Your word is a lamp for my feet and a light for my path. (Psalm 119)
Matthew 11:28 – 30 In this age of machines it is rare and beautiful to see a team of dogs or horses, or a yoke of oxen, pulling together. Jesus’ image of being a disciple in yoke with him, is both settling and stirring. It is settling because it calls me to walk so closely with Jesus that I go where he goes, and so have less chance of getting stuck in the swamps or dead ends of worldly existence, or go wandering from the ‘path of life’ that God has set out for me. It is stirring to walk my life’s journey with Jesus because I never know where he will take us, or what new adventures lie just around the corner; His ways are as strengthening as they are challenging, and as I walk in yoke with Him, aligned with his pace and purpose, I become wiser, more attuned to the holy rhyme and rhythm of life, and less self-centred. Will I take the yoke of Christ Jesus upon me, and walk with Him, to learn the ways of the Holy Spirit of God? Holy Spirit of Jesus, help me take your yoke upon me to learn from you. The Lord is merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love. (Psalm 103: 8) Contemplation is nothing else but a secret, peaceful and loving infusion of God which, if admitted will set the soul on fire with the spirit of love. St John of the Cross. Soli ad gloriam Dei Gospel Mystery of the Day on FaceBook & www.gospelmysteryoftheday.ca
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Matthew 3:1-12 When we first moved into our home, our property was adjacent to an abandoned railway track. Awkward, creosote-soaked, ties were staggered amongst brambles and bushes of all sizes, and large chunks of coal and rocks made walking along the tracks almost impassable. Thankfully, the municipality recognized the gift that such a ‘way’ could be for walkers and cyclists and within two years workers had prepared a beautiful walking/bike path. They continue to maintain this straight pathway that spans several kilometers of beautifully forested land. By the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, John the Baptist counseled the crowds that came to him for baptism, to go and prepare the way of the Lord, and to make his paths straight – to pull up the sin-soaked memories and the habits of dissolute living; to get rid of the rigid rails that are the worldly values and beliefs that they followed to try and get to heaven; to toss away the rocks of dissipation, addictions, and the cares and worries of this world; to smooth out the bumps and boulders; and to lay down a good layer, not of crushed stone, but of obedience to the righteousness of God. Will I transform the neglected and overgrown path of my life into a prepared and well-maintained, and straight way for the Lord, that will allow me to ‘walk with Jesus’? Holy Spirit help me prepare the way of the Lord, and make his paths straight. Bless the Lord, O my soul, and do not forget all his benefits. (Psalm 103:1) The most deadly poison of our times is indifference. And this happens even though the praise of God should know no limits. Let us strive, therefore, to praise him to the greatest extent of our powers. St. Maximilian Kolbe Soli ad gloriam Dei Gospel Mystery of the Day on FaceBook & www.gospelmysteryoftheday.ca Holy Spirit, help me have a steadfast mind (so you can keep me in peace – because I trust in you)…12/5/2022 Isaiah 26:1-6 & Matt 7:21-27 Jesus told [us] to be on our guard against dissipation, drunkenness (addictions), and the cares and worries of this world. How do we keep ourselves free from these chains that bind us to living in the flesh rather than in the freedom of the Holy Spirit? Isaiah and all the prophets before and since the birth of Jesus knew the answer: keeping a ‘steadfast mind’, that is keeping our thoughts words and deeds rooted and grounded in the truth and mercy of God. More than anything, keeping a steadfast mind requires that my time and energy be devoted first and foremost to hearing – and seeing, and recognizing – Christ the Word at work in, and through, my own life and the lives of others around me. As I navigate the plays and ways – and the ‘daze’ – of this present age of dissolution, fragmentation and wide-spread godlessness, will I ‘build’ my life on the issues and the shifting sands of societal norms including my own health and welfare? Or will I deliberately set my mind on the love of God, and so build my life, moment by moment on the rock of my salvation, whose name is Christ Jesus? Holy Spirit of God, help me have a steadfast mind, so you can keep me in peace, because I trust in you. It is better to take refuge in the Lord than to put confidence in mortals. (Psalm 118: 8) Contemplation is nothing else but a secret, peaceful and loving infusion of God which, if admitted will set the soul on fire with the spirit of love. St John of the Cross. Soli ad gloriam Dei 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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