Your word is a lamp for my feet and a light for my path. (Psalm 119)
Matthew 5:43-48 We are never alone, never without help in the face of enemies or people who are pursuing us, snapping at our heels with criticism or piercing us with swords of misunderstanding or hatred. “Our help is in the Name of the Lord!” the Psalmist tells us. In addition, the Helper, our Advocate – our brilliant and wise lawyer, the very Holy Spirit of Jesus - is always available to us. Moreover, Jesus has taught us what to do about enemies and persecutors. We are to simply love them, and to pray for them, that they too might find the Light, the Love and the Life that God holds out to every human soul. Who are my enemies and my persecutors at present? Whom do I need to ask the Holy Helper to help me love and to pray for? Christ Jesus, help me love my enemies and pray for those who persecute me. The Lord sets prisoners free. (Psalm 146:7) To withhold forgiveness is to take poison and expect the unforgiven to die. St. Augustine of Hippo Soli ad gloriam Gospel Mystery of the Day on FaceBook & www.gospelmysteryoftheday.ca
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Mark 4:26-34 In his ministry Jesus constantly calls us to notice, and to be attentive to, the coming of the kingdom of God into our lives. In this season of spring planting, his parable of a man scattering seed particularly grabs my attention! The seed is not mine and I cannot control its growth but I can tend the plants and harvest the outcome! The tiny units of ‘corn-ness’ or ‘bean-ness’ or ‘squash-ness’ came to me because another gardener had planted and tended and harvested corn, beans and squash plants before me. Planting the seed, watering it, weeding the garden and waiting as it grew was all they had to do to keep the cycle of life going. Then it was their responsibility to carefully pass on the seeds packed with all their unique DNA to me so that I, too might plant, tend, and harvest my own corn, beans and squash . So too with the Kingdom of God. The seed that is the Word is not mine, and comes to me already packed with all that it needs to grow fruit in the kingdom of God. All I can do is scatter the seed of God’s word – Jesus’ teachings - on the good soil of my life, water it with the openness and holiness of my life, keep my ‘garden’ free from the weeds of sin as much as possible, and patiently notice the kingdom of God grow into fruitfulness in the unfolding of the time. And then it is my responsibility to pass on the seeds, the unique, whole and complete God-ness that is at the heart of all of the good fruits of my labours. As followers of Jesus, we are all in the business of scattering seed and gardening to bring about the Kingdom of God in our communities, our families and our own lives. Will I have the humility and patience to cultivate the Kingdom of God in my lifetime, and to pass on the God-ness, the holiness, at it core? Holy Spirit, help me attend the coming of the Kingdom of God. Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the earth; break forth into joyous song and sing praises. (Psalm 98:4) Sometimes you think you are being buried when you are really being planted. God is using this season to grow you. Unashamed Impact https://www.facebook.com/UnashamedImpact/ For a thoughtful video 3 minute video on the coming of the kingdom of God see Life Before Death at https://vimeo.com/58983646 Soli ad gloriam Gospel Mystery of the Day on FaceBook & www.gospelmysteryoftheday.ca John 19:31-37 As a human family [with “Indigenous” roots] our hearts often cry and crash, waffle and weep with four and more generations of intergenerational trauma caused by cultural suppression and oppression on the one hand, and on the other hand, with the indifference of mainstream ‘not knowing’ (ignorance). Jesus’ own culture of faith-faithfulness and loving-love was, and is, likewise suppressed and oppressed by human ignorance and indifference. Jesus too was and is, side-swiped when he shows up in life, forgotten, glossed over, not understood, and generally 'not on the radar' in so many current discourses of society. His heart, too, cracked and wept from being ignored and rejected – by all but his mother and a couple of her friends, and one of his disciples – in his time of greatest need, like so many of our family members, hanging on the crosses of Canadian society. But the good news is that Jesus rose from the dead, proving that life is not defined by death, no matter how horrific. Rather Jesus showed us the way of Faith, Hope and Love, a.k.a. ‘Forgiveness’ for ourselves and others. Jesus’ heart, though broken and pierced so that water and blood (that is, humanity and divinity) flowed out, overcame the hurts of his passion and the cross, and beat again in his resurrected life beyond the grave to reach out to the very people who had abandoned Him at his crucifixion. So, too, our hearts can be resurrected through the healing Grace and Mercy of God to beat again in our earthly form, which though scarred, can be radiant and life-giving to those around us – at least those open to the miracle of redemption. Will I remain broken and pierced, entrenched in the tomb of trauma and hurt, or will I rise again through the broken heart of Christ into the mighty love and strength of Jesus? Holy Spirit of Jesus, help my heart beat again in time with your Life. Steadfast love and faithfulness will meet; righteousness and peace will kiss each other. Faithfulness will spring up from the ground, and righteousness will look down from the sky. . (Psalm 85:10 & 11 ) Father, God, I yield to you my entire liberty. Take my memory, my intellect and my will. All that I am and all that I have come from you. I give it all back to you to stand under your will alone. Your love and your mercy are enough for me. I ask for nothing more. St. Ignatius of Loyola Soli ad gloriam Gospel Mystery of the Day on FaceBook & www.gospelmysteryoftheday.ca 2 Corinthians 3:15 – 4:6 & Matthew 5:20-26 Every hour – and arguably every minute – of each day, I have the choice to carry on with my own idea of what I want to do with my own life in my own way, or to be clay in the Potter’s hands, being molded and fashioned into the likeness of His Son, Jesus. In the end, I become what or whom I be-hold. My thoughts, words, and actions, take on the character of the things, or the Ones to whom I lift up my soul. Will I be focused on the plans and passions of this life on planet earth, or will I behold the face of Father God as he works away at my Being, and allow myself to become transformed into the likeness of his Son? Holy Spirit of Jesus, help me be transformed - with the hands of your Father and mine- into your likeness. Steadfast love and faithfulness will meet; righteousness and peace will kiss each other. Faithfulness will spring up from the ground, and righteousness will look down from the sky. . (Psalm 85:10 & 11 ) Father, God, I yield to you my entire liberty. Take my memory, my intellect and my will. All that I am and all that I have come from you. I give it all back to you to stand under your will alone. Your love and your mercy are enough for me. I ask for nothing more. St. Ignatius of Loyola Soli ad gloriam Gospel Mystery of the Day on FaceBook & www.gospelmysteryoftheday.ca Matthew 5:1-12 When I am filled with resentment or fear, uncertainty or pride, passions or desires, or any combination of these, I have very little room left for mercy. Similarly, when I am full of mercy, when I am mercy-full, merciful, then the love and faithfulness of God displace any darkness in my being with the light and love, and life, of God. Am I, like Jesus, truly focused on mercy and open to its flow inwards to my being and outwards to others as I journey through the relationships and real-izations of life? Holy Spirit of God, help me to become full of mercy. Blessed are the merciful, for they will receive mercy. (Matthew 5:7 ) Father, God, I yield to you my entire liberty. Take my memory, my intellect and my will. All that I am and all that I have come from you. I give it all back to you to stand under your will alone. Your love and your mercy are enough for me. I ask for nothing more. St. Ignatius of Loyola 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
March 2024
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