Your word is a lamp for my feet and a light for my path. (Psalm 119)
Romans 4:1-8
Purify my heart, O Lord, that I may be wholly saved... Whenever I am of “two minds”, it is often that in the depths of my heart, I am hoping to receive at least some of the glory for myself. The sirens of fame and fortune sing out their deceits to me: “This is who you are! – really you are a famous success in this world.” It is only when I allow the Holy Spirit of Jesus – who works in my heart only as much as I relax my own grip on my soul –to heal my heart of boasting and my stranglehold on ‘that which is mine’. Then I can be single-hearted in seeking to magnify (along with Mother Mary) the glory of the Lord; then I can be fully saved in heart, mind, soul and strength. Purify my heart, O Lord, that I may be wholly saved. Happy are those to whom the Lord imputes no iniquity, and in whose spirit there is no deceit. (Psalm 32:2) It is the life in which the Spirit of Christ, who reaches the depths of God, that is given to us so that we may know, with a new knowledge of mind and heart, the way of God. Henri Nouwen, in The Selfless Way of Christ: downward Mobility and the Spiritual Life. Orbis. Maryknoll, New York. 2007, P. 40. www.gospelmysteryoftheday.ca Soli gloriam dei.
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Romans 3:21-30 Through his incarnation, ministry, passion, death and resurrection, Christ Jesus changed human lives forever. Death became life, mercy ultimately became justice and we were shown the way to abundant life in this world and the next. Good works can be the fruit of Christ’s redemption at work in us, and they can be the means by which we begin to deepen our faith. But it is when I deliberately commit my Being as well as my doings to the will of the Holy Spirit of God through faith in the unseen but all powerful Creator that I truly begin to receive –and understand – the fullness of the salvation that Christ Jesus won for us as his brothers and sisters throughout the ages. How am I committed to deepening my faith today? Help me deepen my faith, Lord, that I might receive the fullness of your redemption. I wait eagerly for the Lord’s help, an in his word I trust. (Psalm 130:4) If we have no peace, it is because we have forgotten that we belong to each other. St. Teresa of Calcutta www.gospelmysteryoftheday.ca Soli gloriam dei. Joel 1:13-2:2
As a human being living within society I cannot avoid the sins and struggles facing humanity in the past, present and future. The challenge is to find the path of righteousness and peace through it all. The prophet Joel was used by God to indicate the way through the mire of godlessness being practised by the Israelites in his day. Sackcloth and ashes, prolonged fasting and penance were the remedy Joel proclaimed. The Gospels bear witness to how our Lord navigated the antipathy and chaos of his day. By his life-giving ministry on earth concluded by his death and resurrection Jesus gave us an indication of how to navigate the ‘unrighteousness’ of the world, the flesh, and the devil. Who better to lead me through the issues and deceits of the present world? Christ Jesus, lead me through the sins and struggles of humanity. You have rebuked the nations, O Lord. (Psalm 9:5) If we have no peace, it is because we have forgotten that we belong to each other. St. Teresa of Calcutta www.gospelmysteryoftheday.ca Soli gloriam dei. Malachi 3:13-4:2
Down through the ages it has been a constant problem: individuals taking ‘control’ of their own faith and subsequently losing reverence for God and the life he has given us as his beloved children, made in his image. It is our Creator-Father God who alone is worthy of deep and continuous reverence. When I reverence God continuously, by devoting my faith, hope and love to my Creator, then by extension, I reverence life itself, and humbly serve other human beings and the flora and fauna of the earth, as much as I am able. Then the issues and travesties of our present society fade into the background and I realize that I am fulfilling my role in creation – to praise and magnify God forever. Who or what am I really reverencing with my life? Holy Spirit, help me reverence God continuously. Happy are they who do not follow the advice of the wicked, or take the path that sinners tread, or sit in the seat of scoffers; but their delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law they meditate day and night. (Psalm 1:1) It’s hard to stumble when you are on your knees. From a sign outside a church www.gospelmysteryoftheday.ca Soli gloriam dei. Jonah 4:1-11
Jonah’s faithfulness in proclaiming God’s word converted and spared the whole city of Nineveh, with its thousands of people. Surely this was cause for Jonah to rejoice! But like me, Jonah preferred to gripe and complain rather than to give thanks. It did not meet his expectations! Like me, Jonah had mistakenly assumed God’s authority and had taken full ownership of the project at hand – and then became frustrated when it didn’t unfold according to his expectations. What entitles me to take on God’s to plans and projects as my own? Am I open to the Lord’s healing work, no matter what is my own perspective? Holy Spirit, help me acknowledge that it is your authority and your works, not mine, that redeem the world, and to give thanks. Gladden the soul of your servant, for to you, O Lord, I lift up my soul. (Psalm 86:4) The position of God has been taken, and you did not get it. Grandma Henderson, a former missionary to China www.gospelmysteryoftheday.ca 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
March 2024
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