Luke 7:36-50  

 
It is a matter of being at home! Arguably, Jesus’ primary commission from His Father was to bring human souls back home; for the family of the Holy Trinity to so dwell within the being of each person on earth, that they would be able to be brought back to their home in ‘heaven’, the true home-kingdom of Father God. The vignette of ‘a woman who was a sinner’ washing and anointing the feet of Jesus in a Pharisee’s home is a sign of how this works. Simon the Pharisee had built himself a beautiful home here on earth and invited Jesus to come by for a meal – but gave the itinerant preacher from Galilee neither a caring nor honorable welcome; he did not himself tend Jesus’ dusty and tired feet, nor did he have his slave wash the feet of his guest. Neither did Simon greeted him with a kiss of either affection or peace – clearly he was more curious than caring of Jesus, more interested in his own ‘kingdom’ than in the King of Kings in his presence.  Nor did Simon anoint Jesus’ head with oil – the common sign of hospitality in mid-Eastern culture at that time. It was the sinner woman who made herself at home with Jesus, who made him welcome in her sphere of influence – who washed the grime off his feet with her own tears, kissed the soles of his human soul repeatedly, and anointed his body not only with oil, but with ointment (a foreshadowing of the anointing of his body after the crucifixion. The woman who was a sinner welcomed Jesus, and was not only welcomed herself, but was washed by the Holy Guest himself. ‘Your sins are forgiven’, she was told.  Will I keep Jesus at arm’s length like the Pharisee, or will I welcome my Redeemer and Healer into my ‘home’ and then be ready to go home with him to the Father’s house? Christ Jesus, bring me home to the Father.   
 
I thank you that you have answered me and become my salvation.     (Psalm 118:21 )
 
Let us do all things with the conviction that God dwells in us.
St Ignatius of Antioch
 
View: My Heart, Christ’s Home, by Robert Munger https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UzXHpNxAAps    
 
Soli ad gloriam Dei
Gospel Mystery of the Day on FaceBook & www.gospelmysteryoftheday.ca
 
 
 
 

 
Romans 14:17-29

 
Looking after my 4 yr old granddaughter, who prefers carbohydrates over protein, requires creativity as well as patience. So it is for Father God, the Father of Creation and patient Love, who witnesses his beloved children engaging in destructive, rather than life-giving, things. How to guide his daughters and sons away from participating in gossip, absorbing social media, reaching for quick fixes of entertainment and titillation, and ingesting large amounts of dubious human ‘research’? God, our Father, provides for us the best soul-food in the world: The accounts of the righteousness words and deeds of holy humans, both previous and present, who have known and loved their Creator, like Jesus the Son -  to contemplate. Deep Peace that the world cannot give, given by Christ Jesus first to his disciples, and by extension to us living in the world today, a peace that is the fruit of God’s mercy, power and wisdom – to savor; And joy in the Holy Spirit, that provides the living water of life to refresh, wash and restore our hearts, minds, souls and strength whenever we choose to find and receive it, whether from the delights of the natural world, through the exercise of prayer and thanksgiving, that is Eucharist, and in receiving Christ wholly in Holy Communion – to feed on. Will I, like a 4 year old, insist on ingesting the ‘carbohydrates’ of life, that are the ‘goods’ and the dictates of this world and my flesh? Or will I, as a spiritual adult listen to my Father in Heaven and choose to take into my heart, mind, soul and strength the ‘proteins’ of Righteousness, Peace, and Holy Joy – in the spirit of the Holy Spirit?  Father God, help me feed on righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.  
 
 May you be filled with the knowledge of his will through all spiritual wisdom and understanding to live in a manner worthy of the Lord…      (Col 1:9-10))
 
Let us do all things with the conviction that God dwells in us.
St Ignatius of Antioch
 
Soli ad gloriam Dei
Gospel Mystery of the Day on FaceBook & www.gospelmysteryoftheday.ca
 
 
 

1 Corinthians 2:1-5 & 3:18-20

 
Just as we choose the operating system of our digital devices, so we have choice in the operating system of our lives.  Secular society, operating without reference to God, dictates that scientific knowledge, “ethical” behaviours, “healthy” choices, and comfort above all, are the ‘Windows’ we need for more efficiency in our lives.  These values and beliefs have displaced the faith and love at the heart of our connection with God and the Great Commandments as the operating system of our souls:  Love the Lord your God with all your heart, mind soul and strength, and love your neighbor as yourself. Will I continue to sink my time, talents and treasure into updating my life according to the ever-changing knowledge and trends of the world and the flesh? Or will I align myself with the Holy Spirit of God our Father following the prayers and ways of Christ Jesus, the Son of Man who was the Son of God? Heavenly Father, help me to defer not to the knowledge of the world and the flesh but to your wisdom.
 
May you be filled with the knowledge of his will through all spiritual wisdom and understanding to live in a manner worthy of the Lord…      (Colossians 1:9-10))
 
Let us do all things with the conviction that God dwells in us.
St Ignatius of Antioch
 
Soli ad gloriam Dei
Gospel Mystery of the Day on FaceBook & www.gospelmysteryoftheday.ca
 
 

 
Ephesians 5:6-17

 
It takes just the blink of an eye. When my late uncle was in a drug induced paralysis preceding his death, the only way he could communicate was to blink his eyes – once for yes, twice for no.  Those blinks spoke volumes and changed the course of his treatments, his family’s grieving hearts, and perhaps his own soul. Similarly for us in our walk with Christ Jesus. One brief action, or word, can impact my own and others lives. A flick of my eyelid, closes the closet door of my heart… and I can have a moment with Jesus, praying scripture or hearing his quietly firm spirit in my heart… and then open my eyes to move ahead with His wisdom into the next thought, word or action along my journey. The difference ‘finding out what Jesus would have me do’ makes can change the course of history, propelling me and others away from the black holes of sin and death, into the life-giving kingdom of God. Will I take a moment with Jesus to find out what He would have me do, before rushing ahead into the agendas of the world, the flesh and the devil?  Holy Spirit of Jesus, help me to find out what you want me to do, then do it.
 
 
May you be filled with the knowledge of his will through all spiritual wisdom and understanding to live in a manner worthy of the Lord…      (Colossians 1:9-10))
 
“A single act of love makes the soul return to life.”
St. Maximilian Kolbe  
 
Soli ad gloriam Dei
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Psalm 51

 
The forgiveness of sins is not magic that we don’t have one minute and have the next.  Nor it is something we work for and achieve. The forgiveness of sin, that is the propitiation or appeasement of our sins, is the application of the crucified body, blood, soul and divinity of Christ Jesus that ‘soaks up sin’ and saves us from being prey to the powers and principalities of evil and darkness that attempt to divert us, make us ‘transgress’ away from God our Father and the life we have in Him. In grade four I graduated into the world of writing in ink.  With a straight pen, a bottle of blue ink sunk into an inkwell in my desk and a piece of thick, porous blotting paper, we were set! Invariably blobs and spills of ink happened in our exercise books, on our desks, and stained our fingers. The trick was to apply the blotting paper as soon as possible, to make the stains lighter or to be blotted up altogether. It was a messy business! Life is a messy business!  Using the pen of this life to write our story in eternity means that there are blobs and spills of accidents and missteps spattered here and there throughout our lifetimes. The beauty of God’s will is that there is a remedy for the mess we make of our ‘exercise books’ … the redemption brokered by the Son of God who was the Son of Man on the cross through the mighty Mercy of God that raised him again to New Life.  Will I take up my ‘blotting paper’, the love and mercy of God, and allow my Redeemer, Jesus Christ, to blot out my transgressions, my mis-takes? Along with all other men and women throughout the ages I ask for the merciful forgiveness of my Father through the propitiation of his Son:  “Blot out my transgressions, O my Redeemer!”
 
Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me.      (Psalm 51:10)
 
“The Christian life is a continuation and a completion of the life of Christ in us.”
St. John Eudes   
 
Soli ad gloriam Dei
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