Mental Prayer Meditation Helps
Presence of God
Grace I Ask: God, teach me to know what charity is and give me the strength to practice it.
The Idea: In looking for our expressions of love for Him, God does not pay as much attention to what we tell Him in prayer as to what we tell Him by our actions. One of the easiest actions in which to offend God in our neighbor is to harm his reputation. Many people seem to have the idea that they can say anything they want about their acquaintances as long as it is true. This is simply not so. I must never say anything bad about my neighbor, even if it is true, without a serious reason. My neighbor has a right to his good name. He has a right not to have people discuss his mistakes and shortcomings without good reason. He has a right to be thought well of unless his being thought well of would do real harm to others. If I talk about his faults without this serious reason, I violate his rights. I also offend God who is, or wants to be, my neighbor's friend.
My Personal Application: It is very, very easy to become careless in talking about people. Let me look back over yesterday's conversations. Did I really talk about my neighbor as I would have wanted him to talk about me? Did I really?
I Speak to God: God, help me realize that in speaking against my neighbor I speak against you, for he shares, or at least can share, in your life through sanctifying grace.
Thought for Today: "If a man says he loves God while he hates his fellowmen, he is a liar." (1 John 4:20)
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Adapted from Mental Prayer, Challenge to the Lay Apostle
by The Queen's Work,(© 1958)
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