Bulletin 9.29.24

A man who lies to himself, and believes his own lies, becomes unable to recognize truth, either in himself or in anyone else, and he ends up losing respect for himself and for others. When he has no respect for anyone, he can no longer love, and in him, he yields to his impulses, indulges in the lowest form of pleasure, and behaves in the end like an animal in satisfying his vices. And it all comes from lying — to others and to yourself.

– Fyodor Dostoevsky, The Brothers Karamazov (1879)

Hybris (hubris) is the first and most popular form of idolatry. But all forms of idolatry involve us deeply in folly. All idolatry is not only treacherous but also futile. Human desire deep and restless and seemingly unfulfillable, keeps stuffing itself with finite goods, but these cannot satisfy. If we try to fill our hearts with anything besides the God of the universe, we find that we are overfed but under nourished, and we find that day by day, week by week, year after year, we are thinning down to a mere outline of a human being.

 – Cornelius Plantinga, Jr., Not the Way It’s Supposed to Be: A Breviary of Sin (Eerdmans 1995; p. 122)

But sometimes I get so involved with myself that I start making demands for things I think I deserve, or I take for granted every gift that comes my way. Classic case: Man in restaurant orders crabmeat salad; mistakenly, waitress brings shrimp salad; livid, angry man roars, "Where the hell's my crab-meat?" Somehow, life owes him a crabmeat salad. He takes for granted not only the shrimp salad but so many other gifts- life, faith, family, friends, talents.

The deeper we grow in the Spirit of Jesus Christ, the poorer we become--the more we realize that everything in life is a gift. The tenor of our lives becomes one of humble and joyful thanksgiving. Awareness of our poverty and ineptitude causes us to rejoice in the gift of being called out of darkness into wondrous light and translated into the kingdom of God's beloved Son. 

 – Brennan Manning, The Ragamuffin Gospel (1990; pp 81)

 Psalm 107.8-15 

Let them give thanks to the LORD for His lovingkindness, 

And for His wonders to the sons of men!

For He has satisfied the thirsty soul, 

And the hungry soul He has filled with what is good.

There were those who dwelt in darkness and in the shadow of death, 

Prisoners in misery and chains,

Because they had rebelled against the words of God 

And spurned the counsel of the Most High.

Therefore He humbled their heart with labor; 

They stumbled and there was none to help.

Then they cried out to the LORD in their trouble; 

He saved them out of their distresses.

He brought them out of darkness and the shadow of death 

And broke their bands apart.

Let them give thanks to the LORD for His lovingkindness, 

And for His wonders to the sons of men! 

(Prayer)