Mark 10:32-45

        
Like Jesus, each one of us has a road to ‘Jerusalem’, a path that our life must take for us to fulfill our role as an individual in this world in order to bring about the Kingdom of God on earth. I may not be called to die for the redemption of the whole world, but I am called to be a servant for the sake of God’s Kingdom and to journey to ‘Jerusalem’, just as Jesus did. In the midst of what seemed to be a successful ministry of teaching and healing, our Lord turned his face to Jerusalem. The very human crowd around him was amazed at this:  “What is He doing??!”. The disciples manifested the other response to such a change in direction. Fearfully they asked each other, “What is He doing??!” I too can be amazed or fear-full when God nudges me along the road to Jerusalem, through dis-employment, a death, ill health, or anything else that turns my life around. Will I meet such conversions in my life with amazement and fear, and the disciples’ questions of ‘What’s in it for me?’ or with the trust, faithfulness and gratitude of Jesus? Christ Jesus, teach me about the path to Jerusalem!
 
O Lord, I trust in your merciful love; I trust in your salvation. (Psalm 13:5)
 
Pray, hope, and don’t worry. 

St. Pio of Pietrelcino
 
www.gospelmysteryoftheday.ca  & Gospel Mystery of the Day on Facebook
 
Soli ad gloriam Dei
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

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Mark 10:17-27
        
Living in our North American society with such elaborate houses, finely designed vehicles, extensive libraries, sentimental nick-naks and amazing devices, I, too, have hundreds of ‘possessions’. Although it is expensive to accumulate such expansive wealth, it is much more challenging to peel away the possessions I have stuck to myself, than to accumulate them. Yet I must divest myself of this accumulation of all these things that soak up hours of time and energy. Not only does it take my life’s resources to purchase possessions, but it also costs me dearly to keep their location in mind, and to keep them organized, maintained, and safe from moth, rust and thieves.  It is no wonder that Jesus taught that it is easier for a camel to go through the (gate in the wall of Jerusalem called the) Eye of a Needle, than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven!  To have treasure in heaven, I need to free up my time, my energy and my affection from the possessions that I have taken into my life so that I can focus on the riches of the fruits of the Holy Spirit. Like the rich young man who encountered Jesus, perhaps I, too, need to ‘sell all I have, and give the money (and the time and energy that is freed up by doing so) to the poor.’  Am I serious about freeing myself from the encumbrance of my possessions in order to love my God and my neighbour? What is the best way to do this? Holy Spirit, help me divest myself of possessions. 
 
How wonderful are the things the Lord does.   (Psalm 111:2)
 
Lord, give me the heart of a child, and the awesome courage to live it out as an adult.
Catherine Doherty
 
www.gospelmysteryoftheday.ca  & Gospel Mystery of the Day on Facebook
 
Soli ad gloriam Dei
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Memorial of St. Philip Neri
 
Mark 10:13-16

        
It is common knoweldge that compared to an adult, a healthy child laughs more, trusts more, is more honest, loves more faithfully, remembers better, and has better vision, hearing and smell. A child is also hard-wired to explore and discover life, and to love and be loved. Is it any wonder that Jesus wanted to have children around him as often as possible? Is it any wonder that the Master Teacher counselled his disciples, and each one of us as his followers, “Truly I tell you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God as a little child will never enter it.” ? Am I in touch enough with my ‘inner child’ to receive the kingdom of God? Father God, remind me that I am your child.
 
I call upon you, O Lord; help me now! Listen to me when I call to you.  (Psalm 141:1 NEV)
 
Lord, give me the heart of a child, and the awesome courage to live it out as an adult.
Catherine Doherty
 
www.gospelmysteryoftheday.ca  & Gospel Mystery of the Day on Facebook
 
Soli ad gloriam Dei
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Mark 10:1-12

        
Marriage between a husband and wife is the earthly rendering of the holy and life-giving kind of relationship we as human beings have been designed for, both in marriage and by baptism. Jesus taught the crowds that conjugal love is sacred, by virtue of the consummation of a marriage where man and woman freely join together to become one flesh, and that becoming one with another person other than one’s spouse is sin-full. Unfortunately, due to hardness of heart, both men and women can so disrupt relationship through adultery or emotional or physical abuse that separation – at least for a time –of spouses is required to preserve or restore life to individuals or to the family. Similarly, when I am sucked into sin due to my own hardness of heart, I need to separate myself from God for a time, until I am prepared to repent and be reconciled to God through Christ Jesus.  By its very nature, separation, whether conjugal or divine,  often allows the seeds of envy, anger, impatience, lust, licentiousness and unfaithfulness to enter [my] life, giving evil a place to grow. This in turn makes possible the consummation of an extraneous and unholy relationship that blinds one to the light of chaste love, whether of marriage or of commitment to the Holy Spirit of God. This is perhaps why Jesus cautions us saying, “What God has joined together, let no one separate.  How committed am I to the sanctity of my relationship to my spouse, and to God? When I am separated from my spouse or from God, will I remain faithful? Holy Spirit help me remain faithful.
 
God yearns jealously for the spirit that he has made to dwell in us.
(St. James quoting scripture in James 4:5)
 
...Let me never be separated from you; From the malignant one defend me...
Ignatius of Loyola.  Anima Christe                                   
 
www.gospelmysteryoftheday.ca  & Gospel Mystery of the Day on Facebook
 
Soli ad gloriam Dei
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Gospel Mystery of the Day         Thursday, May 24, 2018
 
Good Morning!      
Your word is a lamp for my feet and a light for my path. (Psalm 119)
 
Mark 9:41-50

        
Salt is good and useful, both physically and in a spiritual sense.  Salt enhances the flavour of food, melts ice, preserves fish, meat and pickles, and purifies and heals wounds.  Within our bodies, it is essential to have an appropriate level of sodium (salt); low sodium levels lead to exhaustion, weakness and even death.  So it is with our souls; a good level of the salt of challenges and sufferings in our lives is not only good, but necessary for our spiritual health. Jesus tells us that “everyone will be slated with fire”, that we will all have opportunity to become more whole by rising to the challenges and sufferings placed in our way. He then warns us not to lose our saltiness, not to insulate ourselves so much from suffering that we become weak of heart and exhausted in soul, sometimes leading to spiritual death.  As much as we live into the ‘salting’ experiences of life we will experience the enhancement of character, the melting of the frozen places in life, the preservation of the good fruits in our lives, and the purification and healing of our hearts. How healthy is my own saltiness of spirit? Do I need to adjust my life-focus in order to be salty enough to be the agent of God’s work amongst humanity? Christ Jesus, teach me about the saltiness of my life.
 
God yearns jealously for the spirit that he has made to dwell in us.
(St. James quoting scripture in James 4:5)
 
We will never be without struggle. But when we persevere with hope, courage, and confidence, we will come to fully realize in our innermost being that through the downward road of Christ we will enter with him into his glory.
Henry Nouwen
 
www.gospelmysteryoftheday.ca  & Gospel Mystery of the Day on Facebook
 
Soli ad gloriam Dei