Your word is a lamp for my feet and a light for my path. (Psalm 119)
Romans 9:1-5 Our inheritance - through the redemption of Christ when he was born of Mary, ministered throughout his lifetime, died on the cross and rose again on the third day - is wonder-full! We receive this inheritance by adoption through our active belief in Jesus. As much as we are able with our human limitations, we are filled with the glory of God, that is our Creator’s Life, Light and Love… and ‘Laughter’, or joy. We receive the Covenants – God’s Agreements with human kind, both the Original Covenant made with the Israelites as the Chosen People of the Father, and the New Covenant brokered by Christ Jesus. We can freely listen to the patriarchs of our faith – Abraham, Moses, Isaac, and the major prophets and embrace the wealth of the ancient scriptures of the Hebrews, and the writings of the Saints throughout the ages – and claim them as our own. And, most importantly of all, we can receive the saving Grace of the Son of God who broke the fetters of sin that resigned us to hell, to raise us up to Live and Love in and through the Mercy and livliness of God; this Grace that is beyond human understanding. What can I pray for myself, when I am depressed, lonely or lost? What can I pray for my children, and other loved ones who seem to be being sucked into hell on earth and for eternity? I can always pray that I, that they, will remember who I am , who they are, so that we can live into our heritage as daughters and sons of God. Holy Spirit of God, help me live into my inheritance in You. My heart shall rejoice in your salvation, O Lord. I will sing to the Lord because he has dealt bountifully with me. (Psalm 13:3-4) For the glory of God is the living [human being], and the life of [each human being] is the vision of God. Saint Iraenus Soli ad gloriam Gospel Mystery of the Day on FaceBook & www.gospelmysteryoftheday.ca
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Romans 8:26-30 As I pray that God will conform me into the likeness of his Son, I become more aware of how Jesus dealt with the pitfalls of his day. Under the cloud of Roman rule and the hypocrisy and weaknesses of the ruling Jews in the Sanhedrin, life was challenging if not difficult for a holy Jewish Rabbi ‘from the North’ and his rag tag band of disciples - who were focused on proclaiming the Mercy of God, raising the dead, healing the sick and freeing the oppressed. Perhaps the pitfalls of Jesus’ day were not so different than those we face in a “Have” country in the 21st Century of this ‘common era’ of world history. What did Jesus do when well meaning Jewish leaders came to speak to him late at night about the political oppression and racialized systems they were all facing, and advocating that Jesus join their group “action”? Jesus told them about the Kingdom of God, and told them to take up their cross and follow him. What did Jesus do in the midst of all the marketeering of goods, and the focus on wealth and position, particularly in the squeeze between the two dominant cultures? Interestingly, He did not dive into cultural retention programs, trying to preserve the goods of the past. Rather, he taught the crowds to value poverty, humility, mercy, peacemaking through his Sermon on the Mount . How did Jesus respond to the hungry, the homeless and the marginalized crowds of people not only in the cities but throughout the Judean countryside? Instead of developing social organizations and systems, he showed people how to welcome each other without judgment and to find their food ultimately in the Word of God. Am I willing to consider what Jesus would do in any and all circumstances, and to grow into his likeness day by day, hour by hour? Holy Spirit of God, conform me to the likeness of your Son. My heart shall rejoice in your salvation, O Lord. I will sing to the Lord because he has dealt bountifully with me. (Psalm 13:3-4) Freedom consists not in doing what we like, but in having the right to do what we ought. Saint John Paul II Soli ad gloriam Gospel Mystery of the Day on FaceBook & www.gospelmysteryoftheday.ca Romans 8:11-17 Under the direction of the Holy Spirit, our bodies have the potential to dance the joy of life, walk in peace through paths of adversity and beauty, challenge and diversity, and to gently reach out in love and God’s mercy to others. Our bodies – aka ‘the clothes our bodies wear so we can recognize one another - are indeed designed to be temples of the Holy Spirit of God. Unfortunately, when we ignore the indwelling of the Holy Spirit in these bodies of our, we can quickly become death driven… giving into acedia, vengeful acts of word or deed, spurred on by anger, or acts of lust and passion. Addictions, diseases of many kinds and murderous deeds that enslave and imprison our souls often grip our beings as much as we turn our backs on the gentle and whole-y, the holy, promptings of the Spirit of God. Will I listen to the Spirit of God speaking peace and mercy into my heart and mind, or will I insist on going my own way and using my body for my own purposes and passions? God, through your Sprit dwelling in me, help my body be used for your purposes. Our God is a God of salvation, and to God, the Lord, belongs escape from death. (Psalm 68:) Do not spend your energies on things that generate worry, anxiety and anguish. Only one thing is necessary: lift up your spirit and love God. St. Pius of Pietrelcina Soli ad gloriam Gospel Mystery of the Day on FaceBook & www.gospelmysteryoftheday.ca Luke 12:54- 59 As a being that is human (from latin: humus meaning earth or soil), I am a phenomenal organization of earth and elements endowed with a mind and a soul that are divine, to put it mildly. As beloved children of Father God, each one of us has been given unique, whole and complete lives that have been designed through, and for, the Grace and Mercy of God. No wonder Jesus chided his disciples for apparently not knowing what to do and how to conduct themselves under the Roman regime and the corruption of the religious authorities of their day. He reminded them to remember who they were and to judge what is right! Human beings are designed to learn the ways and the wisdom of their Father in the context of earthly living and to proclaim and enact God’s ways in thought, word and deed. Will I embrace the prudence God has given me as I live out my days in this world – no matter how strange or challenging the circumstances? Holy Spirit help me judge what is right myself. Teach me good judgement and knowledge, for I believe in your commandments. (Psalm 119) Freedom consists not in doing what we like, but in having the right to do what we ought. Saint John Paul II Soli ad gloriam Gospel Mystery of the Day on FaceBook & www.gospelmysteryoftheday.ca Romans 6:12-18 Every time I complain or curse with my mouth rather than speak words of compassion, I am allowing sin to exercise power over my thoughts. And each angry action that I allow my hands to perform or my feet to pursue, gives sin place to power over my own will. Then little by little sin drives me into paths and places of unrighteousness where sin leads to sin, and I find myself getting further and further away from God. Without the intervention of Christ’s redeeming work, I am then doomed to finish out my days wandering the misty flats of the deceits of darkness; and ‘mountain top’ experiences and views of God’s face become fewer or altogether absent from my life. But with Jesus’ saving Grace, I am able to break through the power and control of sin and walk with Him over the hills of holiness. With Jesus, I can scale even the highest mountains of difficulty to find myself enveloped in the light, life and love of the presence of the Holy Spirit of God. This is true power, when Grace, not sin, exercises dominion over my body. Will I give place to sin of any and all kinds, or will I let Christ Jesus empower me by his love and mercy? Holy Spirit of God, let sin not exercise dominion over my body. God indeed is my saviour; I am confident and unafraid. My strength and my courage is the Lord, and he has been my Saviour.(Isaiah 12:2) Prayer will make a man cease from sin, or sin will entice a man to cease from prayer. ― John Bunyan Soli ad gloriam Gospel Mystery of the Day on FaceBook & www.gospelmysteryoftheday.ca |
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
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