THURSDAY, December 1

2 Peter 3:11-18. Since all these things are to be dissolved in this way, what sort of persons ought you to be in leading lives of holiness and godliness?

Nicholas Ferrar, whose life is commemorated today in the church calendar, founded a short-lived religious community in 1626 at Little Gidding in Huntingdonshire, England. T. S. Eliot made the name Little Gidding famous in his Four Quartets. Ferrar, his family, and a handful of friends lived a spare life and dedicated themselves to prayer, fasting, and care of the poor. A member of the community could be found kneeling in prayer at any time, day or night, to fulfill the words, “Pray without ceasing” (1 Thessalonians 5:17).

Ferrar’s memory is uplifting as we hurtle into the secular Christmas season. It can be a struggle to find the quiet time and place to prepare our spirits for the Lord’s nativity. While it may not be practical to decamp from our hectic lives to form or join a religious community, it’s worth the effort to carve out some time for prayer and reflection.

You are here to kneel

Where prayer has been valid. And prayer is more

Than an order of words, the conscious occupation

Of the praying mind, or the sound of the voice praying.

—T. S. Eliot (from “Little Gidding” in Four Quartets)

Ps 18:1-20 * 18:21-50; Amos 4:6-13; Matthew 21:33-46

View the daily Lectionary Readings at http://satucket.com/lectionary/

Or view the Bible passages at Biblegateway.com or Oremus Bible browser.

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