Your word is a lamp for my feet and a light for my path. (Psalm 119)
Daniel 2:3-45 & Luke 21:5-11 Although in our country Christians are not (yet?) being arrested and tortured, I am sometimes overwhelmed by an antagonism towards, or a dismissal of, true Christianity. When I am under powers and pressures from other people or institutions, the kind that seem to beat down every plan and purpose, every success and every holy element of my life, what can I rely on? Will I rely on my own brilliant arguments and apologetics, the support of others, my possessions, or perhaps my mini kingdom at home or at work? All of these ultimately fail when I face the challenges of opposition, persecution or rejection. The one thing that is sure and always a prayer away is the boundless faithfulness of God’s mercy at work within me. When I pause and breathe God’s faithfulness into my heart and mind, and in turn breathe out that faithfulness to others by kind and patient words or actions, then I am able to reliably overcome any minimizations, deceptions, or any persecutions that come my way. Will I rely on my own powers or the mercy of God today? Holy Spirit of God, help me rely on your faithfulness within me. Bless the Lord, all you works of the Lord; sing praise to him and highly exalt him forever. (Benedicite Omnia Opera – Daniel 3) Let nothing disturb you, Let nothing frighten you, All things are passing away: God never changes. Patience obtains all things Whoever has God lacks nothing; God alone suffices. St. Teresa of Avila www.gospelmysteryoftheday.ca & Gospel Mystery of the Day on Facebook Soli ad gloriam Dei
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Daniel 2:3-45 & Luke 21:5-11 At times it seems that terror is all around us. Whether it’s personal Job-like traumas and trials or the overwhelming Revelation-like portents of a world gone mad on a global scale, it is easy to be terrorized in this present age of humanity. King Nebuchadnezzar’s dream of disintegrating kingdoms and Jesus’ prophecies of future doom and gloom are not so different from the terrors that lurk in the shadows today. So what are we, as followers of Christ, to do? Are we to discuss these terrors endlessly, searching for safety and solutions to our own pitiful life-stories? No! God calls us to faith-full-ness towards, into, and through, his mercy as we navigate the twists and turns of our life journeys, no matter the visions we dream, the reports we hear, and the experiences that befall us. Will I dwell on terror all around in my own family, my community and the world, or will I live into the faithfulness of God? Holy Spirit of God, help me be not terrified but faithful. Bless the Lord, all you works of the Lord; sing praise to him and highly exalt him forever. (Benedicite Omnia Opera – Daniel 3) Let nothing disturb you, Let nothing frighten you, All things are passing away: God never changes. Patience obtains all things Whoever has God lacks nothing; God alone suffices. St. Teresa of Avila www.gospelmysteryoftheday.ca & Gospel Mystery of the Day on Facebook Soli ad gloriam Dei 1 Maccabees 2:15-29 The laws and (old and new) covenants of God’s mercy are designed to give life to humankind, no matter what the circumstances. Unfortunately, the world, the flesh and the spirit of this age provide a myriad of options, custom-designed it seems to grab our attention ‘just for a moment’ or ‘just this once’, away from our focus on God’s agenda of mercy on the one hand, and our own accountability on the other. ‘It won’t hurt to spend a lot (of time, treasure or talent) on this project, just this once....’ I’m tempted to tell myself. Rather I should be first determining whether spending my resources in that way will be in keeping with God’s laws and covenants. Or perhaps I am waiting for an unreliable appointee and feel angry frustration rising in my heart as the minutes tick by. Shall I just give into a string of harsh words, or allow my mind and soul to be shaped by the laws and covenants of God, and lean into holy waiting? Today will I stay rooted and grounded in the holy laws and covenant(s) that informed the life of Jesus? Holy Spirit of God, help me not turn away from your laws and covenants. Redeem me from human oppression, that I may keep your precepts. (Psalm 119: 134 ) Holiness never goes out of fashion. Pope Ermeritus Benedict XVI www.gospelmysteryoftheday.ca & Gospel Mystery of the Day on Facebook Soli ad gloriam 2 Maccabees 6:18-31 The story of Eleazar remains a bench mark of human dignity and integrity. Eleazar, a dignified and disciplined ninety year old Jewish elder, refused to eat the unclean offerings of popular culture, or even feign their consumption for the purpose of saving his own life. In his brutal death he showed himself worthy of his old age by leaving the legacy of a noble example of how to die a good death willingly and nobly for the revered and holy laws. It was not so much his violent death, but rather Eleazar’s underlying courage and integrity, that stand out for Christians of any age facing persecutions today, whether they be arguments on the home front or societal pressures to vote for a government that promotes a culture of death. At any age, when I believe in God and truly and honestly follow his ways, I am able to live into my full potential of human dignity and integrity, becoming, like Eleazar, a witness to the worth and instrinsic Godliness of each human soul. This is living ‘worthy of my age’, no matter how old I am. Will I endure persecution and maintain my dignity and integrity as a true child of God? Holy Spirit of God, help me be worthy of my age. Redeem me from human oppression, that I may keep your precepts. (Psalm 119: 134 ) You are what you eat, so don’t be fast, easy, cheap, or fake. Anonymous quote from the Internet www.gospelmysteryoftheday.ca & Gospel Mystery of the Day on Facebook Soli ad gloriam Dei 1 Maccabees 1:1-64 In ancient times, about 175 years before Jesus was born, the Israelites were under a lot of pressure to water down their religious practices so that they could fit into the local culture that was fast over-taking them. This was not a revolution of relativism as we know it today, but it was a relativism that reflected those times and trends and had a similar effect on the long-standing Jewish culture and traditions as the relativism of today has on Christian traditions. In the end, it all comes down to ‘food’. “You are what you eat,” says the age-old adage, whether one is speaking figuratively or literally. For the Israelites, they were being spiritually fed the deceits and practices of an idol-worshipping nation, and with recipes for pork and other unclean foods, were being enticed away from the wholesome Middle East diet the Lord God had prescribed for them. In our day, we are being fed the spiritual deceits and practices of materialism, consumerism, post-modernism and a wide variety of other variations on atheism. In addition, nourishment for our bodies has become so mangled and manipulated that it takes a great deal of discipline and work to eat whole, simple, and genetically and chemically ‘clean’ foods. The result for both the ancient Jews and us today is the same: as much as we consume unreal and unhealthy food, we become ill, whether spiritually or physically. As much as we consume ‘good food’ we stay well spiritually and physically. Today, what kind of ‘food’ am I eating in body and soul? Holy Spirit of God, help me not to eat unclean ‘food’. Redeem me from human oppression, that I may keep your precepts. (Psalm 119: 134 ) You are what you eat, so don’t be fast, easy, cheap, or fake. Anonymous quote from the Internet 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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