Your word is a lamp for my feet and a light for my path. (Psalm 119)
John 4:5-42 The Samaritan woman at the well in Sychar was just surviving. As a woman of many men, it seems she was too ashamed to go to the well in the cool of the day in the day with the other women. She barely considered herself worthy of recognition by anyone, let alone a Jewish man. But Jesus was a man who neither lusted for her body nor condemned her for her history. It was Jesus who helped her tell her truth and offered her a far greater gift than any cool well water – he offered her the cleansing and restorative work of the Holy Spirit within her heart. How could she be worthy of the attention of a holy man? How could she be offered, let alone receive, any gift from God? By acknowledging the truth and receiving the fact of holy Mercy the woman at the well found living water, the ‘gift of God’ that so many others did not recognize, let alone receive. We too, no matter how unworthy we feel because of past errors and present guilt, are also offered this gift of God: the living water that is available just for the asking, living water that will clean out the pockets of rot and decay – that is, sin – within our souls. How do I know this gift of God? When I bring the truth of who and where I am in heart, mind, soul and strength, and realize that I am still loved, then I can perceive Christ Jesus present in spirit and in truth and commune with him, and drink deeply of his Mercy. Am I just surviving like the Samaritan woman? Or will I recognize and receive the gift of life, of living water? Will I receive the myriad and various gifts of spirit that Christ Jesus is always and everywhere holding out to anyone who comes to Him and converses with Him, in spirit and in truth? Holy Spirit of Jesus, help me recognize and know the gift of God. O that today you would listen to his voice! Harden not your hearts. (Psalm 95:8) Above all the grace and the gifts that Christ gives to his beloved is that of overcoming self. Saint Francis of Assisi Soli ad gloriam Dei Gospel Mystery of the Day on FaceBook & www.gospelmysteryoftheday.ca
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Matthew 21: 33-46 The difference between the hands of God and the hands of those who hate me is that God’s hands heal and haters’ hands hurt. In the winter, out of haste, I don’t always wear gloves when doing outdoor chores. The small fissures that open up beside my finger nails from repeated freezings remind me that wearing gloves is better because my thumbs in particular become so painful to touch. Fortunately, the application of ointment helps. Within minutes of applying a thick layer of zinc cream, the sore spots are soothed and protected from further immediate harm. God’s protection is like healing ointment. It is not just a glove that I put on and take off at will. It is a soothing ointment that I knowingly select, that softens, penetrates, heals and soothes me from the bumps and bangs of life, and protects me from the infection of evil entering the ‘blood stream’ of my being. It is good to keep the protection of God’s mercy ‘on hand’. Unlike the self-made and sin-full Pharisees and scribes who did not use God’s mercy, Jesus, who personified the mercy of God, well knew the healing and protective qualities of his Father’s love. Even when he was suffering excruciating pain on the cross at the hands of those who hated him, Jesus was still able to receive the unconditional love of his Father and apply it like an ointment to the lives of all who witnessed his crucifixion and realized he was the Messiah. Even for those who had participated in his torture and death, the Son of God who was the Son on Man, held out the ointment of salvation to his accusers and torturers, by asking his Father to forgive those who did not know what they were doing. Will I keep the protective ointment of God’s great mercy always ‘on hand’ to soothe not only my own soul, but the souls of others? Holy Spirit of God, protect me from the hands of all who hate me. The Lord, who forgives all your iniquity, who heals all your diseases, who redeems your life form the Pit, crowns you with steadfast love and mercy. (Psalm 103) A single act of love makes the soul return to life... The Cross is the school of love. Saint Maximilian Kolbe Soli ad gloriam Dei Gospel Mystery of the Day on FaceBook & www.gospelmysteryoftheday.ca Jeremiah 17:5-10 & Luke 16:19-31 Jeremiah’s word from the Lord illustrates the consequences of giving into the temptations that are common to humankind: Cursed are those who trust in mere mortals and make mere flesh their strength, whose hearts turn away from the Lord. They shall be like a shrub in the desert, and shall not see when relief comes. They shall live in the parched places of the wilderness, in an uninhabited salt land. The siren call of sin often starts with ‘just one little step’ away from the water of life. But that one step leads into several more steps on the misty flats, until I almost forget to check my surroundings - and to check in with the One who can break through the fog of sin within my heart, mind and soul. But as soon as I turn to Jesus, and ask for his help and healing, I am able to break through into the light of who I truly am – a beloved son/ daughter of God, designed to know and trust in the Lord. It takes clarity born of prayer and praise to God, to be able to discern the danger of temptations that swirl around and through my life. It takes courage to admit my error, that that ‘one little step’ away from the Mercy of God was not life-giving but death-dealing, and to ask Jesus for help and healing to go back to the Father. And it takes steely self-discipline to seek out only those thoughts, words, and actions, that are founded on trust in, the truth of, and time for, the Mercy of our Father in heaven. Will I, with the help of the Lord, keep myself free from sin so that the Holy Spirit, - given so abundantly and generously by Jesus to his disciples for all ages – can come in and stay at home within my heart, mind, soul and strength? Christ Jesus, help me keep free from sin to let the Holy Spirit in. Blessed are those who trust in the Lord, whose trust is the Lord. They shall be like a tree planted by water, sending out its roots by the stream. It shall not fear when heat comes, and its leaves shall stay green; in the year of drought it is not anxious and it does not cease to bear fruit. (Jeremiah 17, 8-10) My past, O Lord, to your Mercy; my present, to your Love; my future, to your Providence! Saint Padre Pio Soli ad gloriam Dei Gospel Mystery of the Day on FaceBook & www.gospelmysteryoftheday.ca Gospel Mystery of the Day Saturday, March 4, 2023
Good Morning! Your word is a lamp for my feet and a light for my path. (Psalm 119) Matthew 7:7-12 Temptations come in all shapes and sizes, each designed to turn us away, just a little or a lot, from the merciful presence of God. Some temptations are clearly evil, and turning away takes little effort. But it is the temptations that give us ‘fairly good’ choices that are the slippery slope to becoming less than we are designed to be. How to know the difference between a temptation that takes us away from God, and a discernment of God’s holy will that brings us into his nearer presence? Jesus gives the key! He told the crowds – and you and me – to ‘Seek (God’s will) and you will find it; knock (on the door of God’s mercy) and it will be opened to you; and to ask (for discernment about a thought, a word, a deed) and you shall receive it.’ Will I take time in the moments of my life to seek, knock and ask to find the next step forward in this journey with Jesus? Holy Spirit, help me resist temptations and do your holy will. Teach me your way, O Lord, that I may be faithful in your sight; Give me an undivided heart to revere your name. (Psalm 86:11) An attachment can empty you of both holy solitude and the spirit and joy of God. Saint John of God Soli ad gloriam Dei Gospel Mystery of the Day on FaceBook & www.gospelmysteryoftheday.ca Matthew 6:7-15 Jesus spoke a great deal about forgiveness. Of all the eight phrases in the Lord’s Prayer, it is the practice of forgiveness that He chose to underscore after teaching his disciples to pray. It is inevitable that each of us is sinned against by others. Whether it is my son barking back at me, a neighbour gossiping about another’s personal affairs, an assault on the street, social media affronts, or a government that uses our tax dollars to support abortion clinics, I am hurt, slandered, wronged and even persecuted on a daily basis. Every day there is at least one person or one system I need to release from my heart, to forgive – and not speak resentfully about to others. If I do not forgive others, I am subscribing to darkness. But if I choose to forgive and release other’s unrighteousness from my own heart and mind, then I can freely bask in the Light of God’s extraordinary love. As I go about my life hour by hour, will I collect and harbor the sins of others, setting my mind on the unrighteousness of others, or even seek vengeance? Or will I hear Jesus’ counsel and consider how God forgives me, so that I can live into wholeness of life by forgiving others? Holy Spirit, help me forgive and release all who sin against me. Teach me your way, O Lord, that I may be faithful in your sight; Give me an undivided heart to revere your name. (Psalm 86:11) Freedom is not the ability to do anything we want, whenever we want. Rather, FREEDOM is the ability to live responsibly the truth of our relationship with God and with one another. Saint Pope John Paul II Soli ad gloriam Dei 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
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