Your word is a lamp for my feet and a light for my path. (Psalm 119)
John 6:44-51 “ ‘Everyone who has heard and learned from the Father comes to me’ ...Very truly, I tell you, whoever believes has eternal life. I am the bread of life,” Jesus proclaimed. Eating bread is one of the most natural and simple actions of physical life. Similarly, learning from the Holy Spirit of God is one of the most natural and simple actions of spiritual vivaciousness. It is simply a turning away from the noise and clatter of pridefulness and materialism, and a turning to Jesus the Lord, for all that is good and life-giving. Indeed, it is not only simple to ‘come to the Lord’, but it is also one of the greatest mysteries, the eating of the Bread of Life, that is Jesus, because it changes my perspective on everything. Today will I turn, learn, and feast on Christ Jesus simply for life? Holy Spirit of God, teach me to come to Jesus. Blessed be God because he has not rejected my prayer or removed his steadfast love from me. (Psalm 66:20) “Rather than a problem to be solved, the world is a joyful mystery to be contemplated with gladness and praise.” Pope Francis, Laudato Si’,14 “Rather than a problem to be solved, the Word is a joyful mystery to be contemplated with gladness and praise.” [a paraphrase] www.gospelmysteryoftheday.ca & Gospel Mystery of the Day on Facebook Soli ad gloriam Dei
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John 6:22-29
Jesus performed phenomenally – feeding 5, 000 men in the desert, spontaneously healing many ailments, walking on the waves, suddenly transporting boats to shore, and who knows what else. But these miracles are not to be our focus; Jesus chastised those of his day who were mesmerized by his signs and wonders. Instead, Jesus invited the people of his day – and us – to do the ‘work of God’. He challenges all who would follow him to day by day believe in Him as the Son of God, and to enter into the simplicity of truth and love that that entails. Am I entranced with the power of Jesus, or am I simply a follower of the One on whom God the Father has set his seal? Christ Jesus, help me do the work of believing in you. Put false ways far from me; and graciously teach me your law. (Psalm 119 ) Easter is the key to the kingdom, that kingdom that begins amongst us –or could, if we stopped living as if God didn’t exist. Catherine Doherty www.gospelmysteryoftheday.ca & Gospel Mystery of the Day on Facebook Soli ad gloriam Dei John 6:19-23
Grief and fear go hand in hand, especially when someone close dies suddenly or gruesomely. These overwhelming emotions have a way of shutting us in, isolating us from ‘normal’ life. Jesus, in his risen glory, cut through the grief of the disciples by finding them behind their closed doors. He extended to them the peace of his presence, the joy of re-connection and the infilling of the Holy Spirit, in order that they might resume the journey they had started with him. So too as much as I try to shut myself away in grief, Jesus can ‘show up’ – in Holy Communion, in lectio divina, in times of prayer –and extend to me the peace of his presence, the joy of re-connection with life and the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. Then I, like the disciples, can go out from my isolation and continue to journey with the Lord of Life. Have I welcomed the risen Christ into my griefs? When grief shuts me in, visit my heart with your risen joy, Christ Jesus. Truly the eye ofthe Lord is on those who fear him, on those who hope in his steadfast love, to deliver their souls from death, and to keep them alive in famine. (Psalm 33:18-19 ) Easter is the key to the kingdom, that kingdom that begins amongst us –or could, if we stopped living as if God didn’t exist. Catherine Doherty www.gospelmysteryoftheday.ca & Gospel Mystery of the Day on Facebook Soli ad gloriam Dei John 6:1-15
One day during Jesus’ ministry, five thousand people in a desert were hungry. Two small fish and five loaves of bread were offered by one small boy. Five thousand people were miraculously given enough food by Jesus to be satisfied –and 12 baskets of leftovers were picked up by his disciples, so that nothing was wasted. This was not a one-off miracle. Rather it was pre-figuring of how Jesus, with the help of his disciples, feeds the hungry, both physically and spiritually whenever someone offers Him what they have. Even today, when I offer Christ Jesus myself and my possessions and allow him to take them, to bless them and to break them apart for re-distribution, I find myself being present at the feeding of the hungry –in church, on the streets, or in my own home. Today the provision of Christ Jesus is no less active than it was in his day – when all that we have is given up to him. Am I willing to give up what I have to feed the hungry in body in soul? Christ Jesus, help me help you feed the hungry. Wait for the Lord; be strong, and let your heart take courage; wait for the Lord! (Psalm 27: ) Easter is the key to the kingdom, that kingdom that begins amongst us –or could, if we stopped living as if God didn’t exist. Catherine Doherty www.gospelmysteryoftheday.ca & Gospel Mystery of the Day on Facebook Soli ad gloriam Dei Alleluia, the Lord is risen! He is risen indeed, Alleluia. A blessed and joyous Easter season to you ! John 3:31-36 Christ Jesus, help me prefer your light over the darkness of disbelief... Disbelief is a fundamental disposition that shuts out the light of Christ from my life. When I decide to ‘do it my way’ it is a vote of non-confidence in the Lord, just as worry and anxiety about the future is, by association, a statement of unbelief in the providence of God. Unfortunately, disbelief has a way of mesmerizing me. I seem to always prefer to analyze my situation rather than turn it over to the Holy Spirit of God. The particulars of how my life is fraught with sin and suffering seem to be more interesting than the simple gifts I receive from God’s mercy each day, and the ultimate gift of Christ’s death on a cross. What is my preference for today? Will I embrace and engage the Light of Christ, or slink away into my bed of disbelief? Christ Jesus, help me prefer your light over the darkness of disbelief. O taste and see that the Lord is good; happy are those who take refuge in him. (Psalm 34: ) Easter is the key to the kingdom, that kingdom that begins amongst us –or could, if we stopped living as if God didn’t exist. Catherine Doherty www.gospelmysteryoftheday.ca & Gospel Mystery of the Day on Facebook Soli ad gloriam Dei Alleluia, the Lord is risen! He is risen indeed, Alleluia. A blessed and joyous Easter season to you ! |
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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