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Jeremiah 18:1-6
Adoration: Reshape my life, O Lord, as you see fit ... Help N._______ to allow you to reshape (her or his) life, as you see fit... According to the lesson God revealed to Jeremiah at the potter’s house, like wet, wedged clay, I am thrown onto the potter’s wheel each morning as I head out into the day. Today, will I be a lump of clay with stones and dry places at my heart, or will I be a good lump of clay, content to be malleable in the Master’s hands? Am I willing to be shaped and re-shaped into the vessel that God needs me to be as this day proceeds, pausing my own agendas to chat with a lonely person along the way or to lend a helping hand to someone in need? Do I have the patience and flexibility to be reworked time and again according to the designs of my Creator? Reshape my life, O Lord, as you see fit. I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works; that I know very well. (Psalm 139:14) God does not hasten his works. He does all things in their time. St. Vincent de Paul Soli gloriam dei.
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Jeremiah 15:10-21
Holy Spirit of God, let your words be my joy ... Some days, when clouds of doubt and deceits from society around me crowd out the ‘Sun of righteousness’ – all that is good –I long for a ‘happiness-remedy’ that is sure, readily available and fast-acting. I can waste much time, energy and money trying out new experiences and entertainments, or, worse still, delving deep into my soul’s pleasures and addictions trying to freeze the pain of living. But what truly brings authentic joy? The words of the Lord when inwardly digested bring instant relief to the human heart, designed as it is to be filled with the Holy Spirit of God, because we human beings are created in the image of God. The words of the Lord are all around us –expressed in the poetry of scripture, the stories of humanity, the lyrics of hymns, in music, in the rustle of leaves, the songs of running water and even in the wail of a winter storm, bolts of summer lightening and rumbling thunder. Do I hear these words of the Lord? Holy Spirit of God, let your words be my joy and the delight of my heart, for I am called by your Name. O my strength, I will sing praises to you, for you, O God, are my fortress, the God who shows me steadfast love. (Psalm 59:17) The joy of the Lord is my strength. The Prophet Nehimiah. Nehemiah 8:10 Soli gloriam dei. Sirach 44:1-15
As beloved daughters and sons of God, we are called to a life of righteousness. Jesus manifested righteousness just as much by his suffering as by his ministry. By raising the dead, feeding the crowds and teaching people who came to him for healing Jesus clearly demonstrated the righteousness of God. So, too, as he suffered torture and insult in the Way of the Cross, our Lord manifested in his body and soul the unspoken righteousness, or holiness, of God. Am I prepared to similarly manifest the righteousness of God when I am mistreated or even strung up on an unrighteous cross? Christ Jesus, help my life manifest your righteousness. In you, O Lord, I take refuge; let me never be put to shame. (Psalm 71:1) Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled. The Beatitudes, Christ Jesus quoted in Matthew 5 Soli gloriam dei. 2 Corinthians 4:7-15
What to do with my life? The answer is simple: make Christ visible through my mortal flesh, with my life. It is not so much about my words; it is more about what I say with my actions, attitudes, facial expressions and body language. Am I willing to live and move and have my being, aligned with Christ’s life? Remembering that Christ’s life included his death, am I so attuned to my Lord’s mannerisms and presence that I find myself imitating his gestures of mercy, his walks through tribulation, and his attitude of prayer and openness to others? Christ Jesus, be made visible with my life. For while we live, we are always being given up to death for Jesus’ sake, so that the life of Jesus may be made visible in our mortal flesh. (2 Cor 4:11) F.A.M.I.L.Y. = Forget About Me. I Love You. Sunday’s homily (Fr. Andrew Shim) Soli gloriam dei . 2 Corinthians 5:14-17
Christ Jesus, help me see others the way you see them... In his letter to the Corinthians Paul stresses the new creation that results from living, and dying, and living again in Christ... “He died for us all, so that those who live might live no longer for themselves, but for him who died and was raised for them. From now on, therefore, we regard no one from a human point of view.” A human point of view looks upon another as competitor or perhaps as a victim or a tyrant, or even as an object to be looked down upon, or to be exulted beyond the ordinary. Christ’s point of view, though, looks up, into the eyes of a person whose feet he is (ever so gently) washing, calling him or her into renewed and abundant life. Am I prepared to wash the feet of the world with Christ, and (ever so gently) look upon human souls with love and mercy? Christ Jesus, help me see others the way you see them. Christ Jesus, help me see others as you see me. Because your steadfast love is better than life, my lips will praise you. (Psalm 63:3) ‘Look into My Heart and see there the love and mercy which I have for human kind, and especially for sinners.’ Jesus to St. Faustina 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
February 2021
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