January 12
You possess nothing that you have not received
od is glorified
among us when we grow in love and compassion, when we carry out his commands
and persevere in doing his will; these are the ways in which he is glorified.
Now we know that the Lord has been sent to us as our redeemer, our life,
and our healing, bringing us his loving mercy and grace beyond all our
deserts. So when we see ourselves lifted up from the dust of the earth
to receive a heavenly prize, let all of us believers be glad of heart and
rejoice, and, as living souls raised up from the dead, let each one of
us seek the Lord.
What return shall we make to the Lord for such blessings? All we can
do is to bow our heads and beat our breasts, saying with the publican:
O God, be merciful to me a sinner! Rejoice, then, my friends, at
these great gifts of his, exult in such great blessings! Take care not
to ascribe to yourselves the good things you have received from him, for
if you do, you will lose what you have. You must be convinced that you
possess nothing that you have not received. And if you have received
it, do not boast as though you had not. If you keep to this rule the
gifts you have received will be preserved among you, and anything you now
lack will be granted to you in full.
From John E. Rotelle, O.S.A., Tradition Day by Day: Readings from
Church Writers. Augustinian Press. Villanova, PA, 1994.
HTML text prepared by David P. Steelman
