Your word is a lamp for my feet and a light for my path. (Psalm 119)
John 2:1-12 Jesus’ first miracle, when he turned water into wine, is a pre-figuring of all the transformative work he completed during his ministry on earth and that he continues to flow into us and through our lives, when we make ourselves available. Whether we call it healing, or releasing, or nurturing, or creating, all of the work of Christ Jesus continues to be creative and miraculous – and as common, silent, and flowing as water or wine at a feast. Just as a small amount of water, representing Jesus’ own, and our own, humanity is poured into the chalice of wine for consecration, so we can understand that the water in the clay jars at the wedding of Cana represents us as human souls standing by, and being willing to be transformed and spilled out for the purposes of God’s love. We, like the water that was turned into wine, can be vitally participatory in the sweeping, silent and saving work of the Holy Spirit of Jesus in this world. The saving work of Christ Jesus, in one miraculous hidden moment can change and redeem a wedding feast, a whole community and even on solitary soul. Will I let the ordinary ‘water’ of my being be turned quietly into the ‘wine’ of God’s being to flow into the world around me? Christ Jesus, transform the water of my being to become the wine of your being. Purify our hearts from every evil desire, make us intent on doing your will. (Intercessions, Morning Prayer, Thursday, Week III, Shorter Christian Prayer) Lord you have my heart, and I will search for yours, Jesus, take my life and lead me on. Lord you have my heart, and I will search for yours, Let me be to you a sacrifice. And I will praise you Lord. And I will sing of love come down. And as you show your face, We'll see your glory here! Martin James Smith See a beautiful “Chosen” version of the Miracle of Water Being Turned Into Wine at https://youtu.be/ym-5QPYiBso Soli ad gloriam Gospel Mystery of the Day on FaceBook & www.gospelmysteryoftheday.ca
0 Comments
1 Samuel 3:1-20 & Mark 1:14-20 In this age of social media, an even wider idea of ‘following’ emerges. If Jesus were to have a Facebook page, I wonder how many committed ‘followers’ he would have – watching his every post, responding to his photos with emojies, commiserating with his sorrows and giving a thumbs up to his joys. What Jesus asked of Samuel as a child, and of Simon, Andrew, James and John a working fisherman - and asks of us to day – is that we ‘follow’ him in the full sense of the word, informed by this digital age as well as by the ancient meaning of the original Greek word, akoloutheō [i] or the old English word, folgian, that gives us our present word, ‘follow’. To follow Jesus does not require that that I have status, that I am successful, that I myself have a huge following or even that I know how to heal the sick, raise the dead, and turn water into wine. What is required is that I turn my attention to Christ Jesus and, like the child Samuel or the rough fishermen of Galilee, follow Jesus’ every post, and faithfully say, “Speak, Lord, your servant is listening”. Do I expect Jesus to follow me, or will I follow Jesus? As I follow Jesus, will I actively listen to him to learn from himand to find out what he is up to, and then participate with him in his life in the world today? Holy Spirit of God, help me faithfully follow Jesus in the full sense of the word. Then I said, “Here I am. In the scroll of the book it is written of me. I delight to do your will, O my God; your law is within my heart.” (Psalm 40: 7,8) Our hearts were made for you O Lord, and they are restless until they rest in you. St. Augustine of Hippo [i] “While akoloutheō is almost always translated as “follow” in English translations, it has a broader range of meanings. It can also mean “accompany” and “assist”. …when Jesus was calling people to follow him he wasn’t just saying “tag along”. Jesus didn’t want people to just listen and believe in him from a distance. He was inviting people to come close, to join him, and even help him with his mission. He wanted people to be vitally engaged with him in both learning and doing the work of the gospel. “ Marg Mowczko on the following page: https://margmowczko.com/a-look-at-the-word-follow-akoloutheo/ Soli ad gloriam Gospel Mystery of the Day on FaceBook & www.gospelmysteryoftheday.ca Titus 2:11-3:7 So often it is hard to know how to react to the storm of wild cards thrown at us these days. Workers in agencies and businesses are struggling, health care and human service personnel are running on empty, church programs are flagging and services and social structures that we once took for granted seem to be crumbling. The good news is that Jesus’ own life gives us a pattern for responding to all of these unexpected and sometimes over-whelming experiences. Whether he was hanging back in the Synagogue as a pre-teen, ministering to the crowds under the critical eye of religious leaders, clearing the Temple of its godless add-ons, or walking the Way of the Cross in Jerusalem, Jesus was emotionally self-controlled, morally upright, and culturally rooted and grounded in godliness. Will I respond to my own life circumstances with unleashed emotions, with groveling or ranting rather being than guided by an upright moral stance,, or by resorting to godless ways of the world to attain success? Or will I truly follow Jesus’ way of being self-controlled, upright and godly at all times, and in all places? Holy Spirit of God, help me live self-controlled emotionally, morally upright and in godly ways at all times, with anyone I encounter, in every instance of life. Holy Spirit of God, help me live self-controlled, upright and godly. I will offer to you a thanksgiving sacrifice and call on the name of the Lord. (Psalm 116:13) Our hearts were made for you O Lord, and they are restless until they rest in you. St. Augustine of Hippo Soli ad gloriam Gospel Mystery of the Day on FaceBook & www.gospelmysteryoftheday.ca |
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 |