Your word is a lamp for my feet and a light for my path. (Psalm 119)
Gospel Mystery of the Day Friday, March 15, 2019
Good Morning! Your word is a lamp for my feet and a light for my path. (Psalm 119) Ezekiel 18:21-28 Holy Spirit of Jesus, help me turn away from sin to righteousness, and live... No matter how much I pray, when I ruminate on sin, whether it be my own or that of others, or ease up on virtuous living, I am sucked into a vortex of darkness and despondency (acedia) that is a path to hell. Judgments and complaints, self-centredness and envy are the thin edges of the wedges of hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage and all the other ‘transgressions’ Paul lists in his letter to the Galatians (5:19-21). If I simply attempt to turn away from sin, it is always easy to get sucked back into the greyness of not-knowing. But when I turn away from sin to righteousness, and trace the grace and mercy of God as it shows up in my own life, the lives of others then I become committed to deliberately practicing the virtues of love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control, which St. Paul lists as the Fruits of the Spirit. That is when I begin to live again. Am I aware how easily one sin leads to another? Am I aware of the discipline required to remain committed to righteousness? Holy Spirit of Jesus, help me turn away from sin to righteousness, and live. Give me again the joy of your help; with a spirit of fervor sustain me. (Psalm 51) Strengthen within our hearts the faith you have given us. Let not temptation ever quench the fire that your love has kindled within us. Concluding Prayer, Morning Prayer, Friday, Week I, Liturgy of the Hours 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
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