The Little Friar

Blessed are the merciful, because they shall obtain mercy, says the Scripture. Mercy is not the least of the beatitudes. Again: Blessed is he who is considerate to the needy and the poor. Once more: Generous is the man who is merciful and lends. In another place: All day the just man is merciful and lends. Let us lay hold of this blessing, let us earn the name of being considerate, let us be generous. Not even night should interrupt you in your duty of mercy. Do not say: Come back and I will give you something tomorrow. There should be no delay between your intention and your good deed. Generosity is the one thing that cannot admit of delay. Share your bread with the hungry, and bring the needy and the homeless into your house, with a joyful and eager heart. He who does acts of mercy should do so with cheerfulness. The grace of a good deed is doubled when it is done with promptness and speed. What is given with a bad grace or against one’s will is distasteful and far f...

Most folks agree that one of the deepest spiritual problems in Christianity is egoism.   Me, me, me -- that's the source of sin.  So the spiritual practices that cause me to diminish  myself in order to "work out" my salvation are at the core of being Christian.  Those practices have their biblical foundation in the NT ideas of kenosis  and servanthood.  Kenosis  is embodied spirituality.  Just as Jesus "emptied himself" (Philippians 2) and John "decreased, in order that Jesus might increase" (John 3),  kenosis is captured by themes of service, submission, obedience, humility, and modesty.  Generally, the idea of "servanthood" captures the manifestation of kenosis .  The image of kenosis , therefore, is the towel.   From John 13: It was just before the Passover Feast.  Jesus knew that the time had come for him to leave this world and go to the Father.  Having loved his own who were in the world, he now showed them th...