Your word is a lamp for my feet and a light for my path. (Psalm 119)
Acts 22:3 – 23:11 & Psalm 16
Paul was heading to prison in Rome.To many it seemed that this was diminishment, capture by the ‘bad guys’, and certain death. Indeed his imprisonment was all of these, yet it was also a path of life for Paul. Being sent to prison in Rome, Paul avoided being torn apart by the crowds of Jerusalem. It was also from his prison cell that Paul wrote several letters to churches that are still inspiring Christians today. Am I willing to embrace a path of life, even when it includes hardship and at first glance seems ‘counter-productive’ ? Holy Spirit of God, show me the path of life. I keep the Lord always before me; ... Therefore my heart is glad, and my soul rejoices; my body also rests secure. (Psalm 16) I believe in Christ like I believe in the sun; not because I can see it, but by it I can see everything else. C.S. Lewis Soli gloriam dei .
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John 21:15-19
No matter what is going on around me, or within me, the Holy Spirit can continue to coach me in true wisdom, as much as I open my heart to understanding. When our risen Lord questions Peter after breakfast beside the sea, we hear Peter’s impatience with being repeatedly asked the question, “Do you love me?” It seems that Jesus’ calling to Peter’s heart is being wasted. And yet, as time proceeded it is clear that in the secret places of his heart, even bumbling, impatient, disloyal Peter allowed the Holy Spirit to purify and instruct him in the wisdom of godly love and courage. This infusion of Holy Wisdom into his life was enough to carry him through his vigorous ministry as the first Bishop of the Church and his eventual martyrdom. Holy Spirit, in the secret of my heart teach me wisdom. The Holy Spirit will teach you all things and remind you of all I have said to you. (Psalm 16) I believe in Christ like I believe in the sun; not because I can see it, but by it I can see everything else. C.S. Lewis Soli gloriam dei . Acts 20: 17-2_7 & John 17:1-11
Our life’s work –my life’s work –is primarily to bear witness to the grace and mercy of God. In fulfilling this purpose, I may give birth to books or buildings or other ‘lasting’ legacies, but human history has proven that in the end it is the love my life has expressed that has the most impact. What does this work of witnessing to the ‘good news’ look like? It shows up in my life as The Beatitudes – living in simplicity, humility, mercy, purity of heart, peace, embracing grief or even persecution and desiring only the rightness of God. Holy Spirit, help me, like Christ Jesus or even St. Paul, finish the work you have given me to do by testifying to the good news of God’s grace. Blessed be God who daily bears us up; God is our salvation. (Psalm 68:19) Jesus cannot give himself to us unless we welcome him into our hearts. Jean Vanier in The Scandal of Service: Jesus Washes Our Feet Soli gloriam dei . Acts 20: 17-27
The cross stands throughout all of history, above all of human culture and crisis, as a sign of God’s mercy and connection with humankind. When Jesus Christ, God of woman and man of God, was obedient to the diminishment and torture that any of the most misunderstood members of our human race are exposed to, he addressed the debasement and suffering of human kind on any level for all time. And when he rose again, he proclaimed for all time God’s mercy, based as it is on unconditional love and forgiveness. As human beings we are designed to line up with this immortal direction in our lives; when I align my life with the cross of Christ, I find my own humanity, I discover the humanity of others, and find my way home to the nearer presence of God. Christ Jesus, in all people reveal the compass of the cross. God gives the desolate a home to live in. (Psalm 68) Jesus cannot give himself to us unless we welcome him into our hearts. Jean Vanier in The Scandal of Service: Jesus Washes Our Feet Soli gloriam dei . Acts 18:1-8 & Romans 14:12-19
Jesus calls us not to disconnect, but to connect with one another peacefully and without judgement. In our culture today, it is so easy instead to ‘go with the flow’ to pursue fame, fortune and success, rather than to develop heartfelt and nurturing connection with each other. But when I get off the treadmill of things, and focus on the beings in my life –family, friends and acquaintances I meet along the journey of life – God’s mercy has room to flow back and forth through me, to and from others. Then I will be able to ‘sing a new song to the Lord’ with body, mind and soul. Holy Spirit of God, help me pursue what leads to peace and to building up one another. Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the earth; break forth into joyous song and sing praises. (Psalm 98) Pride makes us artificial and humility makes us real. Thomas Merton Soli 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
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