Your word is a lamp for my feet and a light for my path. (Psalm 119)
John 20:11-21 To be able to dwell in the light of Christ, with all the wisdom, warmth and wellbeing of heart, mind, soul and strength that it encompasses, is the greatest privilege for any man, woman or child. How do I come into the light of Christ? Jesus tells us to ‘do what is true’. When I pray out of obligation I am not being true to my own heart. When I eat fast food fast to satiate driving hungers I am over-riding the design of my being. When I ‘do right’ with resentment or any kind of agenda for power and control, I am building a false and faulty presence in the world that is of my own design. But when I pray in heartfelt conversation with my Father in heaven, I am being true to the deep mystery of my being. When I eat, or consume anything, with a sense of gratitude and blessings, taking care to give as much as I receive, my heart, mind, soul and body are filled with the harmonics of God’s mercy. When I do right mindfully for the love of God, I am being true to God’s vision for human community and connections - with God, with the earth, with the people in my life, and with the world at large. Will I do what is true, or be false to my heritage as a beloved child of God? Holy Spirit of God, help me do what is true so I might come to the light of Christ. But those who do what is true come to the light, so that it may be clearly seen that their deeds have been done in God. (John 3:21) Be who God meant you to be and you will set the world on fire! Pope St. John Paul II Soli ad gloriam Gospel Mystery of the Day on FaceBook &www.gospelmysteryoftheday.ca
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John 20:19-31 When the disciples who were gathered in the upper room were visited by their Risen Lord, they beheld the Mercy of God in concrete form in the shape of Jesus’ glorified, though crucified, body; Jesus had died and was living again! ‘Doubting Thomas’ was not present for this first appearance of Jesus, but when the Lord appeared again to his followers eight day later, He challenged Thomas to be-hold - to not only see, but also to touch – how the Mercy of God had turned despair into hope, hatred into love, and death into new and eternal life. Jesus’ body had been a vessel, even a crucible, for his Father’s Mercy. He had met the injustice, rejection, and even cruelty, of the social system of his day with humility and forgiveness, fortitude and love, and had thus become a living, breathing receptacle of God’s love and grace from which God’s mercy could flow to others. Will I, like the disciples behold the Mercy of God in the person of Christ Jesus? Will I, like Jesus, allow myself to be-hold, to become a receptacle, even a crucible, of God’s mercy by meeting injustice, rejection, and even cruelty, in my day with humility, forgiveness, fortitude and love, so that God’s Mercy can flow through my being to others? Holy Spirit of God, help me be-hold your mercy. With great power the apostles gave their testimony to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and great grace was upon them all. (Acts 4:33) There is nothing more man needs than Divine Mercy – that love which is benevolent, which is compassionate, which raises [man] above [his] weakness to the infinite heights to the holiness of God. Pope St. John Paul II Soli ad gloriam Gospel Mystery of the Day on FaceBook & www.gospelmysteryoftheday.ca Luke 24:35 – 48 Peace was so often a main idea in Jesus’ teachings during his ministry on earth. After his resurrection he is recorded as saying “Peace be with you” as he appeared to his disciples, time after time. It was this Peace of Christ – a peace that the world cannot give – that allowed Jesus to carry on his rigorous ministry throughout the countryside of Israel from the time of his Baptism. It was holy Peace that gave Him the courage and insight to confront the Evil One in the desert and in the mouths and eyes of the religious authorities who tried to shut him down. And it was the Peace and Love from his Father that allowed Jesus to go through the abandonment, the offences, and the pain, of his Passion and crucifixion. This was the Peace Jesus extended to his disciples when he showed up after his resurrection in his crucified body in their midst. And it is this profound Peace that Jesus holds out to us today, whenever we turn to him for help. Will I receive the Peace of Christ Jesus, the Peace of God the Father, to guide me through the hills and valleys, the swamps and the rough roads, of my life’s journey? Holy Spirit, help me receive the Peace of Christ Jesus. This is the Lord’s doing; it is marvellous in our eyes. This is the day that the Lord has made, let us rejoice and be glad in it. (Psalm 118:23, 24) Often remind yourself that you are in the presence of God. St. Jean Baptiste de la Salle Soli ad gloriam Gospel Mystery of the Day on FaceBook www.gospelmysteryoftheday.ca Gospel Mystery of the Day Wednesday, April 7, 2021 Easter Tuesday Good Morning! Your word is a lamp for my feet and a light for my path. (Psalm 119) John 20:11-18 & Luke 24:13-35 & Acts 3:1-10 During the week after Easter, as Jesus entered into people’s lives he did not announce his arrival, but quietly came to them, drawing them gradually into the mystery of His presence. Mary Magdalene, having conversed so woefully for a few minutes with ‘the gardener’ at the tomb, only recognized Jesus when He spoke her name, voicing who she was, and taking her focus away from death to the light and life of his countenance. Her response? Ecstatic joy – and running off to tell the others. The disciples on the way to Emmaus having talked with Jesus for miles on the road only recognized Him in the breaking of the bread, when he raised his hands, voice, and heart in thanksgiving to his Father for the bread of life and the cup of saving grace. Their response? Ecstatic joy! And then hurrying back to Jerusalem to tell the others. The man lame from birth on the road to the temple was asking for alms, as he had done for years, when he encountered the risen Lord in the ministry of Peter and John; he recognized Christ Jesus at work when Peter healed him in the name of his Master . His response? Ecstatic joy – and walking and leaping and praising God into the temple. Jesus quietly enters my life and waits for me to recognize him as well: when he calls my name; ‘sups’ with me in my heart; heals my lameness, of mind, soul or body; or enters my reality in any of a myriad of other ways. Will I recognize Jesus present in my life today? Will I, too, ‘run’ to tell others about our Risen Lord ? Christ Jesus, help me recognize you as you come into my life. Glory in his holy name; let the hearts of those who seek the Lord rejoice. See the Lord and his strength; seek his presence continually. (Psalm 105:3,4) Faith is to believe what you do not see; the reward of this faith is to see what you believe. St. Augustine of Hippo Soli ad gloriam Gospel Mystery of the Day on FaceBook & www.gospelmysteryoftheday.ca Acts 2:14-33 Who better to teach me the ways of life than the Master, Jesus of Nazareth, who has raised so many others to life? Who better knows the ways of life than the One who died such a tortuous and unjust death and then returned to life? When Jesus rose again to new life, he lived the ways of life he had proclaimed during his ministry on earth. We witness the many simple ways the risen Jesus interacted with others during the 40 days he walked the earth following the Resurrection: being present in heart and body to those who recognized him; extending peace first and foremost to everyone he met; walking and talking with those he encountered; tracing the Grace of God’s mercy in all of his conversations; encouraging his friends in their work; making a meal from the fruits of their labours and eating with them; and sending out his followers to point others to the mercy of God. When I rise from each small death on my own journey through life and live into each rising again, will I do it ‘my way’, or follow Christ Jesus in his ways of connection, encouragement, faith, and peace? Christ Jesus, make known to me your ways of life. You show me the path of life. In your presence there is fullness of joy; in your right hand is goodness forevermore. (Psalm 16:11) Faith is to believe what you do not see; the reward of this faith is to see what you believe. St. Augustine of Hippo 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
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