Almighty God, who knows the function of our hearts better than we could, keep us far from contempt for our brothers and sisters, and grant that we would be alert for when it creeps into our hearts, that love would be foremost in our relationships and our souls would remain free from such weight that would drag us down into Gehenna, through Jesus Christ our Lord, who loved us to the end and sat down at your right hand in the Holy Spirit. Amen. ‘But I say to you that if you are angry with a brother or sister, you will be liable to judgment; and if you insult a brother or sister, you will be liable to the council; and if you say, ‘You fool,’ you will be liable to the hell of fire.’ – Matthew 5:22 Who am I most tempted to have contempt for? Is it possible to turn that contempt into sadness? Is there some way to still desire good for those people and so love them even as I want them to be different?
Matthew R Green
PhD