Each newsletter includes a short reflection for the week to come, articles published the previous week, a short curated list of content that was meaningful to me the previous week, and more. Subscribe today!
Deepening our Christianity · Edition #4
Deepening our Christianitythe Monday Newsletter of Paul PrinsEdition #4 · 8 May 2023 |
Blessings Reader, In light of the Coronation this last Saturday, I find myself reflecting again on Mark 10:17-27. It felt somewhat inescapable. The regalia, the liturgy, the music, and the sense of timelessness. Yet I cannot shake the feeling of how theatrical it felt. Watching one of the richest people on the planet stand in his night shirt as if he was poor before God. If Jesus was there with Charles, I believe the conversation would have followed closely to this passage in Mark. “One thing you lack: go and sell all you possess and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me.” It can feel like these words were said as a trap or trick. Yet the author of Mark knew our cynicism. Before those words appear, we are told that Jesus showed love for him and then said those words. It was an invitation given in love. An invitation that follows the same invitations given to the other disciples. This is not a metaphor to meditate upon. This was Jesus inviting one who had upheld the law and longed for eternal life. We know nothing as to why they couldn't do these last two things. All we know is they were deeply dismayed and left in grief. It could have been that giving up their possessions was too much. It could have been leaving his life behind to follow Jesus was too much. So that nothing hinders us following Jesus, may we quickly set down what God asks us to. That we can follow Jesus with greater freedom and lightness. For His yoke is easy, His burden is light, His Kingdom is coming, and His love is Eternal. Until Next Week Posted this WeekIt's a shorter newsletter this week. I haven't read much or finished writing anything to share. My energy went towards jet lag, exhaustion from NYC, and job hunting. Looking forward to writing more this coming week! Unpublished Photo of the Week
Curated Goods from the WeekI didn't come across anything I felt was worth sharing this week. A Prayer for the Week to ComeLord, we need you. Help us to know both the heaviness and the lightness of our days. Meet us, sustain us, and give graciously to us in spite of our circumstances or nature. You who spoke day and night into existence keep our lives from lacking the contrast and full experience of being alive. Be gentle with us all, in your mercy sustain us, and draw us back into your love. |
Deepening our Christianity
Each newsletter includes a short reflection for the week to come, articles published the previous week, a short curated list of content that was meaningful to me the previous week, and more. Subscribe today!
Deepening our Christianity the Monday Newsletter of Paul Prins Edition #33 · 17 June 2024 Blessings Reader, Faith is a Gift Our faith simply exists. It just, is. As a Christian, there are many things for me to do. I am to take up my cross and follow Jesus. I am to love, and to be gracious. Yet, the gift of faith has no expectations for me. Faith, for many of us, is the first invitation we accept from Jesus. We accept the gift that is given to us. This gift that is beyond description. We are...
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Deepening our Christianity the Monday Tuesday Newsletter of Paul Prins Edition #31 · 4 June 2024 Blessings Reader, It has been nearly 3 months since the last newsletter. In that time, I have finished refining the Urban Monastic way of life, and we have been working hard on planning and promoting our very first Urban Monastic retreat. This has been a lot of writing, and I didn't feel I had the capacity to write this each week. Now with the 28 chapters of the rule off to be edited, I'm back!...