Your word is a lamp for my feet and a light for my path. (Psalm 119)
Wisdom 7:22 – 8:1 “Wisdom, the fashioner of all things, taught me. There is in her a spirit that is intelligent, holy, unique, manifold…” So begins the definitive text about wisdom. It is clear that wisdom is essential for us to live life abundantly because it leads us away from ‘sin’ and into all that we are designed to receive from the hand of Father God. Why is it, then, that I so often turn away from wisdom and become sidetracked by foolishness? Our family dog showed me an answer to this conundrum. When Shadow is off leash and free to roam the fields and forests on his own, he stays clear of trouble and exhibits many of the elements of wisdom: he finds a unique path, he finds manifold scents, he can subtly stalk a gopher; he is very mobile and flexible; his relationship to the landscape is unpolluting; he seems to be invulnerable; he certainly loves the good; his keen senses are at work and etcetra. But when I hook our dog onto his line, he becomes tangled in all kinds of things, he pollutes the back yard, and carves an unsightly path through the grass; he digs constantly out of frustration and has been known to bite a visitor who surprises him in his own territory. So it is with me. When I am ‘off leash’ and redeemed from the sins I have committed by Christ, I am able to roam freely and use the wisdom that God has placed in my heart. As much as I freely turn to him in prayer and praise,I have time to sense the nudges of the Holy Spirit and to go where he sends me. But as soon as I am ‘hooked up’ to a plan or a purpose that is opposed to wisdom, aka binding rather than freeing in the Spirit, my own spirit begins to exhibit stress lines that are counter to the Holy Spirit of Wisdom described by Solomon. Then I become polluting, unsure and anxious like a dog hooked to a line.tugging at the tensions and forgetting about the source of wisdom within. Will I bind myself to worldly ‘lines of thought’, or will I remain ‘free in the Grace and wisdom of the Holy Spirit’? Father God, in the secret of my heart teach me wisdom. The unfolding of your words, O Lord, gives light; it imparts understanding to the simple. (Psalm 119) “Getting wisdom is the wisest thing you can do.” Proverbs 4:7 Soli ad gloriam Gospel Mystery of the Day on FaceBook & www.gospelmysteryoftheday.ca
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1 Kings 17: 8-24 Both Elijah and the widow of Zarephath give us a picture of what it is to trust God. Elijah followed God’s lead to leave despondence behind and go where he was nudged by God . Then he went to seek out a person who up until then had been a stranger to him. The widow of Zarephath, responded compassionately by a stranger from the desert asking for a simple thing, a drink of water. Then Elijah witnessed to God’s faithfulness, and the widow listened to God’s promises and believed his statements, that God would provide. She generously and trustingly took her last flour, the end of her oil and what was left of her fuel to bake bread for the three of them – the prophet, her son and herself. It was then that Elijah and the widow began to witness the quiet miracle of the daily provision of flour and oil for several weeks, while others around them died of starvation during the long and severe drought of the land. Yes, the widow’s faith was tested – and Elijah’s too, no doubt –, when her son fell ill and clinically died. It was then that Elijah, prophet and ‘man of God’ prayerfully and trustingly called out to God to miraculously heal the child. After so many days and weeks of simply and faithfully living into God’s promises of provision, the miracle of a child being raised from the dead was not too impossible. Will I take my cue from Elijah and the widow of Zarephath to leave despondency behind, to get up and go, to notice the nudging of God; to seek out a person to witness to; to compassionately respond; to listen to and eventually witness myself to God’s faithfulness and trustworthiness? Will I trust in God? Father God, help me to trust in you. Father God, I trust in you. If I take the wings of the morning and settle at the farthest limits of the sea, even there you hand shall lead me, and your right hand shall hold me fast. (Psalm 139:6) “A single act of love makes the soul return to life.” Saint MaximilianKolbe Soli ad gloriam Gospel Mystery of the Day on FaceBook & www.gospelmysteryoftheday.ca Luke 16:1-13 Jesus told a parable of a shrew, self-protective manager who realized he was losing his job because he was squandering his boss’ property; he used his customary shady business habits and the resources he had at hand to maximize his own gain once he was unemployed. Jesus told this parable not to encourage his listeners to engage dishonesty as needed, but to illustrate how we as ‘children of the Light’ have much to learn about wisely using the resources we have at hand in this life ‘to make friends for ourselves’ and survive the circumstance of our life journeys. Said another way, Jesus counsels us to use all of our (spiritual) resources to find our way home to heaven. All wealth is arguably dishonest in this world where schemes and shady deals in the hands of a handful of billionaires rake in cash and throw it to the wind – or even to outer space travel. As much as I shop and exchange money in the present global economy, I use currency derived from this dishonest wealth, often produced by the extraction industries that globally rape the earth and pollute our atmosphere and oceans. What does Jesus ask us to do? With our integrity intact as children of the Father of Mercy Jesus encourages us to use whatever resources we have to serve the Lord and others in his ways of love in Truth and Truth in love, that is righteousness. Will I use my power, position and possessions to prosper in the perverse and present world? Or will I use all of my powers, positions and possessions to gain welcome in our eternal home in heaven with Christ Jesus? Christ Jesus, help me help me deal wisely in this world with the light, love and life that I have received at your hand. Happy are those who fear the Lord ... They rise in the darkness as a light for the upright; they are gracious, merciful, and righteous... they have distributed freely. (Psalm 112: 1,2,9) Don’t spend your energies on things that generate worry, anxiety and anguish. Only one thing is necessary: Lift up your spirit and love God. Saint Padre Pio Soli ad gloriam Gospel Mystery of the Day on FaceBook & www.gospelmysteryoftheday.ca Luke 14, 25 -33 We all know how material possessions weigh us down. Not only do we need to spend time and energy purchasing ‘stuff’ , but each thing we purchase requires that know its purpose, and how to use it properly, that we clean it and maintain it, and that we store it - or display it, as the case may be, - ‘safely’ and appropriately. The emotional and soul-full possessions we carry with us are much harder to identify. In this passage from Luke’s Gospel, Christ goes to great lengths to describe how we have to ‘hate’ our family members; take up the Cross and follow Him; be able to count the cost of discipleship; and take time to carefully prepare for our journey with Jesus. Each of these ‘hard sayings’ is a lead up to Jesus’ comment that None of you can become my disciple if you do not give up all your possessions.” These emotional and soul-full possessions –that include sentimental family attachments, doing-what-we-want –to-when-we-want –to (the opposite of carrying the cross), and doffing all attachments that would hinder us in our project of following in the footsteps of Christ Jesus –are no less cumbersome and weighty than material possessions. Jesus instructed his disciples then and we, his followers, now that we need to give up all our possessions. Am I willing to give up all my possessions and release even the sentimental attachments to family – either those that are compassionate or those that are vengeful – and all of my passions and plans? Christ Jesus, help me release all of my possessions so to follow you freely. Happy are those who fear the Lord ... They rise in the darkness as a light for the upright; they are gracious, merciful, and righteous... they have distributed freely. (Psalm 112: 1,2,9) Don’t spend your energies on things that generate worry, anxiety and anguish. Only one thing is necessary: Lift up your spirit and love God. Saint Padre Pio Soli ad gloriam Gospel Mystery of the Day on FaceBook & www.gospelmysteryoftheday.ca Mark 12:28-34 There are so many things to love these days, not only possessions, but also ideologies, issues, plans, projects and popular societal trends. I can so easily fall in love with a particular kind of music, an activity or even a person, place or thing that fascinates me. Then the people in my life, and more importantly the Holy Spirit of God take second place in my agenda, and are often ignored altogether. God’s plan for us as his children is a relationship with daily, if not continuous, connections built in. Conversations or mindful silences between us and small services to the other all are signs of love reaching from God’s heart to mine and back again and then flowing out to others in my family, my community and the world at large.. Will I give God and the people in my life the leftovers of my time and energy, or will I primarily give all my energies of heart, mind, soul and strength to God, and to loving others? Holy Spirit, help me love God and others before all things. I love you, O Lord, my strength (Psalm 13:1) Every time you smile at someone, it is an action of love, a gift to that person, a beautiful thing. Saint Mother Teresa Soli ad gloriam Gospel Mystery of the Day on FaceBook & www.gospelmysteryoftheday.ca |
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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