Your word is a lamp for my feet and a light for my path. (Psalm 119)
Matthew 19:16-22 I may not have as many valuable possessions as the rich young man had, but I may be rich in other ways. I might have a precious ship-load of talents and opinions, academic property or pieces of art that I have created. Perhaps those recipes I treasure so dearly, the family photo albums or my ‘house’ are the riches that I definitely don’t want to part with. Any of these can obstruct the Holy Spirit of God getting through to my heart. When my heart and my head are full of anything that is mine, or any other things or persons for which I have an inordinate affection, these things have the potential to lure me back to bondage on earth, rather than to freely follow Jesus into the uncertain and often impoverished places he frequents, a.k.a the kingdom of heaven. Will I, like the rich young man, grasp my possessions so tightly that I have to turn away from Christ Jesus, or will I hold all that I keep dear lightly enough to leave it behind and set out after the Lord? Holy Spirit, help me release all I have and above all follow you. Blessed are the poor in spirit; the kingdom of heaven is theirs! (Matthew 5:3) We do not have to wait for the hereafter - it is now that we are one with Christ. Catherine Doherty www.gospelmysteryoftheday.ca & Gospel Mystery of the Day on Facebook Soli ad gloriam Dei
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Micah 6:8 Self-help books lines our shelves, websites proclaim all kinds of rigors and regimes to make our lives better, and it seems we still incessantly look for the magic bullet that will improve things for us. The prophet Micah prophesying to people living in a similar age of hedonism and uncertainty reminded the Israelites in his day and us today, as followers of Jesus, of God’s straight forward directions for ‘living the good life’: “He has told you, O mortal, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do right, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with God?” Today, will I hear God’s call and take the next good and right step in my life, love and nurture kindness in myself and others, and walk forward in my journey, humbly, with God? Holy Spirit of Jesus, help me do right, love kindness and walk humbly with God. This is my commandment that you love one another as I have loved you. (John 15:12) Love doesn't mean doing extraordinary or heroic things. It means knowing how to do ordinary things with tenderness.” Jean Vanier, Community and Growth www.gospelmysteryoftheday.ca & Gospel Mystery of the Day on Facebook Soli ad gloriam Dei Luke 1:39-56 For Mary it had been a disconcerting time: a visit from the Angel Gabriel, notice that the child within her was Immanuel (God with us) , a realization that she was a single, pregnant, mother, and a dismayed reaction by her fiancé to her conversation about her divine visit. How to accommodate all of this into her ‘normal’ life? Mary’s best next step was to go on a pilgrimage to visit her elderly cousin, Elizabeth, who was also miraculously (and divinely) pregnant. Elizabeth’s immediate acknowledgement of Mary’s early (not showing) pregnancy and her affirmation of ‘Immanuel’ present within her young cousin’s womb must have been greatly consoling! In the instant of Elizabeth’s greeting, Mary was able to trace the Grace of God in her own life and in her people’s history. Instead of being iffy about her state, her spirit rejoiced in God her Saviour. Suddenly she knew that because God was at work, all was well, and that all would be well. When I am disconcerted by troubling events in my life, what will I do? Will I, like mother Mary, pilgrim along life’s journey so that I can trace the grace of God’s mercy in my own life and in the world –and rejoice? Lord, let my Spirit rejoice in God my Saviour. With joy and gladness they are led along as they enter the palace of the king. (Psalm 45:15) Faith sees the invisible, believes the unbelievable, and receives the impossible... Never be afraid to trust an unknown future to a known God. Corrie Ten Boom. See Corrie’s story : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Pec52qqquk www.gospelmysteryoftheday.ca & Gospel Mystery of the Day on Facebook Soli ad gloriam Dei Matthew 18:15-20 Reconciliation is a holy business! An image of full reconciliation is given in Trinity. In the dogma of the Trinity the Father, Son and Holy Spirit, are the Three in One and One in Three. It is an iconic figure of perfect holy communion. In all of our human relationships, we are designed to be in this perfect communion with others – bound together in perfect love with the one or two others we are communicating with at any given time, but unique, whole and complete in and of ourselves. It is no wonder then that Jesus teaches how to restore peace with others through reconciliation - that is, forgiveness extended from both sides - when sin has disrupted relationship. Reconciliation can be challenging, and frequently needs the communion of saints to support its progress: I need to ask for help if I am unable on my own to arrive at holy communion with someone who has wronged me. But the fruit of reconciliation is worth it. As much as I am in peaceful relationship with one or two other followers of Christ, when we agree on an intention on earth –the healing of an individual, a community, or a particular situation –then Christ is in the midst of us, present there with all of his might and creativity. With whom do I need to be reconciled? Holy Spirit of Jesus, help me seek out others in holy communion. This is my commandment that you love one another as I have loved you. (John 15:12) Love doesn't mean doing extraordinary or heroic things. It means knowing how to do ordinary things with tenderness.” Jean Vanier, Community and Growth www.gospelmysteryoftheday.ca & Gospel Mystery of the Day on Facebook Soli ad gloriam Dei Matthew 15:21-28 Christ Jesus, I come to you for your grace and healing... Sometimes, like the Canaanite woman in the Tyre and Sidon region, I have family members, friends, situations or projects that seem to be ‘tormented by a demon’. Where to turn for mercy and healing? Priests, doctors, and self-help programs can give spiritual direction, prescribe drugs or treatments, or give me information, but it is none of these who will heal me. When I seek goodness, treatments or information I align myself with God’s healing ways, but real ‘demonization’ can be dealt with in only one way: with the sacrificial blood of Christ Jesus that renders evil inoperable and gives new life. Will I stay at home in my head and my heart, or run around seeking other ‘band aid solutions’ in order to resolve the recognizable strongholds of darkness[i]? Or will I, like the Canaanite woman seek out Christ, made present in my life through liturgy, lectio divina, and the sacraments, to cast out the demons that threaten life and limb? Christ Jesus, I come to you for your grace and healing. You are the God who works wonders; you have displayed your might among the peoples. (Psalm 77:14) There is no pit so deep, that God’s love is not deeper still. Corrie Ten Boom [i] See Neil Anderson author of the Bondage Breaker speaking about Spiritual interference in our lives. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2FBC4G1hU90 www.gospelmysteryoftheday.ca & Gospel Mystery of the Day on Facebook 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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