Your word is a lamp for my feet and a light for my path. (Psalm 119)
Jesus’ obedience to his Father and his journey through life on earth demanded that he live beyond his own family, even his beloved mother, Mary, -even to the extent that he died one of the worst deaths imaginable: crucifixion. So it was that Jesus taught his disciples weeks before his passion, that they, too, must consider God’s will beyond their own family allegiances; that whoever does not ‘take up the cross and follow me’, is not worthy of being identified with the Son of Man who was the Son of God. Why would someone give up ‘finding themselves’, with all that implies in today’s world of comforts, self-improvement books, and motivational speakers, and willingly lose their life like Jesus, strung up on whatever cross the world, the flesh and the devil throws at them? What a strange example to follow! Why indeed! But indeed, following Jesus and welcoming him by extending mercy to anyone in his name, is indeed life itself. All else – family, success, fame, fortune, comfort etcetera, all pale beside the One who is the Way, the Truth and the Life. Am I committed to deliberately following Jesus, no matter who I leave behind, and what kind of death is in store for me? Christ Jesus, help me faithfully follow you. To those who go the right way, I will show the salvation of God. (Psalm 50:23) CONSULT not your fears, but your hopes and dreams. THINK not about your frustrations, but about your unfulfilled potential. CONCERN yourself not with what you tried and failed in, but with what it is still possible for you to do." – Saint Pope John XXIII www.gospelmysteryoftheday.ca & Gospel Mystery of the Day on Facebook Soli ad gloriam Dei
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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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