Matthew 20:20 – 28 & 2 Corinthians 4:7-15

 
When I live for myself, my plans and projects become self-directed, increasing my own health, wealth and status. But in the end, I realize that success is no more than a passing pleasure, possessions are actually more a burden than a betterment and fame is really just a wisp of smoke. James and his brother John, and all the other disciples who became Apostles realized what it was to live – and to die – for Jesus.  Each one of them welcomed the indwelling of the Holy Spirit in their lives and travelled the world proclaiming the message of God’s grace in Christ Jesus. How did they live into their great commission? By travelling, yes, with all the graces that come with being a pilgrim journeying with Jesus (c.f. Camino Santiago pilgrimage). But more than that they lived into their own new creation by being praying, loving and believing followers of Jesus. Is it possible that a life well-lived is actually a life of prayer and fasting, of humble mercy and grateful praise practised in thought, word and action? Will I pour out my life to gain wisps of smoke, passing pleasures and oppressive possessions? Or will I live my life to the glory of God? Holy Spirit of Jesus, help me live not for myself, but for you.
 
The Lord is my strength and my might, and he has become my salvation; this is my God, and I will praise him. (Exodus 15:2)
 
A person who prays lives out the mystery of existence, and a person who does not pray scarcely exists.
St. Sharbel Makhluf
 
Soli ad gloriam Dei
Gospel Mystery of the Day on FaceBook &www.gospelmysteryoftheday.ca

 
Matthew 11:28-30

 
Oh no!  I can’t do it!  It’s no use! Yes, without God’s help, I am so easily overwhelmed by the waves of life.  Where to go? What to Do? Whom to go with? The choices and decisions of life are disorienting at best, and paralyzing at worst. What is Jesus’ response to all these crises of life? Does he whisper platitudes in my ear, give me a hug and continue on his way?  No! He invites me to come along-side of him, take the other side of the yoke he is wearing, and actively continue walking ahead with him at my side. As we journey together, he teaches me how to stay on the path of the Kingdom of God and navigate the deserts, swamps and forest fires of life.  Will I accept Jesus’ invitation to walk in tandem with him, in synch with him, learning about the ways and byways of his map of the world? Holy Spirit of Jesus, help me take your yoke upon me to learn from you.
 
Come to me all you who labour and are burdened. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me.   (Matthew 11:29)
 
You will find it is necessary to let things go, simply for the reason that they are too heavy.
Corrie ten Boom   
 
Soli ad gloriam Dei
Gospel Mystery of the Day on FaceBook &www.gospelmysteryoftheday.ca
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Gospel Mystery of the Day              Wednesday, July 19, 2023
                                                       
Good Morning!      
Your word is a lamp for my feet and a light for my path. (Psalm 119)
 
Genesis 44:18 – 5:5
Holy Spirit of God, help me trust your help so I can forgive…
 
It is a fact that unforgiveness is death-dealing and forgiveness is life-giving.  If I am choosing the light and love of Christ, then I must not hold grievances and resentments in my heart, because every thought given over to self-righteousness (or self-hatred) and vengeance is a seed of darkness that can quickly turn my heart, mind, soul and even my body away from the Grace and Mercy of God.  Joseph, son of Jacob, had had 30 years to grow seeds of bitterness, resentment and self-justification – and rightly so! He had been attacked as a preteen by his older brothers out of jealousy, and then sold into Egyptian slavery. But when his brothers suddenly appeared before him during a global famine, Joseph’s close friendship with God taught him the truth:  that despite all the evils that had befallen him, God’s help had never left him.  Realizing that Father God had worked even his brothers’ heinous crimes into His merciful purposes, Joseph was able to forgive his 10 brothers, and reveal God’s own forgiveness and mercy to them.  Going forward, Israel’s 12 sons and their families were able to live together and thrive for generations to come. Forgiveness without God’s grace is virtually impossible; by and through the Grace of God forgiveness generates life itself.  Will I trace the grace of the Father’s hand in my life beyond all sins committed against me? Holy Spirit of God help me trust your help so I can forgive.     
 
I sought the Lord and he answered me, and delivered me from all my fears.   (Psalm 34:4)
 
Life is a struggle, which we must not avoid. We must triumph!  
St. Padre Pio Pietrelcina  
 
Listen to Canvas and Clay : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=puDttOmbq2Y  
 
Soli ad gloriam Dei
Gospel Mystery of the Day on FaceBook &www.gospelmysteryoftheday.ca
 
 

Gospel Mystery of the Day              Wednesday, July 12, 2023
                                                       
Good Morning!      
Your word is a lamp for my feet and a light for my path. (Psalm 119)
 
Matthew 8:28-34
Holy Spirit of Jesus, help me embrace the holiness of your healing, no matter how unfamiliar or uncomfortable it is…
 
Unfortunately, our human condition of having free will sometimes mean that we choose familiar evils over divine Grace.  When Jesus exorcised and healed the two demoniacs near Gadara, he changed the familiar social and spiritual environment of the area.  The people there responded to this grace-full transformation not with gratitude, but with anger.  They had come to accept the destructive demons in the two men they had pushed to the margins of their town and were so familiar and perhaps fascinated with their scintillating and horrific presence, that they reacted to Jesus’ healing touch with fear,  grief, and frustration at the change in the status quo. Instead of celebrating the restored sanity of two members of their community, the villagers raged at Jesus for getting rid of their ‘entertainment’ and drove him away.  What, or Who are my ‘pet peeves’, that I am preferring to the peace of the Holy Spirit at home within me? Will I, like the people of Gadara, run Jesus out of my life to return to my old ways? Or Will I welcome Jesus’ cleansing of these prejudices, projects and projections, and the wholeness/ holiness that replaces them?  Is holiness too unusual for my liking, or will I welcome and embrace Jesus’/ God’s healing touch?  Holy Spirit of Jesus, help me embrace the holiness of your healing, no matter how unfamiliar or uncomfortable it is. 
 
Truly the eye of the Lord is on those who fear him, on those who hope in his steadfast love, to deliver their soul from death, and to keep them alive in famine. (Psalm 33:18,19)
 
When you feel the assaults of passion and anger, then is the time to be silent as Jesus was silent in the midst of his ignominies and sufferings. 
St. Paul of the Cross
 
Soli ad gloriam Dei
Gospel Mystery of the Day on FaceBook &www.gospelmysteryoftheday.ca
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

 
Matthew 8:23-27

 
When we follow the Lord Jesus in the “boats” He is using to journey through the places and plans of our days on earth, we have no idea what ‘weather’ will come up.  But of this we can be sure- there will always be winds of change and challenge to deal with.  Some of those winds will be soft summer breezes that make it easier to reach the next stage of our lives.  Others will be violent like the windstorm that came up as Jesus and his disciples crossed the Sea of Galilee. Like us today, the disciples had a choice to fly off the handle and panic, or to trust Jesus with them.  In the end Matthew and the gang did a little bit of both. In their panic they woke up their Master, saying “Lord, save us!!! We’re perishing!!” (How often do I/we approach Jesus in the same way? ) Jesus chided them then as he does us today – for our panicking modalities. It was not the fact that they woke him up, nor even the fact that they were convinced that their boat would swamp. Rather it was the disciples’ flighty fear-driven manifestation of desperate doubt and despair that Jesus took exception to. A simple faith-driven request for help was what Jesus hoped for from his friends! When the winds of change and challenge wash over me, will I with violent panic try to scratch my way to physical and spiritual safety? Or will I confidently ( with faith) ask my Lord and Master to calm\ the winds and waves around me?  Holy Spirit of Jesus, help me trust you through all the winds and storms of life.
 
I sought the Lord and he answered me, and delivered me from all my fears.   (Psalm 34:4)
 
You can never learn that Christ is all you need, until Christ is all you have.
Corrie Ten Boom
 
Listen to Canvas and Clay : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=puDttOmbq2Y  
 
Soli ad gloriam Dei
Gospel Mystery of the Day on FaceBook &www.gospelmysteryoftheday.ca