Your word is a lamp for my feet and a light for my path. (Psalm 119)
II Corinthians 9:6-11 When I perceive that I am victim of unemployment, disease, or unkindness I grasp everything I have to myself, trying my best to survive. But when I realize the truth of life, that at God’s hand I have been given everything I really need, then I am able to share this wealth –this treasure from God –abundantly, whether in time, treasure or talent. When I share abundantly, then I become witness to God not only supplying but multiplying the increase of his harvest of ‘righteousness’, that is in reality good for everyone involved. Then we, as Paul says, ‘will be enriched in every way for [our] great generosity, which will produce thanksgiving to God through us’. Lord God, because you have given me everything I need, teach me to share abundantly. Wealth and riches are in their houses, and their righteousness endures forever. They rise in the darkness as a light for the upright; they are gracious, merciful, and righteous. (Psalm 112:3,4) Let us not be satisfied with just giving money. Money is not enough, money can be got, but they need your hearts to love them. So, spread your love everywhere you go. St. Mother Teresa www.gospelmysteryoftheday.ca Soli gloriam dei.
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2 Corinthians 8:1-9 It is interesting that generosity does not depend on a wealth of possessions or even a good income. St. Paul in noting the ‘severe ordeal of affliction’ of the Macedonian Christians, couples their suffering with the statement, ‘their abundant joy and their extreme poverty have overflowed in a wealth of generosity on their part.’ A homeless member of our family corroborates this; he is one of the most generous individuals I have known, in spirit, in gift and in deed. In my own times of suffering, will I grasp to myself everything I can hold on to, or will I drink deeply of joy and become very generous with my own time, talent and treasure? Holy Spirit of God, teach me to be wealthy in generosity. We are treated as impostors, and yet are true; as unknown, and yet are well known; as dying, and see – we are alive; as punished, and yet not killed; as sorrowful, yet always rejoicing; as poor yet making many rich; as having nothing, and yet possessing everything. IICorinthians 6:8-10 What you are is God’s gift to you. What you become is your gift to God. Hans Urs von Balthaser www.gospelmysteryoftheday.ca Soli gloriam dei. 2 Corinthians 4:14-21 In our voraciously materialistic culture, I can quickly be drawn into the popular notion that my identity is enmeshed with what I own, making it paramount that I have enough money to continually purchase goods and services. In reality, though, all the most important things in life are free – a genuine smile, a caring conversation, a walk in a park ... and prayer. Do I truly believe that my identity is founded on Christ and that I lack nothing as I follow him? Though others think that I am poor (in intellect, in soul, in body) help me realize that I have everything in you, O Lord. We are treated as impostors, and yet are true; as unknown, and yet are well known; as dying, and see – we are alive; as punished, and yet not killed; as sorrowful, yet always rejoicing; as poor yet making many rich; as having nothing, and yet possessing everything. II Corinthians 6:8-10 What you are is God’s gift to you. What you become is your gift to God. Hans Urs von Balthaser www.gospelmysteryoftheday.ca Soli gloriam dei. the
2 Corinthians 4:7-15 God’s power is extraordinary in that it is always ‘more than I can ask or imagine’ and often diametrically opposed to human expectations. Therefore, it is often in the ‘cracks’ of the clay jar of life that the extraordinary power of God is most revealed. My sins, those times I defiantly turn my back on God, prove that without the redeeming mercy of God I remain lost on the misty flats of human existence. My weaknesses, expressed both in fatigue of body and infirmity of mind, show the supra-human strength of God, especially in times of great challenge or suffering. Similarly the wounds in my soul inflicted through relationships with my fellow human beings, manifest the unconditional love of Creator God who is especially close to the broken hearted. Am I willing to be a ‘cracked pot’ to allow the glory of God to shine through my life? Holy Spirit, reveal the extraordinary power that belongs to God through my life. I kept on believing even when I said, “I am completely crushed.” (Psalm 116:10) Real zeal is standing still and letting God be a bonfire in you. Catherine Doherty www.gospelmysteryoftheday.ca Soli gloriam dei.
2 Corinthians 3:4-11 In the six decades that I have lived I have developed competencies in all kinds of things – sewing, cooking, teaching, music, computers, interpersonal relationships and so on. But what kind of competency do I have in God’s ways – of creation, of consolation, of healing, of perceiving and engaging truth in love and love in truth? As much as any disciple of Christ does develop these abilities and skills, we make present the Holy Spirit of God in our corner of the world. In the remainder of my life will I be given the develop true competency in God’s ways? Christ Jesus, help me develop competency in your ways. Keep my steps steady according to your promise, and never let iniquity have dominion over me. (Psalm 119) It is my belief that in our mad world where there is so much pain, rivalry, hatred, violence, inequality, and oppression, it is people who are weak, rejected, marginalized, counted as useless, who can become a source of life and of salvation for us as individuals as well as for our world. For they call us to love, to communion, to compassion and to community. Jean Vanier in Becoming Human www.gospelmysteryoftheday.ca 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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