Reflection
Piety reverences our Creator God and respects the relationship we share with others. It enables us to live in love and gratitude for God’s presence, God’s providence, and God’s unconditional love. The gift of piety perfects the virtue of justice and enables us to fulfill our obligations to God and neighbor. We live out the two great commandments not because they are commandments but because of our love for God and for our brothers and sisters in God. A person who lives in the spirit of true piety does not live by pious platitudes and superficial practices but in the firm conviction that God is the bedrock of her/his life.
Prayer
Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence?
Psalm 139
Action
Today I will be attentive to God’s presence and grateful for God’s love and provident care. I will try to be attentive to the needs of others.
Suggested Reading
Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.
Psalm 23:4
Be kind one to another; tenderhearted, forgiving one another; even as God for Christ’s sake has forgiven you.
Ephesians 4:32
What then, shall we say in response to this? If God is for us, who can be against us?
Romans 8:31
This gift is not to be identified with having compassion for someone, feeling pity on one’s neighbour; rather, it indicates our belonging to God and our profound relationship with God, a bond that gives meaning to our life and keeps us sound, in communion with God, even during the most difficult and tormenting moments.
Pope Francis
Sit at the gate of my heart.
Teach me your ways.
Meet me in every thought.
Attune my mind to your perceptions.
Open all that is closed within me.
I desire your instruction. I long to receive and share your love.
Joyce Rupp
Both piety and wisdom involve self-command, self-conquest, self-denial, strength of will, and firmness of purpose. But though these qualities are instrumental in the pursuit of piety, they are not its nature. It is the regard for the transcendent, the devotion to God, that constitutes its essence.
Abraham Heschel