Exodus 19:1-2, 9-11, 16-20
Daniel 3:52-56
Matthew 13:10-17
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TAKE THAT
"...will be taken away." —Matthew 13:12, RSV-CE
The graces that are taken away from us because we didn’t use them will not so much be taken away by God. More exactly, they are “given away,” released, let go of by the person who did not embrace those gifts and graces. We “lose” them (Mt 13:12).
If we focus on possessing graces and gifts, accumulating spiritual experiences as if they were a spiritual “bucket list,” we are in danger of gifts and graces being “taken away.” “That is the way it works with the man who grows rich for himself instead of growing rich in the sight of God” (Lk 12:21). For that man, it was all taken away in one night as his life was required of him (Lk 12:20).
The gifts of the Spirit are designed to flow unimpeded. There are no dams in the spiritual life. Grace is meant to flow unrestricted, not to be stopped up as if it can be controlled for later use. Grace must flow. It’s taken away by “moths” and “rust” which eat at what we don’t use for God, but which we keep as a treasure in our scrapbook. It’s similar to the manna that would rot if it wasn’t used at the proper time (Ex 16:20).
You don’t have to fear losing what God has given you if you desire to share these gifts “for the common good” (1 Cor 12:7). You “keep” them by giving them away, by using them for the good of the Lord and other people. Focus on exercising these gifts in the service of the Lord — and then more will be given to you (Mt 25:29). “In the measure you give you shall receive” (Mk 4:24).
Prayer: Father, pour out Your Spirit upon me so that Your grace will always flow through me to a wounded world.
Promise: "Blest are your eyes because they see and blest are your ears because they hear." —Mt 13:16
Praise: St. Sharbel was a Lebanese monk who lived as a hermit for twenty-three years.
(This teaching was submitted by a member of our editorial team.)
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The Nihil Obstat ("Permission to Publish") is a declaration that a book or pamphlet is considered to be free of doctrinal or moral error. It is not implied that those who have granted the Nihil Obstat agree with the contents, opinions, or statements expressed.
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