The Reading was John 5:39-47. The parable was about the rich man who had a beggar at his gate. The beggar died, and so also the rich man.  The rich man was in hell, and across the gulf, he saw Lazarus the beggar in the bosom of Abraham. 
Abraham explained that in life, the rich man had everything he wanted, but Lazarus had suffered and had little. Abraham asked if Lazarus could come and put a drop of water on his dry lips. Abraham explained there was a great gulf between them, and it could not be crossed. The rich man then asked if Lazarus would go to his Father's house and tell his brothers this. Abraham says, "They have Moses and the prophets; let them hear them. 30And he said, Nay, father Abraham: but if one went unto them from the dead, they will repent. 31And he said unto him, If they hear not Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded, though one rose from the dead."
 How important acceptance is. Here was the Son of a loving Father, sent to earth to heal people and bring them a message of love from the Father. He was condemned for his loving grace and mercy towards us. He endured crucifixion, that we would have the chance to sit, so to speak, in the bosom of Abraham (Heaven).  It is amazing to me that the evil one is able to block and ridicule that Love, and make it so hard to hear, for us poor human beings whom He created. 
I was just such a person. Too intellectual to believe something so mind-boggling.  Jesus knocked on my door (noggin), and I got the message. Jesus is real, and I had better find out who he is! 
I just finished reading a George MacDonald series of books centered around a young Curate. The first book, The Curate's Awakening, says it profoundly and well. Better and more succinctly than I had ever read in a capsulized form about Faith, and the reality of Jesus Christ. It's worth reading, as are the other two.  The first one is exceptional.
And then this:  Luke 11:9-10
"So I say to you, ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.
  For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened. 
 
​(In regard to the above, this line represents the way we communicate with Jesus. He is not saying, 'I will give you the material goods that you want,' though He might. He is asking you to talk to Him, to ask Him to help you with worries, or sadness, or even to accomplish everyday chores. Speak to Him when you feel joy and are thankful for good things.  He wants you to ask Him for help that others might need, with friends, family, people that you love.)  

The wise Abbot made a distinction in this: When an event happens that needs your involvement, look to the good and the positive. He said, "If a child is being kidnapped, we rush to the aid of the child, not the attack of the kidnapper". 
The world is full of litigation, anger towards others, impatience, and so on. Much of that negative energy is based on someone doing something bad (to me), and I am going to get even, or do something equally bad to pay them back, 'an eye for an eye'.  The negative responding to the negative. Instead, he said, respond on behalf of the good, if the negative is in the way of it or trying to destroy it; so be it, protect the good. 
Do you see that way of responding? To me, it was profound. Building on what is good and true, vs heaping bad upon bad.
That point of view has immense Power. 
Another side of this- If three policemen are standing in view of the kidnapper and the child is being abducted, rather than getting in the way or taking it upon yourself, leave it to those who are protecting the child (or group) to respond, as long as they clearly know that something is amiss. My role in this is asking God for help in the situation.

I go on Sundays to a Monastery, Holy Archangel Michael's in Cañones, NM. On Sunday the Abbot spoke about knowing one's self.
It is very hard to know one's self, and to be authentic to who we are, without the hang-ups of ego, pride, judgement of others etc.  jumping into the picture. Our minds are a swirl of thoughts.
While waiting in line for breakfast, on the bulletin board was posted a quote from St Theophan the Recluse, a noted Russian Elder and writer of many books, which boiled down to, my paraphrasing, 'If you descend to the heart rather than making judgements in the mind, you escape the thoughts which run rampant in the head and poke and pinch you with their insistence.
The authentic you is in the heart. Thinking about it, I can feel the difference. Thinking of someone you love truly, or something you love to do, you feel that in your chest.  Thinking things out takes you up into your head, as do judgements etc. as part of brain work. Our thoughts are very active, sometimes negative. Feel the difference. 
​ Love is the basis of who God is. Heart being is what God has created us to be. If we learn to live there, we are authentic to ourselves as God's Creation. 

 I came across a verse in some material I inherited from a priest. He had written it out, as he was a graphic, bookmaking kind of person; this quote is from the Psalms. 

"Peace be within your walls, and security within your towers!”  (NIV)

I find this profound. If I think of my being as having walls, and the thoughts within it are my peace, or not.  Anything I take up should feed these walls. Of course, at the core of peace is the Jesus Prayer. (Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner.)  Then I started saying Jesus in my walls, Holy Mother, (Mary)  in my towers. 
Realizing yesterday that when I talk on the phone or engage with any technology, I lose the immediate now —my real life, my peace. Everything, and everyone around me, is physically relational and my immediate now. What is God saying to me right now? Have I invited Him in to interact with me? How much of the time do I go about whatever it is I have as a goal without a thought of what He wants of me?

If you are on your way to the goal and stop and throw stones at any dog that barks at you, you will never reach that goal"
Fyodor Dostoevsky- From Fr Joe's Newsletter, ​([email protected])

Verbalizing my resentment yesterday of different people and being really mad at myself for doing that!
I carry resentment like that in my head, and then it bursts out. I don't feel like I am resentful, but then there it is a poisoning the air around me. Clearly and ego thing! 
So, pondering and praying this morning, how can I think differently about these people? 
These are people who are having an inward struggle with themselves. They are at war in some way or another with their own peace. I need to pray for them, which seems obvious; however, I need to not take what they are projecting as a personal attack and realize it is the spillover from a war that is going on inside.
​If I understand the dog is barking from pain, then I am not tempted to throw stones.  By God's Grace!

Delving into the quote department- This from CS Lewis, Perelandra, in which Ransom continues his space travels and meets the Lady- this line may be paraphrased but here it is-
' This fruit today is the best fruit!'

​I see in myself regret and irritation towards time wasted, waiting to leave, waiting for something or someone, go early so you can wait, time that seems empty time with nothing produced. I need to think of that as Holy Time. Time given to me for God. Certainly practicing the Jesus Prayer in that time would be fruitful. "Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, be merciful to me a sinner" or short version, 'Lord Jesus Christ have mercy on me', or Holy Theotokos, pray for me!'
That time could be set aside just for that purpose. A time out so to speak.
​ I remember in the past thinking that was a good thing to do while waiting in a grocery line, and enjoying it as such. I have lost that...Time to realize, time to take into account- opt for a good use of 'Fruitful Time'.

Hebrews 10:  16 This is the covenant that I will make with them after those days, says the LORD: I will put My laws into their hearts, and in their minds I will write them, 17 then He adds, "Their sins and their lawless deeds I will remember no more." 18 Now where there is remission of these, there is no longer an offering for sin.

Here is this line - "I will put My laws into their hearts" and it says to me, part of that law is the Loving-Kindness that Christ exhibits toward us, not just rules, which offer a way to live into His Love. Along side this here are some mental wanderings.

I have in my scrap silver collection tiny pieces of jump rings, little pieces of wires, strange odds and ends, a bezel here for a specific size stone, and other scraps and constructions. They are unusable like that, so I decided to melt them down. I have a mini-torch these days, which is hot enough to solder, but not so great at melting.  I took the pieces and divided them into small piles. As they melted I could see funny shapes, some just odd pieces, another like a bird, another a spider.  I totally enjoyed the surprise that they created in terms of form as they melted. I thought to hang them from a charm bracelet, but didn't.   The Deconstructionist concept came to mind, that nothing is about one thing, as it has many meanings that can not be nailed down to one, and may mean several things at once.

This morning, taking  the recycling to a station quite a distance away from us, I saw all seemingly fresh perceptions for me. I thought of the surprise in the melted silver. The drive was also providing new events, a huge flock of teal, winging their way east, a house fire right next to the road, a super fast driver, making a large truck pull off of the road, glorious cliffs and the river. Some good, some clearly not so good. Surprises.
It left me thinking. I hate the mundane. I wander through a day and so much is familiar, and thus uninteresting because it says nothing except about repetition. If I am in process, not knowing where something is going, like the silver, like the travel, how am I to repeat that in my day?

How can I think of that line,  "I will put My laws into their hearts", that law that the Loving-Kindness of Christ provides?  I think, slow down, take in what God is saying now...how does that make my day fresh and alive? In interaction with others, what is it that may help them? Maybe nothing, maybe understanding, maybe a small effort on my part.

I have glasses with which to see with on my desk. I want to see in a different context. How can I see Loving-Kindness as I move through the day? By God's Grace!

And that has nothing to do with remission of sin, or maybe everything! Can sin be the mindless repetition that seems so deadening?