Tag Archives: Martin Luther

March 21, 2018 · 11:31 am

Lenten Quotes

Let us ponder on these quotes during these last days of Lent.

Of fasting, I say this: It is right to fast frequently in order to subdue and control the body. For when the stomach is full, the body does not serve for preaching, for praying, for studying, or for doing anything else that is good. Under such circumstances, God’s Word cannot remain. But one should not fast with a view to meriting something by it as by a good work.

—Martin Luther

Lent is a time to renew wherever we are in that process that I call the divine therapy. It’s a time to look what our instinctual needs are, look at what the dynamics of our unconscious are.

— Thomas Keating

“Have patience with all things, but first of all with yourself.”

—St. Francis de Sales

“The Lord measures out perfection neither by the multitude nor the magnitude of our deeds, but by the manner in which we perform them.”

—St. John of the Cross

“Lent is a fitting time for self-denial; we would do well to ask ourselves what we can give up in order to help and enrich others by our own poverty. Let us not forget that real poverty hurts: no self-denial is real without this dimension of penance. I distrust a charity that costs nothing and does not hurt.”

-Pope Francis

The man who never fasts has no more way to heaven than the man who never prays.

—John Wesley

Bear up the hands that hang down, by faith and prayer; support the tottering knees. Have you any days of fasting and prayer? Storm the throne of grace and persevere therein, and mercy will come down.

—John Wesley

Prayer

As I continue of my Lenten journey, guide me to the path that leads to you. Fill my heart with gratitude, patience, strength, and peace as I strive to become the-best-version-of-myself, honestly admitting my shortcomings and sins.

As I renew my resolve each day to become a better person, let me hear your voice in the deepest reaches of my heart. Give me rest in you.

Help me to accept others, showing them your great love instead of casting judgment.

Stay with me through the busy days this week and remind me that when I need comfort, solitude, wisdom, or guidance, I can always turn to you.

Help me develop discipline and generosity through fasting and almsgiving, and come closer to you through prayer this Lent.

In your name I pray,

Amen.

Five things to know about Ash Wednesday (triblive.com)
Pray and don’t be a prey (vanguardngr.com)

The Mystery of Faith

In 1520 Martin Luther explained the nature of faith using marriage as an illustration: “The third incomparable benefit of faith is that it unites the soul with Christ as a bride united with her bridegroom. By this mystery, as the apostle teaches, Christ and the soul become one flesh [Ephesians 5:31-32]. And if they are one flesh and there is between them a true marriage … it follows that everything they have they hold in common, the good as well as the evil. Accordingly the believing soul can boast of and glory in whatever Christ has as though it were his own …”

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Filed under Devotional Quotes, Martin Luther

Tagged as Faith, Martin Luther, Mystery

May 24, 2013 · 4:24 am

Real Presence

For centuries Christians have divided, argued, and even fought wars over the real presence of Christ in the sacrament of Holy Communion. For the mystic, the presence of Christ in the Eucharist was essential as it was the way that one ultimately experienced the grace of God. Communion was a time to be united with Christ, and indeed all of Christendom, for a marvelous time of grace. Many Protestants resist the idea of grace through sacrament. Martin Luther, the “Father of the Protestant Reformation,” once said (in rejection of the “Radical Reformers”): “Before I would have mere wine with the fanatics, I would rather receive sheer blood with the pope.”

“The Christian church has struggled through the centuries to understand just how Christ is present in the Eucharist. Arguments and divisions have occurred over the matter. The Wesleyan tradition affirms the reality of Christ’s presence, although it does not claim to be able to explain it fully.” This statement is taken from the United Methodist document on Holy Communion-This Holy Mystery- and it affirms the reality of Christ’s presence in the sacrament.

So much can be missed if we consider Holy Communion a mere memorial. There are none among us who deny that our Lord gave us this Holy Mystery as a way of joining with Him-joining in a way that is so real, so strong that He promised to be with us, not in memory, but reality. As we go forward to discover the real mysteries of true faith in our Lord we must not neglect His promise to be with us in the sacrament of Holy Communion. In my tradition, Mr. Wesley asserted the doctrine of frequent communion. Christians all over the world are beginning to find more and more faith in coming to His table. May each of us approach His table with expectation and leave with His loving presence.

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Filed under Eucharist, Holy Communion, Sacrament

Tagged as Christ, Christendom, Communion, Eucharist, Holy Communion, Jesus, Martin Luther, Real presence of Christ in the Eucharist

November 9, 2012 · 11:22 am

When God Dies

Martin Luther once spent three days in a black depression over something that had gone wrong. On the third day his wife came downstairs dressed in mourning clothes. “Who’s dead?” he asked her. “God,” she replied. Luther rebuked her, saying, “What do you mean, God is dead? God cannot die.” “Well,” she replied, “the way you’ve been acting I was sure He had!”

Many of us have been caught in that trap. When things don’t go our way we act as though God were dead. If an election doesn’t go our way, we don’t get a raise at work, someone is unnecessarily rude to us, or we are just having a bad day, we can give the impression to others that God is dead. Ask yourself: Have I ever been in that kind of mood and why?

Like the great reformer Luther we will quickly say, “God cannot die”, but it would help if we acted as though we believed that to be true. We should be the people and hope and light that bring joy to the world. Try being that kind of person.

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Filed under Christian Living, Evil, Missional Living, Prayer, Sin

Tagged as Christianity, God, God is dead, Luther, Martin Luther, Protestant Reformation, Reformation, Reformation Day