Lectionary Readings:
Genesis 12: 1 – 4a
Romans 4: 1 – 5, 13 – 17
John 3: 1 – 17
“Bold Blessing”
Margaret Ebner, 14th century mystic, describes an experience she had. The Pater Noter she refers to is the “Our Father” or Lord’s Prayer.
“On Friday after St. James’ Day I went into choir and began my Pater Noster. Then the greatest grace overcame me and I knew not how it would end, except that I perceived the grace was so great that I could not finish the Pater Noster. My heart was surrounded by such sweet grace and felt so light that I was no longer able to pray. I held the Name Jesus Christus within me with sweet loving power and from it I perceived wonderful, sweet fragrances rising up within me. “
This week we are going to be reflecting on the wonderful blessings of God’s love and call on our lives. The Gospel passage is a very familiar passage which has Jesus telling Nicodemus he must be born again and has probably the most familiar New Testament verse of all – “For God so loved the world …” The Genesis passage is a call of God to Abram to leave his homeland and to go where he is lead.
As we reflect on these passages we might ask how they bring to us a “sweet grace” and how it might bring a sense of a “sweet loving power and from it …(we might perceive a) “wonderful, sweet fragrance”.
How do these verse speak to you of God’s wonderful love and help you move to the mountain top where we draw closer to our God and sense God’s glory.
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