Genesis 17:1-22

Knowing that God had promised him an heir, Abraham waited for a while and then took things into his own hands. He conceived [a son] with Hagar, the beautiful handmaid of his wife– with Sarai’s permission! – in contravention of the marriage covenant the Israelites had received in the law of Moses.  Although God blessed Ishmael, the illegitimate son, the plan for the salvation of humankind was carried through –in good season- with the birth of Isaac through Abraham and Sarah, in the order of God’s design for humanity. Am I willing to wait for the promises of God to become a reality in my life –in due season? Holy Spirit, help me live into your ways, not my own.    


Happy the one who fears the Lord who walks in his ways. You shall eat the fruit of the labour of your hands; you shall be happy and it shall go well with you. (Psalm 128:1)

May my life be a continual prayer, a long act of love.
Saint Elizabeth of the Trinity
 
For further thought on this prayer, see Bishop Robert Barron’s homily:
 
https://www.wordonfire.org/resources/homily/spiritual-shock-therapy/638/
                                                                                                                
www.gospelmysteryoftheday.ca  
Soli gloriam dei.

Acts 12:1-11 & II Timothy 4:6-18

Herod and the people of Jerusalem, expecting that they would watch Peter’s final trial and torture, were no doubt disappointed when they awoke to the fact that a deeper agenda – that of the Holy Spirit of God-  had whisked away their prize catch.  When I, like Herod and his compatriots, think of another in a negative way, I project my own judgements and (lack of) expectations onto our relationship, without regard for the powerful workings of the Holy Spirit. This can be very destructive not only of relationships but also of individuals. Jesus calls me to a set of different expectations, those that are rooted and grounded in the vision God as our Creator has of each one of us. Am I willing to let God set my expectations –and my hopes- for others I meet along my life’s journey?  Lord God, rescue me from others’ expectations so that I can live into your view of each one of us. 
    
I prayed to the Lord and he answered me; he freed me from all my fears. (Psalm 34:4)


Community is not an ideal; it is people. It is you and I. In community we are called to love people just as they are with their wounds and their gifts, not as we want them to be.
Jean Vanier   
                                                                                                                
www.gospelmysteryoftheday.ca  
Soli gloriam dei.

Genesis 12:1-9 & Psalm 33

Long before God gave them a child, Abram and Sarai* ‘went as the Lord had told [them]’, departing from their homeland and living into the hope that the Lord had promised them. As Abram and Sarai embraced the thin and fragile possibility that they would ‘be a blessing’  by  establishing their family in a new region –in their childless state – they hoped in the Lord’s word. We know the end of the story; Abraham and Sarah received many signs of God’s steadfast love to them –including a bouncing baby boy, Isaac, in their old age – and did indeed become the parents of the nation of Israel. They are even today the revered spiritual ancestors of Jews, Muslims and Christians the world over. Am I ready to hope in the Lord as actively as Abraham and Sarah? Lord God, let your steadfast love be upon me, even as I hope in you.

*With the establishment of God’s covenant, Abram [father of height] and Sarai [God is prince] became Abraham [father of a multitude] and Sarah [princess].


Our soul waits for the Lord; he is our help and shield. (Psalm 33)


Think not only of the road through which you are travelling, but take care never to lose sight of that blessed country in which you are shortly to arrive. 
Saint Augustine  
                                                                                                                
www.gospelmysteryoftheday.ca  
Soli gloriam dei.

Genesis 13:2-18 & Psalm 15

Often the ‘right’ thing to do is to simply accept what comes along in life and walk forward, without frustration or fanfare, and to simply discover the graces the Lord is providing for us. Abraham walked blamelessly and did what is right by offering his nephew, Lot, first choice of the land and gracefully accepting a less fertile plot for himself.  By walking obediently through the length and breadth of the land that the Lord was ‘giving’ him, Abraham did what was ‘right’. Today, how am I walking blamelessly, how am I doing what is ‘right’? Holy Spirit, help me walk blamelessly and do what is right.   


Those who speak truth from their heart; who do not slander with their tongue; those who do no evil to their friends, nor take up a reproach against their neighbours... Those who do these things shall never be moved. (Psalm 15)


Are you angry with someone? Pray for that person. That is what Christian love is.
Pope Francis   
                                                                                                                
www.gospelmysteryoftheday.ca  
Soli gloriam dei.

Acts 13:22-26

Abraham, Isaiah, David, Mother Mary, John the Baptist – all were found by God to be people ‘living after God’s own heart’. Like these prophets and saints before me, being a woman after God’s own heart implies that all that I do, say and think are lively expressions of who I am designed by God to be. Made in the image of God, who is Light, Truth and Love, I am designed within the scope of creation to be (both silently and vocally) Light-bearing, Truth-wise, and Love-doing.  Today will I be acting as my ‘own person’ or as a woman [man] after God’s on heart, living into the Creator’s idea of me?  Lord God, help me be a woman after your own heart.


I am honoured in the sight of the Lord, and my God has become my strength. (Isaiah 49:5b)


Grace is not part of consciousness; it is the amount of light in our souls, not knowledge nor reason.
Pope Francis   
                                                                                                                
www.gospelmysteryoftheday.ca  
Soli gloriam dei.