Knowledge of Jesus: Day Three

Healing of a bleeding women Marcellinus-Peter-Catacomb, downloaded from Wikipedia

Day twenty nine at Fish Eaters.

Day twenty nine at The Catholic Company.

Today's reading is from Imitation of Christ. The line—"What good does it do to speak learnedly about the Trinity if, lacking humility, you displease the Trinity?"—gets my attention because I've taught the Trinity to teenagers preparing for Confirmation (and I've been asked to do so in the future). It's a good question to ask since we all have from time to time, "blindness of heart." And Imitation of Christ directs us, obviously, to imitate Christ.

Have this mind among yourselves, which was in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form he humbled himself and became obedient unto death, even death on a cross. (Phil 2:5-8)

We empty ourselves so as to be filled with Christ, so that we might imitate Christ. If we were humble, we would recognize our need for healing and we would ask for it. This is a gift from a merciful God. And what should we do in receiving such a gift? Gratitude for it is good. And so is praising God for his mercy. But we can also pass on the gifts of goodness to others, realizing that we're instruments of God's good, not the source of good. "I have no silver and gold, but I give you what I have; in the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, walk" (Acts 3:6).

Vanity of vanities and all is vanity, except to love God and serve Him alone.