The Celtic Franciscan
Meister Eckhart
Daily Reflections
A daily pause for presence, hope, and practical love.
Receive the reflection each morningOctober 4
Justice and generosity
Good does not need a bargain
Eckhart's critique of merchants in the soul reaches into moral action. A good deed can be performed to obtain approval, security, or a desired response from God. Notice the expectation without condemning the deed itself. Then choose a freer intention. Let the good matter because it is good and because it helps, rather than because it promises to protect your future. On Francis's feast day, let one good act remain free of the need to establish your own goodness.
A small practice for today
Perform one good action without using it as a claim on a reward.
Source and reading note
Sermon 6, pp. 66-71
Meister Eckhart, The Complete Mystical Works, translated by Maurice O’C. Walshe, revised with a foreword by Bernard McGinn, Crossroad, 2009. Page numbers refer to printed pages.
This is an original contemporary reflection, not a quotation or a Bible verse. Eckhart was a Dominican; the Franciscan and interfaith connections are applications of his teachings.
February 29 is a day to revisit February 28 and give its practice more time.