Stop lying to one another...

...since you have taken off the old self with its practices. (Col 3:9)

I've been praying morning and evening prayer from liturgy of the hours for the past week now. On Easter Monday it just hit me that it was time to start. Yesterday morning the reading was from Colossians and about putting aside all aspects of a past life and putting to death all earthly parts of your being in order to completely live in Christ as one of God's chosen ones. The line that really hit me was "stop lying to one another." Paul's writing to a community of new Christians, and says stop lying to one another. That hit me today. There was no dancing around the bush. He just called them out on lying to each other.

I don't directly really lie...but I don't really disclose much about myself or how I feel. I just went down to Charlotte for Elise's bridal shower. She's been my best friend since we were ten. Yet it was just this weekend I really told her about any of the relationships I've been in in either high school or college. On the drive home I made some calls I should have made years ago. Well, one I should have made years ago, some that are kind of recent things. I have been praying about it for quite awhile and discussed it with my spiritual director first. But what good is reading the Bible if it doesn't become part of us and convict us to change? That morning prayer pushed me over the edge to finally change.

Paul continues. "Put on then, as God's chosen ones, holy and beloved, heartfelt compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience, bearing with one another and forgiving one another, if one has a grievance against another...and over all put on love...let the peace of Christ control your hearts...let the Word of Christ dwell in you richly..." AH! It's so great. I copied the whole passage below. That is everything I've been yearning for...the virtues Paul describes. As Matthew Kelly says in the "Seven Pilliars of Catholic Spirituality," Confession is the number one pilliar because you can't run toward something unless your running away from something else. You can't be free to pursue the Lord with your whole heart unless you empty your heart of attachments to vices and wordly desires. Paul starts off this passage with a renunciation of vice and then says REPLACE those things with the peace of the Lord.

I have fallen down a lot lately. I really haven't been practicing much of anything from Paul's list of virtues. I've been wanting to, trying to, but unable to... and I think it's because I didn't realize how much my holding back emotionally has been nothing but an expression of pride. I've been going through the motions instead of just living in the peace of Christ and opperating out of love and charity. Where can and virtues fit in if I'm allowing pride to control my actions? It's time to cut it out.

There's something else that really hit me. Whenever a passage convicts me, I check out all the references from it.. and that led me to Hebrews 12. "...Let us rid ourselves of every burden and sin that clings to us and persevere in running the race that lies before us while keeping our eyes fixed on Jesus, the leader and perfecter of faith...Consider how he endured such opposition from sinners, in order that yoiu may not grow weary and lose heart. In your struggle against sin you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding blood. You have also forgotten the exhortation addressed to you as sons: 'My son, do not disdain the discipline of the Lord or lose heart when reproved by Him; for whom the Lord loves, he disciplines; he scourges every son he acknowledges.' Endure your trials as 'discipline;' God treats you as sons. For what 'son' is there whom his father does not discipline? If you are without discipline, in which all have shared, you are not sons but bastards."

Yeah.

Colossians 3:5-17

5(A)Therefore consider (B)the members of your earthly body as dead to (C)immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and greed, which amounts to idolatry.
6For it is because of these things that (D)the wrath of God will come [a]upon the sons of disobedience,
7and (E)in them you also once walked, when you were living in them.
8But now you also, (F)put them all aside: (G)anger, wrath, malice, slander, and (H)abusive speech from your mouth.
9(I)Do not lie to one another, since you (J)laid aside the old self with its evil practices,
10and have (K)put on the new self who is being (L)renewed to a true knowledge (M)according to the image of the One who (N)created him--
11a renewal in which (O)there is no distinction between Greek and Jew, (P)circumcised and uncircumcised, [b](Q)barbarian, Scythian, (R)slave and freeman, but (S)Christ is all, and in all.
12So, as those who have been (T)chosen of God, holy and beloved, (U)put on a (V)heart of compassion, kindness, (W)humility, gentleness and (X)patience;
13(Y)bearing with one another, and (Z)forgiving each other, whoever has a complaint against anyone; (AA)just as the Lord forgave you, so also should you.
14Beyond all these things put on love, which is (AB)the perfect bond of (AC)unity.
15Let (AD)the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in (AE)one body; and be thankful.
16Let (AF)the word of [c]Christ richly dwell within you, with all wisdom (AG)teaching and admonishing one another (AH)with psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, (AI)singing with thankfulness in your hearts to God.
17(AJ)Whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, (AK)giving thanks through Him to God the Father.