Daily Devotion

Reflection: Terry
Voice: Li Huan

Be a Quasimodo

Audio

Today is Wednesday, the 21st of May. Let us gather our scattered thoughts and fix our eyes on Him.

We declare with the psalmist in Psalm 30:1-7, 11-12

I will extol you, O Lord, for you have drawn me up
    and have not let my foes rejoice over me.
² O Lord my God, I cried to you for help,
    and you have healed me.
³ O Lord, you have brought up my soul from Sheol;
    you restored me to life from among those who go down to the pit.^[a]

⁴ Sing praises to the Lord, O you his saints,
    and give thanks to his holy name.
⁵ For his anger is but for a moment,
    and his favor is for a lifetime.
Weeping may tarry for the night,
    but joy comes with the morning.

⁶ As for me, I said in my prosperity,
    “I shall never be moved.”
⁷ By your favor, O Lord,
    you made my mountain stand strong;
you hid your face;
    I was dismayed.

...

¹¹ You have turned for me my mourning into dancing;
    you have loosed my sackcloth
    and clothed me with gladness,
¹² that my glory may sing your praise and not be silent.
    O Lord my God, I will give thanks to you forever!

Glory to the Father, and to the Son,
and to the Holy Spirit:
as It was in the beginning, is
now, and shall be forever. Amen.

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The Scripture Reading is 1 Peter 2:1-3:

So put away all malice and all deceit and hypocrisy and envy and all slander.² Like newborn infants, long for the pure spiritual milk, that by it you may grow up into salvation— ³ if indeed you have tasted that the Lord is good.

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Reflection

Just as in Paul’s letters, we may be surprised that after such grand theological teaching—like Peter gives in chapter one—we’re then called to live out simple, everyday virtues.

In 1 Peter 2:1, the apostle writes:

“Put away all malice and all deceit and hypocrisy and envy and all slander.”

These five “villains” are more connected than we might think—malice, deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and slander often come as a package deal. Where one appears, the others are likely lurking nearby, quietly taking up residence in the hidden corners of our hearts.

If you find yourself constantly criticizing, comparing, or judging others, perhaps the Spirit is nudging you today. God’s Word is saying clearly: it’s time to put these things away.

In contrast, Peter calls us to be like “newborn infants” (v.2). He’s not urging us to return to immaturity, but rather pointing to the pure desire of a baby. A newborn doesn’t crave distractions—it craves milk, because it knows that milk is essential for growth.

In the same way, we are to crave the pure spiritual milk of God’s Word. Do you remember when you first met Christ? The freshness of that season? The hunger to know Him? There was no room for spiritual pride or comparison—just a single-minded longing for God.

This deep craving for spiritual nourishment is reflected in the Latin phrase “Quasimodogeniti”, meaning “as newborn babes.” It’s the traditional name for the Second Sunday of Easter, a day when new believers, recently baptized on Easter Eve, would shed their white garments and return to ordinary clothes. The change in attire marked the end of the Easter Octave—but their spiritual hunger was only beginning.

And yes, the name “Quasimodo” may ring a bell—pun intended! That’s the name Victor Hugo gave to the famous hunchback in The Hunchback of Notre Dame, found abandoned at Notre Dame Cathedral on that very Sunday by Archdeacon Claude Frollo.

So, here’s the challenge:
Will you stay a spiritual newborn in the best sense of the word?
Will you be a Quasimodo in your longing for God—single-minded, earnest, undistracted?

Remember Peter’s moment with Jesus in John 21:21–23, when he looked over at another disciple and asked, “Lord, what about him?” Jesus replied, “What is that to you? As for you—follow Me.”

So today, put away malice, deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and slander.
And put on hunger—a hunger for God’s Word, for His presence, and for a life formed by His truth.

Be a Quasimodo.
Crave God like a newborn. Follow Him like it’s your first day again.

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We end with praying this Collect:

Almighty and eternal God,
so draw our hearts to you,
so guide our minds,
so fill our imaginations,
so control our wills,
that we may be wholly yours,
utterly dedicated unto you;
and then use us, we pray, as you will,
and always to your glory and the welfare of your people;
through our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.

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We leave you with this beautiful song written by Earnest and Ming Li, Life Ordinary

In the ordinary

Love your God and fellow Man
Love your God and fellow Man
In every neighbor see a brother, and enemy a friend
Know the Church is meant to serve
Know the Church is meant to serve
And in our serving we are sowing,
living seeds on earth
The kind that brings new birth

CHORUS
In the ordinary
In the daily ordinary
For there our testimony
Will be a liturgy
Sacred liturgy
In life ordinary

To be like Jesus where we are
Be like Jesus where we are
In the nature of a servant and not a superstar
Yet we say but cannot do
Lord we say but cannot do
How we need the Holy Spirit
To help us carry through
Our plans to follow You
 
In the plain and simple
Live as sacramental
With the least of those He loves
In the ordinary
Let daily testimony
Be a sacred liturgy
Let daily testimony
Be a sacred liturgy
In life ordinary

Link to today’s Morning Office