Your word is a lamp for my feet and a light for my path. (Psalm 119)
Genesis 3:1-24 Walking the bike path in winter weather, it is important to stay on the trail. Two steps off, and I sink into snow up to my knees. The boundaries God gives human kind – to not be mesmerized by the knowledge of good and evil, but to adhere to the guidelines God has given us to live in this world that he created – are for our own good. With just a flick of a wrist to take something that is not to be mine, a carelessly spoken word spewing darkness, or the slight turn of foot away from a path of perfection, I can veer off course and end up, like Adam and Eve, hiding from God and struggling to figure out who I am and what my life is about. Will I be content with staying on the path of righteousness, or will I follow my own inclination to step away from God’s way, and spend the rest of my journey slogging through the mire of self-righteous sin and uncertainty? Holy Spirit of God, help me respect your boundaries, and stay on the path of life. So teach us to count our days that we might gain a wise heart. (Psalm 90:12) Be content to be obedient, which is never a small thing for a soul which has chosen God for its portion. Saint Pio of Pietrelcina Soli ad gloriam Gospel Mystery of the Day on FaceBook & www.gospelmysteryoftheday.ca
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Mark 1:29-39 Years ago when I first lived in the Arctic, our power went out during a white-out storm. My husband was away hunting but got a radio message to his Uncle to fetch me and lead me with our baby son on my back to the safety of his home, just a few houses away. As we stepped out of the house into the terrific winds and driving snow, my husband’s Uncle, a traditional Inuit hunter who had weathered many a storm, motioned for me to hold onto the tail of his parka, thus protecting me from the driving snow and from losing him in the swirling white that obliterated even my own feet, as he led me to shelter. Today, with all of the ‘culture of death’ winds of change blindingly swirling around us, I need a professional ‘man of the land’, who has weathered many a storm and knows where to go, a.k.a. Christ Jesus, to lead me and my children through the maelstroms of life. It is the Holy Spirit of God, in Jesus, who can lead me to the safety and shelter of the merciful kingdom of God, away from the coldness of a civilization where the ‘power has been cut’ and we are stranded, but for the one who knocks at the door of our hearts to lead us forward through the uncertainties of life. Will I hold onto Jesus’ coattails and allow him to lead me to his home? Holy Spirit of God, lead me through all temptation. The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? (Psalm 27:1) In the matter of purity, there is no greater danger than not fearing the danger. Saint Philip Neri Soli ad gloriam Gospel Mystery of the Day on FaceBook & www.gospelmysteryoftheday.ca Mark 1:29-39 Without a doubt, Jesus’ three years of public ministry was rigorous and very dynamic. Before that, at least from the age of twelve, he was known privately to be a young man who was wise beyond his years, and clearly a person of great strength in heart, mind, soul and body. In recounting one Sabbath in Jesus’ life, St. Mark demonstrates Jesus’ way of life that kept him mentally, spiritually, and physically fit. He gave alms, that is he continually gave of his own resources; as the Son of his Father, Jesus had the discernment and the power to heal and so he patiently ministered not only to his friend’s mother in law, but also to ‘the whole city’ that was gathered at the door of his house. Jesus fasted; although he must have been exhausted from dealing with the crowd ‘after sunset’ and perhaps through the night, ‘while it was still very dark’ Jesus left rest and comfort behind and went to a deserted place to spend time with his Father. Jesus prayed; Jesus realized what all the holy people and saints throughout the millennia have discovered, that committed prayer is one’s life-line to God’s wisdom and grace, to do what we are to do and be what we are to be. Will I take up Jesus’ routine of praying, fasting and giving alms? Christ Jesus, teach me to pray, fast, and give alms like you… I have become all things to all people, that I might by all means save some. (Colossians 9: 22 ) It is only because he became like us that we can become like him. Dietrich Bonhoeffer, “The Cost of Discipleship” Soli ad gloriam Gospel Mystery of the Day on FaceBook & www.gospelmysteryoftheday.ca Hebrews 12:18 -24 Human beings are designed primarily to be the temple of the Living God. Scripture reminds us time and again that the Holy Spirit of God seeks to be at home within us; the more place we give God in our lives, the more present Life, and Light, and Love become to us. Sitting in silent adoration in a church, pausing on a pathway to behold sunshine glinting off freshly fallen snow, listening to the thrum of our rushing blood and gentle breathing in the night watches – these and many other moments in our life provide pause to ponder God’s gracefull love moving within, around, and through our beings. When I ponder the love of God within me as a temple of the Holy Spirit, then I am able to reach out in peace to others, and consider his love at work in them as well. Today, will I pause to ponder the love of God within me, within others? Holy Spirit, help me ponder your love in your temple. We ponder your love in the midst of your temple. Your name, O God, like your praise, reaches to the ends of the earth. (Psalm 48:9) You have made us for yourself, O Lord, and our hearts are restless until they rest in you. Saint Augustine of Hippo Soli ad gloriam Gospel Mystery of the Day on FaceBook & www.gospelmysteryoftheday.ca Hebrews 2:10 -18 Whether it is conducted in the development of vaccines or human beings, testing pushes limits and determines whether the strength needed is there, and often builds capacity in the process. When human beings are tested through the clinical trials of life, through injustice, loneliness, poverty, rejection, or suffering of any kind, we have opportunity to push through our natural limits of courage and perseverance, and find the true gifts of humility, true identity as a child of God, and the eternal resources of Faith, Hope and Love. In a world where the seven deadly sins run rampant, temptations of all degrees swirl around me continuously, testing my faith, hope and love in God. Sometimes these tests of spiritual strength seem to be so sneaky and thick that I lose my bearings and am tempted to just let go and float along in the current of godlessness. But whenever I turn to Christ Jesus, and even pronounce his name, Jesus, or “God Saves” I proclaim the truth – that by the Life and Light of the Son of God, who is the Son of Man, I am able and strong enough to live through even the most rigorous testing and continue on strong in the holiness and liveliness of Christ. When I am tested, will I let the deceiver impale me with anger, fear and depression, or turn to Jesus for clarity and strength? Holy Spirit of Jesus, help me when I am tested. Therefore lift your drooping hands and strengthen your weak knees, and make straight paths for your feet, so that whatever is lame may not be put out of joint, but rather be healed. (Hebrews 12:12) A dead thing can go with the stream, but only a living thing can go against it. G.K. Chesterton For more information on testing in these present times, see Winning the Culture War, by Peter Kreeft at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tm08x8YiuXk 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
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