Exodus 14:-18

The hard-heartedness of the Egyptians compelled them to hot-headedly pursue the Israelites into the bed of the Red Sea. Had they not pursued the Hebrews the Egyptian army would have lived to tell the tale. It was their hard-heartedness that made them race ahead, beyond the gracefulness of God. The Children of Israel on the other hand listened to counsel of the Lord, to stand firm (in faith), to be still (prayerful and open to God), and to walk forward  – and they lived to pass on this incredible story of their deliverance when the waters of the Red Sea stood still either side of their path from one shore to the other.  When I face frightening circumstances and challenges,  I have the option to remain hard-hearted and to charge ahead with my own will and wisdom, or to stand firm in the faith and the love of God, to be still and prayerful, and to walk forward into the way prepared by God.  What do I need to face in my life with firmness, stillness and forwardness? Holy Spirit of God, help me stand firm, be still, and walk forward.   
                                                                                                                   
O give thanks to the Lord, for he is good. It is he who remembered us in our low estate, and rescued us from our foes.  (Psalm 136:)
 
Intensify your prayer time, meditation and good deeds. For if Satan’s temptations merely cause you to increase your efforts to grow in holiness, he’ll have an incentive to leave you alone.
St. Ignatius of Loyola
 
For the inspiring story of a missionary doctor’s  take on trauma see https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-8SLF9lgVj0
 
 
Soli ad gloriam
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Matthew 10:16-23

 
Jesus realized how it would be for the disciples continuing his work after his death, and for us continuing his work in the world as we know it.  Jesus was sending his disciples out ‘like sheep in the midst of wolves’.  This can be a very perilous situation. Not only are we tantalizing to evil doers in evil times, but we are often outnumbered as well.  Not only do we need to depart from evil and then prepare ourselves for trials and outright attacks as we walk with Christ, but we need to trust to the Lord – to lead us away from evil, to give us the right words to say in any trial, any trouble, we face.  In the face of traumas, trials and troubles will I abandon the Lord’s work, or will I trust the Lord as I walk the path of life (and death) with him?  Holy Spirit of God, help me trust in the Lord, depart from evil and do what is good.
                                                                                                                   
The Lord helps them and rescues them; he rescues them from the wicked, and saves them, because they take refuge in him.     (Psalm 37:40 )
 
That's the excitement in obedience, finding out later what God had in mind.
Brother Andrew, in God’s Smuggler
 
See a small clip from a movie documenting Brother Andrews mission. (scroll down to the you tube image) .
https://seekeroftruthrfs.wordpress.com/2016/05/29/gods-smuggler-when-you-were-on-earth-you-made-blind-eyes-see-now-i-pray-make-seeing-eyes-blind/
 
Soli ad gloriam
Gospel Mystery of the Day on FaceBook
& www.gospelmysteryoftheday.ca
                                                                                  
 
 
 

 
Matthew 10:1-7

 
When I am under duress, no matter the terror, the trauma or the trouble, What do I need to know more than anything? That I am not alone, that someone ‘has my back’.  This is the message Jesus sent out to the world when he sent out this disciples to proclaim the good news that the kingdom of heaven has come near. “Who” is the kingdom of heaven? The Holy Spirit of God, made human in Christ Jesus, is the pure being that not only created us in by divine design but also redeems and remains with us, flanked by the angels and all holy souls that are part of the kingdom of heaven and come to us in the realm of this world at the behest of God. Will I remain fascinated by and consumed by the troubles of this world, or will I turn to see the kingdom of God present with me in the here and now? Holy Spirit of God, remind me that your kingdom is near.
                                                                                                                   
Enter into his gates with thanksgiving and into his courts with praise, be thankful unto him and speak good of his name.    (Psalm 100:4 )
 
Jesus made clear that the kingdom of God is organic and not organizational. It grows like a seed and works like leaven: secretly, invisibly, surprisingly and irresistibly.
Os Guiness
 
Soli ad gloriam
Gospel Mystery of the Day on FaceBook
& www.gospelmysteryoftheday.ca
                                                                                  
 
 

Matthew 9:32-38

 
The accusation of the Pharisees, that Jesus was casting out demons from people by the ruler of demons, would have been one of the easiest for Jesus to have disproved, had he entered into discussion with the ones who ‘didn’t know that they didn’t know’.  No one would have faulted even the Son of God for setting the record straight.  It is significant that Jesus’ response to the foolish Pharisees was to simply continue on his way, going about all the towns and villages, teaching and proclaiming the good news of God’s kingdom and healing every disease and sickness. I, too, can walk away from arguments and dissentions about what I am doing or who I am, and continue to do the work God has assigned me. The work I am given is similar to that of our Lord: teaching and proclaiming the good news of God’s ways of redemption and life, and healing every disease and sickness of heart, mind, soul and body as much as I am given power and perception to do  so. Will I be deterred by those who criticize and heckle me, or will I continue on the way of Christ, teaching, proclaiming and ultimately healing? Holy Spirit of God, help me not engage dissension, but continue your healing work.
                                                                                                                   
As for me, I shall behold your face in righteousness; when I awake I shall be satisfied, beholding your likeness.   (Psalm 17:15 )
 
There is a light in this world, a healing spirit more powerful than any darkness we may encounter. 
St. Mother Teresa of Calcutta
 
See aFirst Nations Chief who is calling Canadians  to be peacemakers :
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wstQUMi8kYo
Soli ad gloriam
Gospel Mystery of the Day on FaceBook
& www.gospelmysteryoftheday.ca

 
Matthew 5:1-12

 
As human beings, we are designed to be ‘just like Abba, Father’, the Creator of all that is peace-full.  Jesus tells us in the Beatitudes that it is those of us who are the makers of peace who will be called the ‘children of God’.  Sometimes I notice that God brings about  or ‘makes’ , peace, by bringing the pieces in my life together.  And sometimes, he first breaks things that are not ‘right’, not ‘just’ into pieces in order to put them together in a new way.  It is God who brings about true peace, that is the extraordinary peace that Jesus left with his disciples between his resurrection and subsequent ascension into heaven. To truly incorporate Jesus’ peace, I need to turn away from the wide road of destruction and people-pleasing to ‘enter by the narrow gate’ and walk the path of life, no matter how hard it is. Going along a walking path peacefully, for example, is to open my whole being to the uqqaq , the ‘tongues’, the leaves of the trees and other plants without hurry and preoccupation.  As I clean and cook, rotate and repair around my house peacefully, I lean into the cleanliness  and purpose of things without indifference and resentment.  In my interactions with others, if I am making peace, I will turn aside from coercion, control, criticism and judgment and live into any one of a million ways to love the man, woman or child in front of me, and celebrate their being.  As thoughts and words and actions come and go in my daily life, if I am embracing my identity as a peacemaker, I will quash ideas, conversations and actions that are violent, and live into thoughts that are praiseworthy and lovely, conversations that are darkness-defying and actions that are live-giving. Today, how will I, like God, be a maker of peace? Holy Spirit of God, help me be a peacemaker just like You.    
                                                                                                                   
Lord Almighty, how happy are those who trust in you!   (Psalm 84:12 )
 
If you give food to the hungry, and satisfy those who are in need, then the darkness around you will turn to the brightness of noon.  And I will always guide you and satisfy you with good things.  I will keep you strong and well… You will be known as the people who rebuilt the walls and restored the ruined houses.  The writer of Isaiah 54:9-12
 
See aFirst Nations Chief who is calling Canadians  to be peacemakers :
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wstQUMi8kYo
Soli ad gloriam
Gospel Mystery of the Day on FaceBook
& www.gospelmysteryoftheday.ca