Your word is a lamp for my feet and a light for my path. (Psalm 119)
Psalm 28 Sometimes as wobbles, woes and worries pile up in my life, my immediate reaction is to be as strong as I can be. This sometimes works, but under particularly weighty times my own strength falters, and I flatline in heart, mind and soul. But when I notice a pile of ‘desolations’, as St. Ignatius called them, and immediately lay out those things that threaten to crush me, before God, a new strength flows in heart, mind and soul, and then with my body I am able to stand up and walk forward in wisdom, holiness and peace. What wobbles, woes and worries are piling up in my life? When will I bring them to God? Be my strength, O Lord. The Lord is my strength and my shield; in him my heart trusts; so I am helped and my heart exalts, and with my song I give thanks to him. (Psalm 28:7) In order to be an image of God, the spirit must turn to what is eternal, hold it in spirit, keep it in memory, and by loving it, embrace it in the will. Edith Stein a.k.a. Saint Theresa Benedicta of the Cross. www.gospelmysteryoftheday.ca & Gospel Mystery of the Day on Facebook Soli ad gloriam Dei
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I Timothy 1:12-17 The faith and love of Jesus, the Son of Man, was extraordinary and produced tremendous fruits. His faith and love carried him through the tortuous jorney of the way of the cross and beyond that, to the resurrection. And Jesus’ faith and love, in his own times, and throughout the past ten thousand generations into the present day, have produced amazing fruits of culture, counsel, connection, and collaboration, in addition to life, love and laughter. This same kind of life-giving faith and love is available to you, to me, and to all of humanity, for the asking and for the receiving. Will I open myself to these graces of Jesus’ style of faith and love? Holy Spirit, grace me with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus. Create in me a clean heart , O God, and renew a right spirit within me. (Psalm 51:10) The limitless loving devotion to God, and the gift God makes of Himself to you, are the highest elevation of which the heart is capable; it is the highest degree of prayer. Edith Stein a.k.a. Saint Theresa Benedicta of the Cross. www.gospelmysteryoftheday.ca & Gospel Mystery of the Day on Facebook Soli ad gloriam Dei Philippians 2:6-11 With Jesus’ death on the cross and his subsequent resurrection, God turned the tables on the world, the flesh, and the devil, forever. The message ‘out there’ is that an enemy conquers, whether by disease, division or destruction, by fatally wounding a victim. The cross of Christ, on the other hand, proves that physical death does not have the final word; that the mysterys of the life and love and light of Christ shine far beyond death by serpent or centurion, into the eternity of God’s truth and mercy. Will I allow the truth and mercy of God, summed up by the glory of the cross of Christ, to transform my every thought, word and deed? Holy Spirit, help me glory in the cross of Christ, every day, in every way. I bless the Lord who gives me counsel. (Psalm 16:7) The limitless loving devotion to God, and the gift God makes of Himself to you, are the highest elevation of which the heart is capable; it is the highest degree of prayer. Edith Stein a.k.a. Saint Theresa Benedicta of the Cross. www.gospelmysteryoftheday.ca & Gospel Mystery of the Day on Facebook Soli ad gloriam Dei 2 Corinthians 12:7-10 Plans go awry –I become ill; I’m too late to an appointment; I’m exhausted from chronic busy-ness; a gift offered is again rejected; I’m emotionally battered by overwhelming circumstances. Each of these challenges seems at first glance to diminish life and love within me. Indeed, in the world’s eye, weakness of any kind leads to personal demise and hastened death, both physically and spiritually. But the good news of Christ Jesus is that ‘thorns in the flesh’, as St. Paul called them, more definitely turn my soul to God than any number of successes. As much as I notice my powerlessness to make my own life successful and ‘amazing’ I make room in my life to search for, and to receive, the grace and mercy of God, and then to be the means by which the mercy of God touches other lives. Then, instead of success, I find humility; instead of efficiency, I find patience; instead of flawlessness, I find holiness; instead of acceptance from others, I find God’s embrace; and instead of self-satisfaction and public adulation I find deep peace and joy. Where are my weaknesses leading me to God’s strength? In my weakness, Lord, help me find your strength. I bless the Lord who gives me counsel (Psalm 16:7) Yes, you must live life beautifully, and not allow the spirit of the world that makes gods out of power, riches and pleasure make you forget that you have been created for greater things. Saint Mother Teresa www.gospelmysteryoftheday.ca & Gospel Mystery of the Day on Facebook Soli ad gloriam Dei Colossians 3:12-17 Learning to dress myself spiritually is not so different from learning to dress myself physically. As a child, I gradually learned to select and wear clothing appropriate to season and situation. Similarly, as I have matured in spiritual awareness I have become more and more capable of dressing myself in love. Just as I have needed different clothing as I have grown up through childhood, teenage years, adulthood and middle age, so my love-clothing has changed as I have matured as a follower of Christ, as a beloved daughter of God. I have needed larger and larger sizes of compassion as I have worked to manage the challenges of being an exploring child, an energetic teen, a young professional, a wife, a mother, a seasoned worker, and a member of the various communities in which I find myself. As our culture has changed over the years, and new styles of social order have been agreed upon, the way I live into my compassion for others has changed as well –now I send emails as well as cards, text someone instead of calling, and take stock of boundaries when I interact with others. Always, ever since I learned to dress my body, I have taken care to keep both my jeans and dresses clean and pressed with laundry and careful folding, hanging and ironing, and my spiritual love-clothing in good repair and wearable through the disciplines of prayer, confession and quiet service. And I have learned the value of layering – to survive both our local climate and the psycho-social-spiritual milieu of life today; I have learned to wear layers of kindness and patience to protect myself from the sweltering heat of disdainful judgement on one hand, and the icy cold of human indifference and self-centredness on the other. Moreover, I have discovered the wear-ability and durability of the fabrics of selflessness and humility, and by contrast how see-thru and cold are the frivolous, cheaply-made, mass-produced garments of pride and disordered affection. Today, have I clothed myself with the love of God? Teach us to count our days that we might gain a wise heart ... (Psalm 90:12) Yes, you must live life beautifully, and not allow the spirit of the world that makes gods out of power, riches and pleasure make you forget that you have been created for greater things. Saint Mother Teresa 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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