Your word is a lamp for my feet and a light for my path. (Psalm 119)
Luke 10:25-37 When I am being well-treated, it is easy to be kind to those closest to me – family members, my neighbour and the man, woman or child in the street. It is when I am not appreciated or not treated kindly myself, that I can feel I have so little kindness to give – at any time, to anyone, anywhere. But the truth is, I am constantly a recipient of God’s mercy, and so, despite how I myself am treated, I always have more than enough mercy to spare and to share. Today, will I be generous with kindness, faithfulness, love, joy and peace? Holy Spirit, help me be generous in mercy. Holy Spirit of God, help me to be generous in mercy. Create a clean heart in me, O God, and renew a right spirit within me. (Psalm 51:1) Intense love does not measure, it just gives. Saint Mother Teresa of Calcuttta www.gospelmysteryoftheday.ca & Gospel Mystery of the Day on Facebook Soli ad gloriam Dei
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Luke 10: 13-16 A repentant heart is necessary not in order to appease a difficult and demanding God, but in order that my soul might be open enough and my mind clear enough to recognize God’s voice and guidance as I ‘hear’ it. Whether I notice a synchronicity, understand the heart of a fellow human ‘beggar’, or hear God’s voice booming in the winds or whispering in the caressing flight of a honey bee across a flower, I have a choice to just hear God’s word, or to listen and learn. If my heart is plugged up with pride and envy, selfish ambition or any other sins, I will suffer from hard-heartedness and will only hear His voice. When my heart has been purified by a confession of sins done, or deeds left undone, and emptied of all that leads me away from God’s mercy, then I can listen and let God’s wisdom seep into every part of my being. Have I taken time to let my heart be purified through repentance? Holy Spirit of God, purify my heart, that I might listen to you. O Lord, you have searched me and known me... (Psalm 139:1) Open my ears, Lord, help me to hear your voice, Open my ears, Lord, help me to hear. ... And we’ll hear like never before, And we’ll speak in new ways... Jesse Mibusen Open My Heart, Lord . https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eo6gZAUuQ3E www.gospelmysteryoftheday.ca & Gospel Mystery of the Day on Facebook Soli ad gloriam Dei Luke 10:1-12 Jesus doesn’t send me out primarily to make his church a ‘success’, to solve all the political and social problems of society, or even to set up new and helpful institutions. Rather, he sends me out, like the seventy disciples, to proclaim the good news of God’s saving grace, and by doing so to heal the sick and release the captives. This is simple work that I can do simply by speaking and doing small things with great love. What am I setting out to do today – to save the world myself or to point others to the One who is Himself the Redeemer of the world? Christ Jesus, help me simply proclaim the good news. Wait for the Lord; be strong, and let your heart take courage; wait for the Lord! (Psalm 27:14) Most high, glorious God, enlighten the darkness of my heart and give me true faith, certain hope, and perfect charity, sense and knowledge, Lord, that I may carry out your holy and true will. St. Francis of Assisi www.gospelmysteryoftheday.ca & Gospel Mystery of the Day on Facebook Soli ad gloriam Dei
Luke 9:57-62 We all know that it is good to follow Jesus. But do I follow him without hesitation? It seems that there is always something else to do or to look into for just a minute. Often the diversion is a siren call of power, possessions or some kind of success, or something that is more subtle. Whenever I turn aside to pick up some praise, check out some eye- or mind- candy, or pursue an ideal I have in mind, I can lose sight of Jesus, and then will have to double back to again, to come back to the path of prayer, to find his footsteps. How committed am I to truly following Jesus? Holy Spirit of God, help me follow Jesus without hesitation. Every day I call on you, O Lord; I spread out my hands to you. (Psalm 88:9) Most high, glorious God, enlighten the darkness of my heart and give me true faith, certain hope, and perfect charity, sense and knowledge, Lord, that I may carry out your holy and true will. St. Francis of Assisi www.gospelmysteryoftheday.ca & Gospel Mystery of the Day on Facebook Soli ad gloriam Dei Matthew 18:1-10 When a little child smiles at a complete stranger, it can have a profound and healing effect on a lonely or grief-stricken adult. Jesus invites us to become unassuming (and welcoming) like little children and even says that we, as adults, cannot enter the kingdom of heaven unless we become child-like. When I meet another ‘child’ be they 9 months, 9 years or 99 years old, how welcoming am I? Do I ever stop to consider that I am in the presence of the angels around others, who continually see the face of Jesus’ Father in heaven? How can I be as welcoming as Jesus when he called children to come to him? Christ Jesus, teach me how to be truly welcoming. You who live in the shelter of the Most High... he will cover you with his pinions, and under his wings you will find refuge... The Lord will command his angels to guard you in all your ways. (Psalm 91:1,4,11) Do things for people not because of who they are or for what they can give you in return, but because of who you are. St. Mother Teresa of Calcutta 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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