Your word is a lamp for my feet and a light for my path. (Psalm 119)
Luke 9:28-36 Living in this world of ours it is too easy to turn away from abundant life and judgmentally consider sin, rather than freely focus on the mercy of God. Family members or colleagues’ transgressions against me or others can become an obsession. News of invasions, bloodshed, or violence can mesmerize me. And my own failings and self-blame can quickly consume my time and energy.This kind of time donated to sin quickly sickens my heart and mind and sucks light, love, and laughter from my soul. But when I turn away from concentrating on sin and instead do, say, and think the Mercy of God with all its complexities and riches, then I will not die by sin, but live within the glory of God. Do I hunger for sin, or for the Mercy of God? Holy Spirit of Jesus, shift my gaze away from sin to your mercy… On the day I called, you answered me and you increased my strength of soul. (Psalm 138:3) This is the hour in which each one of us has to go very deeply into ourselves. We have to begin a pilgrimage, and see to it that our pilgrimage really is a straightening of the ways of the Lord into our lives. Catherine Doherty, Season of Mercy, Prepare for Lent Soli ad gloriam Gospel Mystery of the Day on FaceBook & www.gospelmysteryoftheday.ca
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Esther 14:1-14 When Haman, a trusted advisor to the King was planning to exterminate all of Esther’s people, she fled to the Lord, and prayed! like Esther, anyone always has the freedom and the option to flee to the Lord in prayer in their heart of hearts. There is nothing, St. Paul told us, that can separate us from the love of God. It is only my own forgetfulness, my own self-reliant worry, and my own sin that keep me from turning to God in prayer, and asking for his saving Grace. In these digital times when news reaches us from the ends of the earth within minutes, the waves of disaster and wars of all kinds seem to sweep over humanity unceasingly. It is easy in these times to become paralyzed by faithless fear. But there is always that one best thing to do: to flee to the Lord and pray, “Lord, make yourself known in this time of our affliction, and give me courage… save me from my fear.” God will always answer our heartfelt prayers, gloriously and often in surprising ways, as he answered the prayers of Queen Esther. Will I remember what to do next time I feel the paralysis of faithlessness settling into my soul? Will I flee to the Lord in prayer? Holy Spirit of God, in deadly anxiety I flee to you for your saving grace. On the day I called, you answered me and you increased my strength of soul. (Psalm 138:3) This is the hour in which each one of us has to go very deeply into ourselves. We have to begin a pilgrimage, and see to it that our pilgrimage really is a straightening of the ways of the Lord into our lives. Catherine Doherty, Season of Mercy, Prepare for Lent Soli ad gloriam Gospel Mystery of the Day on FaceBook & www.gospelmysteryoftheday.ca Jonah 3:1-10 When Russia invaded Poland the Thursday before Ash Wednesday this year, my immediate reaction was to listen to all the news I could find… until it sickened me. Then I turned it off and tried to find ways to ‘feel better’. The king of Nineveh knew better. His own, and all of his subjects’, immediate response to Jonah’s prophecies of doom and gloom was to clothe himself in sackcloth, wipe ashes on his face, hands, and feet, fast from all food and drink, and pray. By doing so, the people of Nineveh averted imminent and certain disaster that was predicted for their city. The spiritual dynamic behind the unfolding of the history of the world has not changed since Jonah’s time. In order to remain peacefully in the land God has given us to care for and to enjoy, we need to be well connected to God, without pride, disordered desires, and selfishness at the helm. This requires a ‘contrite’ and ‘humble’ heart, and a body and mind that is aligned with the purity and the purposes of the Holy Spirit of God. Do I know how to come back to God, to penitently turn to him and faithfully seek his Love and his Truth, that is his will? Holy Spirit of God, teach my soul to fast and pray. Create in me a clean heart, O God, and put a new and steadfast spirit within me. Do not cast me away from your presence, and do not ake your holy spirit from me. (Psalm 51:10) We need to find God, and he cannot be found in noise and restlessness. God is the friend of silence. Sts. Teresa of Kolkata For a taste of the prophesies surrounding these days… https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bP38Kw66_bo Soli ad gloriam Gospel Mystery of the Day on FaceBook & www.gospelmysteryoftheday.ca Psalm 34 When I consider what I am afraid of, especially in these days of aggression and uncertainty, I quickly become stuck in a quagmire of conjectures and worries, and lose sight of the path I am travelling in the company of Jesus. Seeking the face of the Lord and waiting in stillness for his answer is the key to being able to escape the clutches of fear and to continue to walk with hope. God my Father, who is Our Father, His Son, the One who walked this earth before us, and the refreshing breath of the Holy Spirit together can counter the downward clutches of any kind of anxieties, whether they are legitimate fears based on fact ,or false and unfounded ideations of my imagination. Will I pay attention to my fears or to the caring attention of the Lord? Deliver me from all my fears, O Lord. I sought the Lord and he answered me, and delivered me from all my fears. (Psalm 34:4) We need to find God, and he cannot be found in noise and restlessness. God is the friend of silence. Sts. Teresa of Kolkata For a taste of the prophesies surrounding these days… https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bP38Kw66_bo More information on Bl. Elena Aiello https://www.mysticsofthechurch.com/2011/09/blessed-elena-aiello-mystic-stigmatic.html Soli ad gloriam Gospel Mystery of the Day on FaceBook & www.gospelmysteryoftheday.ca 1 Peter 1:10-16 & Matthew 6:1-18 The season of Lent is the training ground for living in good connection with God, and with others. St. Peter gave Lenten season advice to the readers of his first letter: “Prepare your minds for action; discipline yourselves; set all your hope on the grace that Jesus Christ will bring you as he is revealed…” So much of the Lenten practices of Fasting, Giving Alms and Praying depends on being able to do what I want to do to align myself with God’s will, and not doing what I don’t want to do, those things that turn me away from God. Like a person preparing to walk the Camino trail, I need true self-discipline during Lent , to help me be constant in my fasting, to continue to give alms of time and talent as well as money, and to be vigorous and tireless in praying. As I trim the fat of my own desires and indulgences and cut away unnecessary appetites, I join my own small ‘sacrifices’ to the passion of Jesus, who gave his life for our sins. As I give of my own substance to those whose needs are so much greater than mine, I join my own small offerings to the great generosity of Christ, who gave his life for our sins. And when I take time to explore the mysteries of prayer and praise, penances and petitions, I join my own clumsy conversations with God to the great communion Jesus had with his Father, as he gave his life for our sins. Will I listen to St. Peter and let the Holy Spirit guide me into the far-reaching depths of true self-discipline this Lent? Holy Spirit, guide me into true self-discipline. Cerate in me a clean heart, O God, and put a new and right spirit within me. (Psalm 51:10) Grant that we may begin with holy fasting this campaign of Christian service, so that as we take up battle against spiritual evils, we may be armed with weapons of self-restraint. Collect for Ash Wednesday 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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