Your word is a lamp for my feet and a light for my path. (Psalm 119)
Genesis 49:2- 50:26 &Psalm 105 & Matt 10:24-33
At the death of their father, Joseph’s brothers leaned on their own understanding and acted out of fear, that Joseph would pay them back for all the wrong they had done to him. As a result they submitted themselves to their brother as his slaves, committing their descendents to generations of brutal slavery under the Egyptians. Joseph, though, sought God’s strength and presence continually and so lived into forgiveness of his brothers, because of his underlying hope in God: “Even though you intended to do harm to me, God intended it for good...” In each event of life, I have a choice –to react out of fear, or to live unafraid in the way of hope and forgiveness demonstrated by Joseph, and proclaimed by Jesus. Christ Jesus, help me seek your strength and presence continually. Let the hearts of those who seek the Lord rejoice. (Psalm 105:3) Soli ad gloriam dei
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Genesis 41:55- 42:24
Lord God, give me the courage to do your will …. When the very brothers who had sold him into slavery came begging for grain, it took every bit of courage for Joseph to maintain his composure and carry through the Lord’s will of due process that was needed to bring about perfect reconciliation in his family. Similarly, when Jesus charged his disciples with the task of casting out unclean spirits and curing every disease and sickness, the twelve apostles needed courage or heart-fullness to carry out such overwhelming responsibilities. What God-given responsibilities am I facing today that require courage? Lord God, give me the courage to do your will. Lord, let your mercy be upon us, as we place our trust in you. (Psalm 33:22) Soli ad gloriam dei Genesis 32:22-32 & Psalm 17 & Matthew 9:32-38
When I lean on my own understanding, life can be tricky to navigate, even at the best of times. Like Jacob, I sometimes need to “wrestle with God” to find the good and the right within my own life. Like Jesus, I sometimes struggle with others as a result of doing the good that God opens up before me. And when I struggle with the judgments and actions of those around me, I find it difficult to “see the right” in others. Only when I submit to the wisdom of God, and let his sight of the right replace my own defensiveness, am I able to stop struggling and move forward along the way of Life in the company of Jesus. Lord God, let your eyes see the right in me, and in others. Wondrously show your steadfast love, O savior of those who seek refuge from their adversaries at your right hand. (Psalm 17:7) Soli ad gloriam dei Genesis 28, 10-22 & Matthew 9:18-26
Jacob, was on a strange journey, running away from an elderly father he had just deceived and other family intrigues. His saving grace was that he stopped to ‘turn in’ for the night, giving him opportunity to hear the Lord speaking into his soul. By stopping for the night, he noticed the Lord’s presence in that place, embraced the grace revealed to him in a dream, and real-ized the shelter of the Most High. By acknowledging the Lord’s hand on his life, he was able to continue in this way that (I) go. I, too, like Jacob, Jarius, and the hemorrhaging woman of the Gospel reading, am on a unique and complex life-journey. What is this way that I go ?, I ask. By stopping to hear God’s voice from time to time, I am readied to take the one good next step along this path called life. God be with me, and keep me in this way that I go. You who live in the shelter of the Most High, who abide in the shadow of the Almighty, will say to the Lord, “My refuge and my fortress; my God, in whom I trust.” Soli ad gloriam dei Genesis 21:5-20 & Matt 8:28 - 34
Hagar was desperate; she and Ishmael had been given a wine skin and bread and set loose in the desert, told by Abraham never to return home. The two demoniacs living among the tombs of the Gadarenes were also in desperate condition; they were so “psycho” and fierce that no one could pass that way. Our beloved country of Canada is also in desperate times; it is now correct for doctors to support suicide, and terminate the lives of infants in utero, and many social, economic and environmental issues are of serious magnitude and concern. The good news is that God is always interested in saving humankind, one by one, couple by couple, or country by county. When Hagar cried out to God, she received water and a future for her son. When Jesus came in contact with the demoniacs he healed them. When we as Canadian individuals turn in prayer and in hope to God, we allow the providing and healing Grace of the Holy Spirit to be at work in our county. Christ Jesus, I trust in you. This poor soul cried, and was heard by the Lord, and was saved from every trouble. (Psalm 34:6) Soli ad 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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