28 Jan Redirect (2 Sm 6:14) by Carol Cooper
Posted on Tuesday 28 January, 2014
Welcome God now with this LIFE Runners Devotion (FB) provided by Team Leaders and Guest Authors.
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“Then David, girt with a linen apron, came dancing before the LORD with abandon.” ~ 2 Sm 6:14 (full readings)
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Carol’s Reflections: Today we celebrate the feast day of St. Thomas Aquinas. Because of St. Thomas’ faithful perseverance and fidelity, God conferred upon him the gift of perfect chastity, which means he was able to direct all of his desires, emotions, and attractions toward the dignity of others. Oh what a beautiful gift that would be…to be able to control your desires, emotions, and attractions, and even more importantly, to be able to direct them selflessly to will the good of others! I recently required my sophomore students to abandon their desires for an entire day and to spend the day serving the needs and desires of others. Amidst giving up control of the car radio, sacrificing the last brownie, and cleaning the bathroom instead of playing xBox; the students were struck by their own selfishness, and at the same time, were amazed by the total joy they felt when they gave of themselves with abandon to the needs and desires of others. It was while reading their responses to this assignment that I realized that it’s that last part that we are so desperately missing in our society…the part about abandoning ourselves to the needs and desires of others. What if we spent less energy trying to control our God-given desires, emotions, and attractions, and instead spent more energy trying to direct them toward willing the good of others? How the world would change!
* Carol is a teacher and coach at St. Thomas More High School in Rapid City, SD. She and her husband, Dan, have three amazing children (Jay, Kelly, and Kaci).
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Faith Challenge: Take some time to meditate on that today. Simply take the desire, emotion, or attraction you struggle with the most and explore ways to direct it toward the good of others and to celebrating the dignity of all humans. Ask for the intercession of St. Thomas Aquinas for help in carrying this out. Close your meditation by imagining yourself and others “dancing before the Lord with abandon.”
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Counter-Culture News: LifeSiteNews, LifeNews, American Family, Vatican, Project Rachel.
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Our Prayers: Pray LIFE Runners Creed to end abortion. Add Prayers. Pray with meals, bedtime, wake up, unceasingly. Consider mid-week Family Rosary (17 min). Let’s pray now.
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Feast Day: Saint Thomas Aquinas, Priest and Doctor of the Church.
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Faith Quote: “Love is willing the good of the other…and then doing something concrete about it. It’s not an emotion, it’s not an attitude. It’s a move of the will.” ~ Fr. Robert Barron
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Through Christ Our Lord,
Carol
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“Then David, girt with a linen apron, came dancing before the LORD with abandon.” ~ 2 Sm 6:14 (full readings)
.
Carol’s Reflections: Today we celebrate the feast day of St. Thomas Aquinas. Because of St. Thomas’ faithful perseverance and fidelity, God conferred upon him the gift of perfect chastity, which means he was able to direct all of his desires, emotions, and attractions toward the dignity of others. Oh what a beautiful gift that would be…to be able to control your desires, emotions, and attractions, and even more importantly, to be able to direct them selflessly to will the good of others! I recently required my sophomore students to abandon their desires for an entire day and to spend the day serving the needs and desires of others. Amidst giving up control of the car radio, sacrificing the last brownie, and cleaning the bathroom instead of playing xBox; the students were struck by their own selfishness, and at the same time, were amazed by the total joy they felt when they gave of themselves with abandon to the needs and desires of others. It was while reading their responses to this assignment that I realized that it’s that last part that we are so desperately missing in our society…the part about abandoning ourselves to the needs and desires of others. What if we spent less energy trying to control our God-given desires, emotions, and attractions, and instead spent more energy trying to direct them toward willing the good of others? How the world would change!
* Carol is a teacher and coach at St. Thomas More High School in Rapid City, SD. She and her husband, Dan, have three amazing children (Jay, Kelly, and Kaci).
.
Faith Challenge: Take some time to meditate on that today. Simply take the desire, emotion, or attraction you struggle with the most and explore ways to direct it toward the good of others and to celebrating the dignity of all humans. Ask for the intercession of St. Thomas Aquinas for help in carrying this out. Close your meditation by imagining yourself and others “dancing before the Lord with abandon.”
.
Counter-Culture News: LifeSiteNews, LifeNews, American Family, Vatican, Project Rachel.
.
Our Prayers: Pray LIFE Runners Creed to end abortion. Add Prayers. Pray with meals, bedtime, wake up, unceasingly. Consider mid-week Family Rosary (17 min). Let’s pray now.
.
Feast Day: Saint Thomas Aquinas, Priest and Doctor of the Church.
.
Faith Quote: “Love is willing the good of the other…and then doing something concrete about it. It’s not an emotion, it’s not an attitude. It’s a move of the will.” ~ Fr. Robert Barron
.
Through Christ Our Lord,
Carol
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