Your word is a lamp for my feet and a light for my path. (Psalm 119)
1 Maccabees 2:15-29 Societal pressure can so often dictate my use of time and energy and bend my mind and spirit to its sway. Appointments and deadlines, trends and issues are so intense that I feel pressured to sacrifice my compassion and wisdom to the gods of convenience, comfort and greed on the altar of my life, much like the Israelites were pressured to sacrifice to idols by the king’s officers at Modein. We see Mattathias and his sons stand up to the pressures of their day and swiftly take decisive action against it, proclaiming, ‘I and my sons and my brothers will continue to live by the covenant of our ancestors!’ Notably they survived to become the leaders of a revolt that fanned the faith of the Israelites to stand up to their oppressors, both then and two hundred years later when the Romans occupied Judea at the time of Jesus’ birth. Am I faith-full and zealous enough to stand up to pressure and not sacrifice to the gods of society today? Holy Spirit, help me live not by societal pressure but by faith. Offer to God your sacrifice of thanksgiving, and pay your vows to the Most High. (Psalm 50) In every generation wisdom passes into holy souls and makes them friends of God, and prophets... The Book of Wisdom 7:27 www.gospelmysteryoftheday.ca Soli gloriam dei.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
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
Categories |