Your word is a lamp for my feet and a light for my path. (Psalm 119)
Acts 12:1-11 It is probable that each one of us will be subjected to ‘imprisonment’ of some kind, during our lifetimes. Besides chains and mortar, prisons can be constructed of many things: violence, bitterness, unemployment , poverty, pain, illness, or political, cultural or spiritual shunning, to name but a few. Anytime I am held by forces beyond my control, I am imprisoned. Is it always a total loss? St. Peter’s and St. Paul’s prison experiences bear witness to the truth that no matter how challenging and ‘secure’ the prison, the Holy Spirit of God can empower followers of Jesus to be freed or live beyond any prison experience. “The Lord stood by me,” Paul says, “and gave me strength, so that through me the Gospel might be fully proclaimed.” When I am in ‘prison’ of any kind, do I fold in on my own self, or do I invite the Lord to stand by me and give me strength? Stand by me, Lord, and give me strength when I am in prison so that I can bear witness by faith, hope and love to the Gospel of Christ Jesus. The Angel of the Lord encamps around those who fear him, and delivers them. O taste and see that the Lord is good; blessed is the one who takes refuge in him. (Psalm 34:7,8) Praise is the antidote to sin... Praise is what best helps [me] to decentralize [myself] and to recentralize on God. Raniero Cantalamessa For info on Fr. Raniero Cantalamessa see http://www.cantalamessa.org/?lang=en 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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