Your word is a lamp for my feet and a light for my path. (Psalm 119)
2 Corinthians 11:18-30 & Matt 6: 19-23
Sometimes I treasure my personal possessions, and at other times I ponder or ‘treasure’ all the times “I have succeeded!” in surviving overwhelming circumstances. St Paul treasured neither. He rarely refers to any personal possessions, other than the mantle he left behind on his travels, and after listing enough overwhelming circumstances for 20 lives he boasts, not of his accomplishments, but of his weaknesses. Jesus taught his disciples that where our treasure is, that is where our heart is. The only treasure that is good for me and worth the time and trouble of being cared for is the mercy of God – that saved St. Paul on countless occasions, and that redeems my life from the darkness of despair and deceit. How treasured are my memories, my understandings and my humble access to, the Grace of God in my life? Do I guard and cherish the grace of God in my life? Holy Spirit of Jesus, help me carefully guard the treasure of your mercy in my life. My soul makes its boast in the Lord; let the humble hear and be glad. (Psalm 34:2) But we have this treasure in clay jars, so that it may be made clear that this extraordinary power belongs to God and does not come from us. Saint Paul. Second Letter to the Church in Corinth, 4:7 www.gospelmysteryoftheday.ca & Gospel Mystery of the Day on Facebook Soli ad gloriam Dei
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2 Corinthians 4:16-18 & Matt 6: 1-18 Doing good works is a shared event, a community affair; although Jesus encourages us to give alms secretly, under the gaze of God alone, doing good works requires that I am in relationship with others, and that they (not I) benefit from the good works that I do. Abundantly doing good works implies over-flowing generosity, spilling over from the abundance -of mercies and of life’s necessities - I have received in my life. What are the good works the Holy Spirit of Jesus encourages? Visiting the sick and the prisoners (or all kinds!), caring for strangers, widows and orphans, feeding the hungry, giving shelter to the homeless, praying with the suffering –these are just a few of the physical and spiritual acts of mercy expected of us, of me. Am I so in love with the Holy Spirit that I will share, generously, in good works? Holy Spirit of Jesus, help me share abundantly in good works. Happy those who revere the Lord… they have distributed freely, they have given to the poor; their righteousness endures forever. (Psalm 112:1,9) The path to peace calls for courage. It springs from the tears and suffering that we share. Jean Vanier, A Cry is Heard, p.116 www.gospelmysteryoftheday.ca & Gospel Mystery of the Day on Facebook Soli ad gloriam Dei
Matthew 5:43-48 & 2 Corinthians 8: 1-9 Holy Spirit of Jesus, teach me about the generosity of your love… Creator God and Christ Jesus are so generous with their love! They gave up the human life of the only Son by crucifixion on a cross as a signpost of Merciful love for all of eternity. Jesus spoke of this generosity of love when he taught his disciples to love their enemies and pray for those who despitefully used and abused them. The early Christian church took this counsel seriously. Paul gave a report about Christians in Macedonia during a ‘severe ordeal of affliction’. He noted that ‘their abundant joy and their extreme poverty overflowed in a wealth of generosity on their part. In the economy of the world, one gives from abundance and demands good return for service. In the economy of God, each man, woman and child is called to be generous in time, talent and treasure –and love at all times to everybody. Whether life is good or troubled, will I, like Jesus and the early Macedonia Christian, overflow with the generosity of love that is the mark of a Christian, a follower of Jesus? Holy Spirit of Jesus, teach me about the generosity of your love. The Lord opens the eyes of the blind. The Lord lifts up those who are bowed down. (Psalm 146:8) Do not think that your present state is a punishment from heaven, because you would be wrong; be certain that your present state is willed by God for the salvation of your soul. St. Pius of Pietrelcina www.gospelmysteryoftheday.ca & Gospel Mystery of the Day on Facebook Soli ad gloriam Dei 2 Corinthians 6:1-10 Paul’s trials and troubles were epic, and my own trials and troubles no less challenge and require me to make choices. Often I need to make those choices very quickly and under, sometimes extreme, duress, making it very difficult to regulate my thoughts, words and deeds in the moment. These choices are often not so much about what, but how I think, speak and act. Significantly, I am not called upon to solve the world’s problems, redirect society at large or even to ‘clean up’ society’s institutions – that’s God’s work. But I am called into a place of purity and patience, kindness and truth, knowledge and genuine love – which sometimes lead to sleepless nights, afflictions, hardships, lots of labours, and sometimes even psycho-social beatings and imprisonments. Today, will I live into my fallen passions and wants or will I live into the holy ways of Christ Jesus? Spirit of God, help me live into your holy ways as I endure trials and troubles. O sing to the Lord a new song, for he has done marvellous things. (Psalm 98: 1) Do not think that your present state is a punishment from heaven, because you would be wrong; be certain that your present state is willed by God for the salvation of your soul. St. Pius of Pietrelcina www.gospelmysteryoftheday.ca & Gospel Mystery of the Day on Facebook Soli ad gloriam Dei 2 Corinthians 3:4-11 What is my competency level as a minister of the new covenant? As a baptised, committed follower of Christ, I have learned about the new covenant in which forgiveness replaces vengeance and mercy takes precedence over law-keeping. But how competent am I at living forgiveness and mercy in and through my connections –with God, with relatives, with colleagues and human kind in general? How competent am I in real-izing the new covenant brokered by Christ’s death on the cross, here and now the world’s present? How do I need to improve my competency as a minister of the new covenant with my life? Holy Spirit, help me be a competent minister of the new covenant. Teach me your paths, my God, and lead me in your truth. (Psalm 25:5) O Holy Spirit, by whose breath Life rises vibrant out of death; Come to create, renew, inspire; Come kindle in our hearts your fire. John Grant. Based on Veni Creator Spiritus www.gospelmysteryoftheday.ca & Gospel Mystery of the Day on Facebook Soli ad gloriam Dei |
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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