence. We
must have confidence, not in spite of
our miseries, but because of them, since it is misery which attracts mercy.[1]
The enemy
wants to steal our peace and keep us stirred up, anxious, fearful, upset, and
always in a stance of waiting for something terrible to happen at any minute.
The enemy wants us unable to forget the terrible things that occurred in the
past and instead remember them as though they happened yesterday. God has
healing for upsetting memories. It’s not that He gives us amnesia. We still
remember that it happened, but not incessantly and not with the same pain and
torture. Peace is more than just having a good night’s sleep— although many
people would think even that to be a miracle— but it is peace in every part of
your being all the time. It is a place you live because of the One who lives in
you. Jesus made it possible for us to have the peace that passes all
understanding— the kind that carries us, stabilizes us, grounds us, and keeps
us from slipping.[2]
Be aware of the
small things and people who enter your life: It may be from the Lord.
A LION was
awakened from sleep by a Mouse running over his face. Rising up angrily, he
caught him and was about to kill him, when the Mouse piteously entreated,
saying: “If you would only spare my life, I would be sure to repay your
kindness.” The Lion laughed and let him go. It happened shortly after this that
the Lion was caught by some hunters, who bound him by strong ropes to the
ground. The Mouse, recognizing his roar, came and gnawed the rope with his
teeth, and set him free, exclaiming: “You ridiculed the idea of my ever being
able to help you, not expecting to receive from me any repayment of your favor;
now you know that it is possible for even a Mouse to confer benefits on a
Lion.”[3]
If the brazier is a
republican what must the dog be?
Daily
Devotions
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