Reflections for the week of August 12, 2019

MONDAY

High in the mountains was a monastery that had once been known throughout the world. But, something had changed. Fewer and fewer young men came to study there; fewer and fewer people came for spiritual nourishment. The monks who remained became disheartened and sad.

Deeply worried, the abbot of the monastery went off in search of an answer. Why had his monastery fallen on such hard times?

The abbot came to a wise elder, and he asked, “Is it because of some sin of ours that the monastery is no longer full of vitality?”

“Yes,” replied the master, “it is the sin of ignorance.”

“The sin of ignorance?” questioned the abbot. “Of what are we ignorant?”

The wise elder looked at the abbot for a long, long time, and then he said, “One of you is the messiah in disguise. But, you are all ignorant of this.”

“The messiah?” thought the abbot. “The messiah is one of us? Who could it be? Could it be Brother Cook? Could it be Brother Treasurer? Could it be Brother Bell-Ringer? Could it be Brother Vegetable Grower? Which one? Which one?

When the abbot returned to the monastery, he gathered all the monks together and told them what the wise elder had said.

“One of us? The messiah? Impossible!”

Whichever one of the monks was the messiah, he was, surely, in disguise.

Not knowing who amongst them was the messiah, all the monks began treating each other with new respect. “You never know,” they thought, “he might be the one, so I had better deal with him kindly.”

It was not long before the monastery was filled with new found joy. Soon, new students came to learn, and people came from far and wide to be inspired by the chants of the kind, smiling monks.

For once again, the monastery was filled with the spirit of love. All because everyone respects one another. Can we bring that same spirit of reverence here to TRINITY? Remember: The messiah is one of us! The messiah is us!

TUESDAY

Long ago in a small, far away village, there was place known as the House of 1000 Mirrors.

A small, happy little dog learned of this place and decided to visit.

When he arrived, he bounced happily up the stairs to the doorway of the house.

He looked through the doorway with his ears lifted high and his tail wagging as fast as it could.

To his great surprise, he found himself staring at 1000 other happy little dogs with their tails wagging just as fast as his.

He smiled a great smile, and was answered with 1000 great smiles just as warm and friendly.

As he left the House, he thought to himself, “This is a wonderful place. I will come back and visit it often.”

In this same village, another little dog, who was not quite as happy as the first one, decided to visit the house.

He slowly climbed the stairs and hung his head low as he looked into the door.

When he saw the 1000 unfriendly looking dogs staring back at him, he growled at them and was horrified to see 1000 little dogs growling back at him.

As he left, he thought to himself, “That is a horrible place, and I will never go back there again.”

All the faces in the world are mirrors.

What kind of reflections do you see in the faces of the people you meet?

What reflection do others see when they look at you?

WEDNESDAY

We have heard the saying “sticks and stones may break my bones but words will never hurt me.” That is not true! Words do hurt!

Words can either build up, encourage, motivate or they can hurt, tear down or leave someone with lasting scars.

As people of God, we need to be very careful about what we allow to come out of our mouth.

As the saints of old would say, “If you do not have nothing good to say, keep your mouth shut”!

Words spoken out of our mouth are very important for the simple fact that they speak what is in our hearts.

What are you speaking? Words that build up or tear others down?

Words spoken out of the mouth of those who confess Christ should be those of wholesome words which glorifies God and build up people around us.

Is God receiving glory from the words that you speak out of your mouth?

Building up or tearing down? Which one of these does the words of your mouth produce?

THURSDAY

A wise and understanding heart does not repay a hurt with a hurt. In doing so, the heart is diminished. Fissures form. Love leaks out. Every pain given in return for one received, changes the contents of the heart. It is no longer defined by love, wisdom and understanding. It is redefined by the bearers of hurt and hate, pain and prejudice, meanness and madness, sorrow and sadness. You give away control of your very own heart.

The despair of being hurt is healed by overcoming it, not clinging to the hurt and inflicting more of it on the world. When darkness is added to darkness, no one can see, no one can love. Everyone loses.

Love is not always warm and fuzzy. Sometimes it’s the integrity we hold on to when we’re tempted to strike back. Sometimes it’s the honor that keeps us from exchanging the valuable contents of our heart for the harsh satisfaction of lashing back.

No, the way of love is not always easy, but when night falls, dawn is assured.

The integrity and honor of a wise and understanding heart, rises with the sun of a new day.

FRIDAY

If I knew it would be the last time

That I’d see you fall asleep,

I would tuck you in more tightly

and pray the Lord, your soul to keep.

If I knew it would be ! the last time

that I see you walk out the door,

I would ! give you a hug and kiss

and call you back for one more.

If I knew it would be the last time

I’d hear your voice lifted up in praise,

I would video tape each action and word,

so I could play them back day after day.

If I knew it would be the last time,

I could spare an extra minute

to stop and say “I love you,”

instead of assuming you would KNOW I do.

If I knew it would be the last time

I would be there to share your day,

Well I’m sure you’ll have so many more,

so I can let just this one slip away.

For surely there’s always tomorrow

to make up for an oversight,

and we always get a second chance

to make everything just right.

There will always be another day

to say “I love you,”

And certainly there’s another chance

to say our “Anything I can do?”

But just in case I might be wrong,

and today is all I get,

I’d like to say how much I love you

and I hope we never forget.

Tomorrow is not promised to anyone,

young or old alike,

And today may be the last chance

you get to hold your loved one tight.

So if you’re waiting for tomorrow,

why not do it today?

For if tomorrow never comes,

you’ll surely regret the day,

That you didn’t take that extra time

for a smile, a hug, or a kiss

and you were too busy to grant someone,

what turned out to be their one last wish.

So hold one another close today,

and whisper in their ear,

Tell them how much you love them

and that you’ll always hold them dear

Take time to say “! I’m sorry,”

“Please forgive me,” “Thank you,” or “It’s okay! .”

And if tomorrow never comes,

you’ll have no regrets about today.

SATURDAY

No, the way of love is not always easy, but when night falls, dawn is assured.

The integrity and honor of a wise and understanding heart, rises with the sun of a new day.

SUNDAY