Your word is a lamp for my feet and a light for my path. (Psalm 119)
2 Corinthians 1, 1-7 When I was child and fell off my bicycle, it was my parents who consoled me. They washed my scraped knee (that stung!), they dressed the wound with a bandage (that protected), talked to me about safety ( I learned), washed the tears off my face (that comforted) and hugged and kissed me better – so I could (somewhat humbly) return to play. I have often similarly consoled my own children through their bumps and scrapes in life. These days when I hit bumps in the path and graze my spiritual limbs, it is Father God I run to, who consoles me just as my parents did after a bike accident, similar effect. He cleans up the sin in my life (that stings!), He binds up hurting relationships (that comforts and protects me), and shows me how to remain safe in the bumpy and smooth passages of life (that teaches and humbles me). Then it is the others around me who are suffering similar tricky journeys whom I find myself consoling with the love of our Father God. Have I turned to God for consolation today? How is God consoling me today – and how is he calling me to console others? Lord God, Just as you console me, help me console others. O taste and see that the Lord is good; happy are those who take refuge in him. (Psalm 34) To love someone is to show to them their beauty, their worth and their importance. Jean Vanier in Becoming Human www.gospelmysteryoftheday.ca Soli gloriam dei.
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Tobit 12:1-20 So often I am so absorbed in my own perceptions of reality that I forget my Creator’s view of my life and of the world in general. Raphael, the angel of healing, had accompanied Tobit and his son Tobias and Sarah his daughter in law through some very difficult times allowing God to perform a whole string of miracles in their lives – and even then they were startled to learn their divine companion’s true identity. Am I similarly minimizing the intervention of God in my life? Holy Spirit, help me not be slow to acknowledge God. So now see what he has done for you; acknowledge him at the top of your voice. (Tobit 13) As the objects of God’s love, men and women become subjects of charity, they are called to make themselves instruments of grace, so as to pour forth God’s charity and to weave networks of ‘grace’ (charis). Benedict XVI. Caritas in Veritate www.gospelmysteryoftheday.ca Soli gloriam dei. Tobit 2:9-3:1 Tobit’s interaction with his wife reminds us that in sickness and in health love is to be our operating system. Too often in my interpersonal relationships, especially within family, instead of receiving the gifts and services of others without judgement, I question them out of my woundedness and lack of trust in their goodness. The rebuke of Tobit’s wife, “Where are your acts of charity?” rings down through the centuries of human society. Where are my acts of charity; do I ignore or growl at acts of charity, or do I perceive and receive the gifts and services of others? Do I deliberately do acts of charity? Lord, help me put love into action whether giving or receiving it. The hearts of the just are secure, trusting in the Lord. (Psalm 112) As the objects of God’s love, men and women become subjects of charity, they are called to make themselves instruments of grace, so as to pour forth God’s charity and to weave networks of ‘grace’ (charis). Benedict XVI. Caritas in Veritate www.gospelmysteryoftheday.ca Soli gloriam dei. 1 Corinthians 12:3-13 & Tobit 1:1-2:8 The wide variety of gifts, of services and activities that come from God’s creative mercy are not for my own edification, but for the common good. The primary purpose of the gifts and placements of the coming of the Holy Spirit are to allow us to enter into the balance and the abundant liveliness of the relationships we have with each other as children of our Father God – with the goal of establishing and ordering holy ways ‘on earth as it is in heaven’. Only in this way will the ‘common good’ become the reality of humankind. What gifts, services, or activities is the Holy Spirit empowering me to render to others, and ultimately to God? Lord God, manifest your Spirit through my life for the common good. When you send forth your Spirit, they are created and you renew the face of the earth. (Psalm 104:30) The more we strive to secure a common good corresponding to the real needs of our neighbours, the more effectively we love them. Every Christian is called to practice this charity. Benedict XVI. Caritas in Veritate www.gospelmysteryoftheday.ca Soli gloriam dei. Acts 24:27 – 25:21 Gifted orator and brilliant evangelist though he was, St. Paul’s journey with Jesus led him to languish in a prison waiting for trial in Cesarea for more than two years while Roman governors slowly made their moves. Was this a waste of time and talent or was it the perfect place for Paul in that season of his life? From our vantage point in history we recognize the importance of this ‘movement’ in the symphony of Paul’s life. Paul’s discussions with Felix and Festus, the Roman governors, and the deepening of his trust in God directly and indirectly impacted the letters he would write during the next three years before his death – letters that have sustained Christians for over 20 centuries. When my journey with Jesus lands me in a literal or figurative prison do I rattle the bars restraining me, or, like St. Paul, embrace that season of my life? Holy Spirit, help me live into the seasons of my journey with Christ Jesus. Bless the Lord, O my soul, and all that is within me, bless his holy name. (Psalm 103:1) Two men looked through the bars of their prison. One looked down at the mud and complained bitterly. The other looked up at the stars and gave thanks to God. A parable quoted by an East Indian priest 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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