Today’s evening meditation is available below in audio and script formats. The audio version is also available for free download on the player.

Reading

Just as a flower gives out its fragrance to whomsoever approaches or uses it, so love from within us radiates towards everybody and manifests as spontaneous service.

—Vittal Rao

Commentary

Many of us find it difficult to be compassionate towards other people for the simple reason that most of our sensitivity is directed towards ourselves. The less we dwell on ourselves, the more our sensitivity will open out to the needs and feelings of others. 

Every time you hurt someone and then grieve inside because of it, you are attending a valuable seminar on sensitivity. It is a seminar at the deepest and most personal level, the experiential, and it is infinitely more effective than anything we can attend for college credit. The credit comes to us directly, when we change our behavior and don’t hurt people again. “Everybody’s feelings can be hurt,” we realize, “just like my own. I have to take others’ feelings into consideration in what I do.” (WLB)

Quiet

As your day draws to a close, spend a few moments in silence and stillness.

Podcast Feeds

Abbreviations

(BC) The Belgic Confession

(CAC) The Center For Action & Contemplation

(CD) The Canons of Dort

(CIB) Church In Bethesda Prayers

(DZ) Donna Z.

(HC) The Heidelberg Catechism

(IO) Inward Outward

(MAO) Michael A. O’Sullivan

(NT) The New Testament

(OT) The Old Testament

(RP) Ryan Phipps

(TAO) The Tao Te Ching

(WC) The Westminster Confession

(WLB) Words To Live By

(WLC) The Westminster Larger Catechism

(WSC) The Westminster Shorter Catechism

ORDINARY TIME, YEAR A