Luke 1:26 – 38 (Gospel for the Feast of the Annunciation of the Lord, March 25)

 
The Word of God is not all nicey- nicey, although it is always true and merciful, as Mother Mary well knew. Mothering the Word Incarnate, Mary had to clean soiled clothing, deal with a twelve year old who took off without telling his parents where he was going, and suffer the anguish of her son leaving the family business high and dry to wander the countryside with an (albeit good) group of friends – and then had to endure the trauma of seeing her 33 year old tortured by the religious establishment and cruelly crucified by the reigning oppressors. And yet, Mary of Nazareth was willing to write her young man’s Father, the Holy Spirit of God, a blank cheque on her life, and did not flinch from praying and praising Him when things got tough. Like Mother Mary, I too have experienced some of the bite of the sword of the Spirit which is the Word of God, not as concretely as Mother Mary, but certainly spiritually over the six decades of my life. I have noticed that the Word of God is surprisingly ‘interruptive’ and even at times disturbing as it works through the course of my life’s journey. Am I happy to allow the Holy Spirit of God to direct my life according to His Word? Absolutely, because the Light, the Saltiness and the Mercy, both given and received, that it generates in my life is absolutely life-giving, far beyond the cuts and bruises that sometimes swell up. Will I allow the Lord to rule my life according only to His Word? Will we as Church allow the Lord to rule our lives according to His Word? Let it be done to me according to your Word, O Lord. 
 
I delight to do your will, O my God; your law is within my heart… I have not hidden your saving help within my hear, I have spoken of your faithfulness and your salvation.  (Psalm 40: 8, 10)
 
Sin is believing the lie that you are self-created, self-dependent and self-sustained. 
St. Augustine
 
Soli ad gloriam
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Luke 15:1-32

 
The turning point for the prodigal son in the Jesus’ parable, as written in the Gospel reading for Sunday Mass this fourth week of Lent, is also the turning point for any one of us living today. The younger son of the faithful Father, we are told, came to his senses.  Each human being is born with an innate sense of alignment with God, in whose image he/she is created. Each of us, even those most damaged mentally, spiritually or physically, seems to have a deep down intrinsic sense of love, truth and liveliness, and understands the difference between light and dark. Unfortunately, life happens, and like the prodigal younger son in Jesus’ parable, we can become mesmerized by the pains or passions of this world and take a twisted path in life rather than the ‘high way’ our Creator sets out for us.  But even during distressing times, this sense of God is imprinted deep down in our souls, and like the morning star at dawn, it is always available to guide us back home. When I come to my senses and realize who I am as a beloved child of God, I discover my true and deeply grounding identity. It is then that I remember where I have come from, and can find my way home to the same Light, Life and Love that guided Jesus through his Ministry, his Passion, a tortuous Crucifixion and his Resurrection from the dead. Will I ground myself in my real identity at home, at work, in my community, our world, and indeed in all of my relationships? Holy Spirit of Jesus, help me come to my senses!  Holy Spirit of Jesus, help my family members, my co-workers, and all others in my life come to their senses and find their way home.  
 
I sought the lord and he answered me, and delivered me from all my fears. (Psalm 34:4)
 
Stand still, and allow the deadly restlessness of our tragic age to fall away like the worn-out, dusty cloak that it is.
Catherine Doherty, Poustinia: Encountering God in Silence, Solitude and Prayer
 
See the attached, First Peoples’ Delegation to Rome: A Call to Repentance
 
Soli ad gloriam
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Daniel 3:25 -43

 
The flames in the fiery furnace stoked to capacity by Babylonian nationalists spelled certain death for the three young Jewish men thrown into it – or so everyone believed. Just as surely as it seemed that the roaring fire would instantly consume the three Jewish exiles, so the flames of death, deceits and the fear of the destruction of all that is good, lick at our feet, hissing, “You will surely die a worthless death.”  But Azariah (Daniel) and his two faithful friends knew what to do. They stood in the midst of the flames and prayed to God with a song of praise. Although they had been tied up hand and foot to be thrown into the midst of the flames, all watching witnessed the three young men in the company of a fourth, ‘who looked like and angel’, walking around in the fire. “They are not tied up, and they show no sign of being hurt!” as King Nebuchadnezzar exclaimed, before calling them to come out of the fire. ‘They had not been harmed by the fire,’ we are told. When the flames of death, deceits and destruction threaten to burn us to a crisp in heart, mind, soul or body, we too have the option to turn to our God with prayers and praise, so that we too might leave the various ‘fiery furnaces’ of life behind.  Will I die of fright in the flames of death, deceits and destruction, or will I faith-fully voice prayers and praises to God?  Holy Spirit of God, help me stand in prayer and praise amidst the flames of life.
 
Lead me in your truth and teach me, for you are the God of my salvation.  (Psalm 25:5)
 
And when the flame flashed forth, we saw a miracle, we to whom it was given to see. And we are preserved in order to relate to the rest what happened.
The witnesses to the Martyrdom of St. Polycarp
 
See the 8th paragraph on this page, at a Greek Orthodox Archdiocese blog page for an account of the Martyrdom by fire of St. Polycarp, first Bishop of Rome.  
https://blogs.goarch.org/blog/-/blogs/elpidophoros-the-persian-martyr
 
Soli ad gloriam
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Psalm 1 

 
The ‘law’ of God is much broader than the Ten Commandments. Embracing all of Mercy and Truth, the law of the Lord is the foundation of all scriptures, of the natural world, and the happiness - the blessedness - of humanity. The ‘law’ of God is the operating system that allows ‘programs’ of compassion, creativity and consolation to operate, that repairs and renovates the effects of sin in the world, and that protects individuals, communities, and nations from injustice and sin-full dispositions. When I love and meditate on the law of God, my  mind can rest in, and embrace, the Graces of Life and Love and Light that I, as a beloved child of God, am designed to engage with all of my being.  What operating system am I using in my life? Am I meditating on the law of God, or on the carnal laws of power, possessions and success and all the confining and sinful programs they spawn? Holy Spirit of God, guide me as I meditate on your law.     
 
I the Lord test the mind and search the heart, to give to all according to their ways, according to the fruit of their doings.   (Jeremiah 17:10)
 
This is the hour in which each one of us has to go very deeply into ourselves. We have to begin a pilgrimage, and see to it that our pilgrimage really is a straightening of the ways of the Lord into our lives.
Catherine Doherty, Season of Mercy, Prepare for Lent
 
Soli ad gloriam
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Luke 9:28-36

 
The paralysis of despondency, ‘acedia,’ can creep into our souls without notice when we lose sight of who Jesus is. Peter, James, and John had climbed the mountain with Jesus and were ‘weighed down with sleepiness’.  Deep sleep was just a few deep breaths away, but because they ‘stayed awake’ they witnessed the Transfiguration, -  and it woke them up for the rest of their lives. Having seen the full glory of their Master, the Son of Man who was the Son of God, in the context of all of history, their lives were changed forever. As I climb the ‘mountain’ of my own life, following Jesus to the top, I, too, will be tempted to close my spiritual eyes and sleep, becoming oblivious to the works of God. But when I ‘stay awake’ spiritually, whether during a fit-full ‘night’ or an active ‘day’ of my soul, and keep my eyes on the Lord to see what he does, I also see glimpses of the marvelous Light and the Glory of God. Those glimpses of God’s glory continue to sustain me through all the challenges of earthy existence. Will I allow sleepiness to overtake me, or will I stay awake and listen to Christ Jesus?  Holy Spirit of Jesus, help me stay awake to see your glory.
 
On the day I called, you answered me and you increased my strength of soul.  (Psalm 138:3)
 
This is the hour in which each one of us has to go very deeply into ourselves. We have to begin a pilgrimage, and see to it that our pilgrimage really is a straightening of the ways of the Lord into our lives.
Catherine Doherty, Season of Mercy, Prepare for Lent
 
See the symptoms and remedies for Acedia, attached to this email.
 
Soli ad gloriam
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