Your word is a lamp for my feet and a light for my path. (Psalm 119)
Matthew 28:8-15 It is easy enough to proclaim the death and resurrection of Christ Jesus with my life. Every time I experience sin, sorrow or suffering, the death of Christ is made manifest in me. It is much more difficult to proclaim the resurrection of Christ Jesus. It is so difficult, in fact, that the Jewish chief priests and elders agreed together to start a rumor that Jesus did not rise from the tomb but that his disciples had stolen his body from the tomb (in spite of it being heavily guarded by Roman soldiers!). But deceits of the devil and lies of social institutions cannot cover the truth that Jesus’ followers experienced first hand, and knew to be true then, and that we witness over and again today when God’s grace flows into our lives, through faith, hop, and love to transform despair into peace, sadness into joy, and sickness into holiness. Every time I choose to state that death does not have the final victory, that life is worth living as a follower of Jesus, and that nothing can separate us from the love and mercy of God, I proclaim the resurrection of Jesus with my life. Yes, it is hard! Ah yes! But Jesus rose from the dead! Will I allow my life to proclaim not only the death of Christ, but also his resurrection? Christ Jesus, help me proclaim youru death and resurrection with my life. You show me the ways of life. In your presence there is fullness of Joy! (Psalm 16:11) But God raised him up, having freed him from death, because it was impossible for him to be held in its power! The Apostle Peter in Acts 2 www.gospelmysteryoftheday.ca & Gospel Mystery of the Day on Facebook Soli ad gloriam Dei
0 Comments
This Lent we have been called, like it or not, noticeably or not, to become more serious about the three Lenten practices: Fasting -Who hasn’t had to tighten their belt, change their routine and put aside wants in order to meet needs? Prayer –Who hasn’t increased their times of reflection and prayer over the past month? Acts of Charity –We are all witnessing parents staying home with their children, and families re-connecting; we have all heard of extraordinary acts of kindness; everyone has received the gift of time and presence from the skeleton crew of community workers keeping our grocery stores, essential services, care homes and medical services going; and we are all participating in ‘social distancing, ’ despite its challenges, to help keep as many lives as possible safe from the pandemic flu. This is the Mercy of God in action, infusing our lives with faith, hope and love, whether we are aware of it or not. Yes times are hard! Yes, each of us is suffering each in his/ her own way! Yes the psycho-social cost of ‘social distancing’ is difficult to handle! But these are times of Mercy, rather than despair. Let’s change the talk around these times of pandemic flu to reflect not the deceits of the world, the flesh and the darkness of our times, but the truths of life in the Holy Spirit of God. It has been said, even in Church circles, that “Desperate times require desperate measures”… but are we truly desperate? Rather, let us consider these truths, verified by scripture, and 2,000 years of human history:
Isaiah 50: 4-9 Throughout Lent this year, God in his faithfulness seems to have been challenging all of humanity to ‘Be on watch and pray always that you will have the strength to go safely through all those things that will happen and to stand before the Son of Man.’ And no less so this Holy Week. Starting Holy Thursday, we, as Church, as families, as individuals, are called to be like Jesus: to stand up during trials with our eyes high, to kneel in prayer to our Father through our agonies, even to stand up again after we fall, and to finally allow ourselves to be stretched beyond our limits so that, together with Christ Jesus, we too might stand with him in the resurrection from death. Do I have the courage, do I ‘dare to will’ that I stand up together with Christ Jesus through his Passion, Death, and Resurrection? Let me stand up together with you, O Lord, through all trials and troubles so that I might share in your Resurrection. You who seek God, let your hearts revive! (Psalm 69:32) If you look at the world, you’ll be distressed. If you look within, you’ll be depressed. But if you look at Christ, you’ll be at rest . Corrie Ten Boom www.gospelmysteryoftheday.ca & Gospel Mystery of the Day on Facebook Soli ad gloriam Dei Christ Jesus, help me not grow faint or be crushed, but let me help bring forth your kingdom…4/7/2020 Isaiah 42:1-7 Am I serving others? Whether I know it or not, I am following Jesus, who was the King of Creation who stepped into humanity, not to rule, but to serve. Am I a ‘suffering servant’, one whose good service is quickly forgotten and who becomes a kicking post and a ‘sacrificial lamb’ – or a scapegoat? Then I know for certain that I am a committed follower of Christ Jesus – who did not ‘stand up for his own good’, but rather gave all of his own good for others. It is still Jesus –with any of us who follow him as a suffering servant –who gives breath to the people upon earth, and the Spirit of God to those who walk in it. As suffering servants, Jesus can take us by the hand, and keep us; and we in turn can be his light to his beloved people, to open eyes that are blind to the glory of God, to bring prisoners out from their dungeons into the kingdom of God. Will I live into my calling to be a suffering servant, along with Jesus? Christ Jesus, help me not grow faint or be crushed, but let me help bring forth your kingdom. The Lord is the stronghold of my life; of whom shall I be afraid? …I believe that I shall see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living. Wait for the Lord; be strong, and let your heart take courage; wait for the Lord! (Psalm 27:1,13) You know the time; it is the hour now for you to awake from sleep. St. Paul in Romans 13:11 The Lord measures out perfection neither by the multitude nor the magnitude of our deeds, but by the manner in which we perform them. St. John of the Cross www.gospelmysteryoftheday.ca & Gospel Mystery of the Day on Facebook Soli ad gloriam Dei John 12:1-11 & John 13:21-38 Mary Magdalene and Judas Iscariot are two pivotal players in the Passion of the Christ. Each is diametrically opposed to the other; each presents a possible path for me through my own ‘way of the cross’. Mary Magdalene simply focused on Jesus and poured out her love for her friend, neither counting the cost nor demanding anything in return. Judas on the other hand focused on a wide variety of issues – money, political plays, and the staging of Jesus’ final event –and calculated the costs, taking as much gain for himself as possible. Mary Magdalene gained everything, and even had the fortitude to stay with Jesus at the foot of the cross. Judas lost everything, even his soul. Through the remainder of Holy Week, will I, like Judas, focus on the ideals and issues of life or will I, like Mary Magdalene, concentrate on Jesus and pour out all that I am and all that I have for him? Christ Jesus, help me to simply love you. You who seek God, let your hearts revive! (Psalm 69: ) If you look at the world, you’ll be distressed. If you look within, you’ll be depressed. But if you look at Christ, you’ll be at rest . Corrie Ten Boom www.gospelmysteryoftheday.ca & Gospel Mystery of the Day on Facebook Soli ad gloriam Dei |
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 |