Your word is a lamp for my feet and a light for my path. (Psalm 119)
Luke 19: 1-10 Like Zacchaeus we all ‘fall short’ of connecting level on level with Christ Jesus, if not in physical, then in spiritual, stature. So I, too, thinking that I’ll get a better view of life, climb ‘trees’ – trees of arrogance, advocacy, false alignment and perhaps even brilliance. Then Jesus comes to me, just as he did to Zacchaeus. He stands on the ground, looks up at me sitting precariously on the branches of my chosen vantage point and says, “Come down out of there, because today I must stay in your house.” Today will I remain ‘up the tree’ or will I come down out of my own loftiness to welcome and serve Jesus with my life, face to face, moment by moment, always grounded in his love and truth? Help me come down out of my tree to welcome you, Christ Jesus. The unfolding of your words gives light; it imparts understanding to the simple. (Psalm 119) In every generations 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.
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Wisdom 7:22 – 8:1 Through the gifting of the Holy Spirit, the potential for true wisdom – and her sister, holiness – are within each baptised person. Like a rosebud curled up, wisdom awaits her blooming in each of our lives. Life’s beauty and challenges are ever present, calling each one to contemplate the grace and mercy of our God, who calls us to love beyond hurt to love some more. This is how deep wisdom unfolds in our hearts and minds as the days and years of our lives lead one to the other. As I let God’s wisdom unfold within I am shaped into the likeness of Christ Jesus, into true holiness. Am I allowing the wisdom of God to unfurl within me? Unfold within me, Lord, your wisdom, that I, like Christ Jesus, might be holy. The unfolding of your words gives light; it imparts understanding to the simple. (Psalm 119) In every generations 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. Romans 13:8-10
Prejudice (pre-judgement), self-preservation, passion, guilt, fear or just plain discomfort – these are the things that so often prompt my responses to others, and lead me into all kinds of violence, conflict and unnecessary stress. But if I respond to the words and actions of others out of compassion for them as individuals, and truly ‘love my neighbor as myself’ then I do no wrong to the other and indeed embrace the abundance of life that Christ Jesus revealed to us. How can I find the courage and presence of mind to respond with love? Only with the help and strengthening of the Holy Spirit. Holy Spirit, help me respond only out of love. Happy are those who fear the Lord… They rise in the darkness as a light for the upright; they are gracious, merciful and righteous. (Psalm 112:1,4) Spread love everywhere you go. Let no one ever come to you without leaving happier. St. Mother Teresa of Calcutta www.gospelmysteryoftheday.ca Soli gloriam dei. Romans 11:29-36
Like all of the Apostles, Paul was conversant with great suffering, both in his own life, and in the lives of those around him. He realized how much his own life and the lives of any early Christians depended on the mercy of God. With none of our modern medical and emergency services, nor a security force governed by a semblance of justice, early Christians depended simply on the mercy of God to spring the doors of prisons, for rescue after shipwreck at sea, or to sustain them with peace in the face of hungry lions or other means of torture. These days when faced with massive euthanasia, abortion, persistent suffering in our own lives or simply with the untimely deaths of others we, too, can trust only the mercy of God transform the horrors of life to signs of Holy Grace. Christ Jesus, as I be-hold the troubled places in my life and the lives of those around me, in your goodness, have mercy, have mercy. You who seek God, let your hearts revive. (Psalm 69:3) Pain and suffering have come into your life, but remember pain, sorrow and suffering are but the kiss of Jesus – a sign that you have come so close to Him that He can kiss you. St. Mother Teresa of Calcutta www.gospelmysteryoftheday.ca Soli gloriam dei. Romans 9:1-5 Like a child, when I disappoint myself and my ‘Abba, Father’, I often try to avoid the consequence of my behaviour and the disciplining, -the disciple-ing – hand of the Lord. Instead of accepting the Lord’s correction, when the predictable consequences of my erroneous behaviour result in suffering, I am more likely, like a young child, to run away and hide; or like a feisty 8 year old to point the finger and say, ‘she/he made me do it’; or like a reluctant teenager to talk back to God and go out and do my own thing; or like a young adult, shake my fist at heaven and explode, ‘Why me, God?’. But when I accept the Lord’s discipline, I find myself growing in patience, perseverance and love as I take responsibility for my own actions, and learn through the consequences of my foolish words or action. Then, like Paul, I can live into ‘the gifts and the calling of God which are irrevocable’, and look to Jesus for help to live the way our Father God has designed us to live. Am I truly interested in becoming a beloved daughter of God? Christ Jesus, help me accept God’s discipline. Happy are those whom you discipline, O Lord, and whom you teach out of your law, giving respite from days of trouble. (Psalm 94:1) Pain and suffering have come into your life, but remember pain, sorrow and suffering are but the kiss of Jesus – a sign that you have come so close to Him that He can kiss you. St. Mother Teresa of Calcutta www.gospelmysteryoftheday.ca Soli 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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