Your word is a lamp for my feet and a light for my path. (Psalm 119)
1 Samuel 24:2-21
King Saul continued to hunt him down even though David had been anointed the rightful king of Israel for several years. Surely David had every right to take revenge and claim what was his! But given the opportunity to kill Saul, and even urged on by his supporters, David stood on God’s foundation of relationships and simply cut a piece of Saul’s cloak to open up ‘good’ dialogue with the king. Like Saul and David, I too have a choice: to do vengeance myself and be resent-full, or to do good and be good –to everyone. Who blocks my path today? Will I do good and be good to her, to him? Lord God, help me to allow you to work out my struggles, and choose obedience to your will, doing good and being good to everyone. In the shadow of your wings I will take refuge, until the destroying storms pass by. (Psalm 57: 1) Because we try to preach the Gospel with our lives, we offer ourselves as the needle, the thread, the patch –for others. Catherine Doherty in The People of the Towel and Water Soli gloriam dei .
0 Comments
1 Samuel 18:6-19:7
_ By the time he was a successful king, Saul had turned away from God and based his relationships on his own ego, “They have ascribed to David ten thousands, and to me they have ascribed (only) thousands.” But David, the shepherd and king, based his relationships on his connection with God, “I come to you in the name of the Lord of Hosts.” Like Saul, with my own self as the main reference point, I stand to be consumed by jealousy, envy, misunderstanding and vengeful thinking. With God as the foundation of all of my relationships, I, like David and like Christ Jesus, have better understanding, am able to forgive others and to practice mercy, both received from God and extended to those around me. Lord God, be to [me] the foundation of relationships. This I know, that God is for me. In the Lord, whose word I praise, in God I trust; I am not afraid. (Psalm 56:10, 11) We are loved by Christ who identified with us by becoming one with us even at the expense of death. In his dying, he was able to love and forgive his executioners because he knew who he was. Calvin Miller Soli gloriam dei Samuel 17:32-51
God’s way of dealing with ‘giants’ is often simple and unassuming. David, relying on God’s will being accomplished, used a rawhide sling and a smooth pebble to fell Goliath –when he tipped back his head to ridicule the shepherd boy. When I face the giants of tangled relationships, knotted circumstances or huge barriers to good and just outcomes, I need to check into God’s ways. Will I rely on the high powered rifles of sharp rhetoric, the armour of sagely controlled relationships, highly crafted human strategies, and my favourite tools of destruction? Or will I instead pick up my rawhide sling of faith and choose ‘five small pebbles’ that are simple words of kindness, empathy and prayer inspired by the Holy Spirit of God? Lord God, teach me how to overcome the giants in my life. The Lord does not save by sword and spear; for the battle is the Lord’s. (1 Samuel 17:47) It is people who are important, not the masses. Dorothy Day Soli gloriam dei . 1 Samuel 16:1-13
Left to my own devices I make choices based on ego-centric tendencies of fame, fortune and success. In this way I often substitute ‘good’ for the ‘best’ that God’s choices have to offer. Embracing God’s choices means that I choose order out of chaos, beauty out of simplicity, peace out of conflict, and life out of the clutches of death. Today, will I choose relationship over gain, humility over pride and faithfulness over gathering things to myself? Lord God, help me embrace your choices. O Lord, I trust in your merciful love. My heart will rejoice in your salvation. (Psalm 13:5) We always find that those who walked closest to Christ were those who had to bear the greatest trials. Sr. Teresa of Avila Soli gloriam dei . Psalm 21
I so often find fleeting joy in the things of this world. But experience has proven that these joys, even the joy of an new job, the wonders of an art exhibit, or the humming of a new machine are fleeting and soon lose their shine. It is so good to rest gladly in the unchanging joy of the presence of God. Magnificently visible in the natural world in every sunset and each tree reaching up to heaven, and in humanity, in every person who wanders through my life, the presence of God remains a mystery. When I gladly turn my mind away from all the dirt of despair and the burrs of bitterness that my life has collected over the years, to the immeasurable mysteries of Life, Light and Beauty in creation and especially in God, then I find deep and lasting Joy in the presence of God. Lord God, let me be glad in the joy of your presence. The Lord sent me to bring good news to the poor and freedom to prisoners. (Luke 4:18) God is ever is prying the lids off our closed minds to let in the light of his holiness. Calvin Miller Soli gloriam dei . |
AuthorBeverly Illauq lives in Kemptville, Ontario, where she greets each morning by seeking the Gospel Mystery of the Day - the Word of the Lord for direct and practical application to the specific challenges & joys of the day. Archives
March 2024
Categories |