Mirror, Mirror- Living Faith

September 4, 2016

Twenty-Third Sunday in Ordinary Time

Mirror, Mirror

Teach us to number our days aright,
that we may gain wisdom of heart.
Return, O [uc]Lord[/uc]! How long?
Have pity on your servants!

Psalm 90:12-13

A strange thought occurred to me the other day. What if I didn't know what I looked like? I was thinking of the days before mirrors. While I might catch a glimpse reflected in some water, ancient peoples had no clear idea of what they themselves looked like. One way would have been through the generous hand of another who sketched some lines on a board or paper. My inner self can be a mystery--complex, puzzling, difficult to understand. I'm not sure what I really look like, and there is no perfect mirror to show me. But there is someone, and the psalmist guides me to him. The God who created me out of love knows me. I listen as he teaches, I understand as my heart opens to his wisdom. In the stillness, he sketches the flaws, he captures the truth, and I see.

Lord, you have probed me and you know me. I look to you to see who I am.

- Amy Welborn

Wisdom 9:13-18|Psalm 90:3-6, 12-17|Philemon 9-10, 12-17|Luke 14:25-33

Mass Readings of the Day

Comments

Salina Respond to comment

September 4, 2016 at 12:08 PM

Indeed, Amy!

Psalm 139:1, 4-5, 13-14, "O Lord, You have searched me and known me!....Even before a word is on my tongue, behold, O Lord, You know it altogether. You hem me in, behind and before, and lay Your hand upon me.....For You formed my inward parts; You knitted me together in my mother's womb. I praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made."

The Psalmist has given me a picture of who I am in Christ! The question is if I see myself in the mirror as such? How do we discern that?

1 Corinthians 2:11-12, "For who knows a person's thoughts except the spirit of that person, which is in him? So also no one comprehends the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God. Now we have received not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might understand the things freely given us by God."

It is strange to me that Jesus loves and yet He says we cannot be His disciples if we don't hate pretty much everyone including ourselves, or suffer in carrying a cross, or renounce all our possessions??? What does He mean?

In my heart, I know He means God above all else: father, mother, wife, children, brothers, sisters, oneself and all possessions...He is above all else!

There are a lot of people who love others above themselves. Are they disciples of Jesus Christ? Not necessarily.......why not?

Matthew 22: 36-39, "“Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?” And He (Jesus) said to him (Pharisee), “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself."

Why is there a first and a second? Because I cannot reverse the orders. The first is the pre-requisite for the second. Just as you cannot take Math II before Math I because you need the foundation and knowledge of Math I for Math II.

I would not know how to love others if I don't love God first. And if I love others above God, that is idolatry :-(

Mirror, mirror on the wall, Who is the fairest of them all? Jesus! Jesus! Jesus! Let me see You in my mirror! Let others see You in me! Amen!

Fairest Lord Jesus by Amy Grant
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vhnb2GS8llo

Jack

September 4, 2016 at 07:36 PM

Thanks again Salina...let's keep God first in our lives so we will not be out of order or in disorder!

Tillie Respond to comment

September 4, 2016 at 11:32 AM

Wonderful devotion today, thank you Amy. Dear Lord, show yourself to me today and let me know that you are truly with me, lifting me up so that I can move forward, giving me the strength to keep going through these hard trials that I'm going through at this present time. You know my inner self, please help me to see and understand who I am and who I am becoming. Amen.

freeter Respond to comment

September 4, 2016 at 11:09 AM

Amen. :)

SE Respond to comment

September 4, 2016 at 09:34 AM

Thank you. I am reminded to look within myself when I am tempted to pass judgement on others. Their "flaws" mirror my own. God reveals my weaknesses as I am ready, and I slowly chip away at them. A life long journey.

Jack

September 4, 2016 at 07:35 PM

Thanks SE...I've been ruminating and praying about that alot lately...

ms Respond to comment

September 4, 2016 at 09:15 AM

Amy, thank you for the very powerful and prayerful reflection today.

Marianne Respond to comment

September 4, 2016 at 07:10 AM

Who am I Lord, who am I? You are my child, you are mine says the Lord. Thank you God.

EM Respond to comment

September 4, 2016 at 06:58 AM

Thought provoking reflection that reminds me of Saint Mother Theresa who would encourage us to look for the face of Jesus in others especially the poor, the lonely and the ill. Pray for us St. Mother Theresa!