"It is an evil and unfaithful generation that asks for a sign! The only sign it will be given is the sign of the prophet Jonah." (Matthew 12: 39)
What is Christ's sign for me today?
Lord, this is enough. I ask for no more sign than pray you bless me with deep trust in you every moment, every step of this day.
"Do not be afraid! Stand firm, and you will see what Yahweh will do to rescue you today: the Egyptians you see today you will never see again. Yahweh will do the fighting for you; all you need to do is to keep calm." (Exodus 14: 13-14)
Father, you have consoled me in the past with this scripture. Console me again today with it. I recall EUF86. Thank you Father. Father you have placed me in casa with SFJ as my means of daily bread. You know that it is for me like an Exodus experience. At times, I am very frightened. Father, fight for me. I surrender.
In life, we experience multiple Exoduses. The journey of faith is made up of many Exoduses. Exodus 14: 13-14 is the answer to all Exoduses.
"The Lord keeps in our minds the wonderful things he has done. He is compassion and love; he always provides for his faithful." (Psalm 110: 4-5)
God Himself reminds us of the wonderful things He accomplishes in our life. I try through journaling to keep a list of these wonderful interventions of God in my life. I have found that this is the greatest insurance against discouragement. Whenever I am under attack, I walk round my apartment where I have pinned to walls some of these uplifting remembrances.
"Lord, bring us closer to salvation through these gifts which we bring in your honor. Accept the perfect sacrifice you have given us, bless it as you blessed the gifts of Abel…." (Offering Prayer on the 16th Sunday)
The Eucharist is the perfect sacrifice. It is a wonderful privilege to participate. "Blessed are those who are called to the marriage supper of the Lamb!" (Revelation 19: 9)
"He who sows good seed is the Son of Man, the field is the world, the good seed the children of the kingdom. The weeds are the children of the evil one, and the enemy who sows them is the devil." (Matthew 13: 37 – 39)
Christ is the farmer who sows the good seed. Heresy is the instrument of the devil in sowing weeds among wheat. The mass media also sow weeds by offering alternative message to the knowledge of salvation.
How do we know the good seeds from the weeds? "By their fruits you shall know them." The word of God is the template for the discernment of spirits. I pray continuously for the gift of discernment of spirits. I now understand that the more I am into sacred scripture, the more capable I will be in discerning spirits. Discernment of spirits in this context means applied Scripture.
For, although we are in the flesh, we do not battle according to the flesh, 5
for the weapons of our battle are not of flesh but are enormously powerful, capable of destroying fortresses. We destroy arguments
and every pretension raising itself against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive in obedience to Christ,
and we are ready to punish every disobedience, once your obedience is complete. (2 Corinthians 10: 3-6)
"The Spirit comes to the aid of our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes with inexpressible groanings." (Romans 8: 26)
How comforting it is to know that we have such a giant helper in our prayer. Not only does the Holy Spirit bless us with the gift of prayer, but He helps us to use this gift appropriately. Since I learned this truth, I never start any prayer without the invocation of the Holy Spirit. The good news is that we can get the light, guidance and courage to pray well if we ask the Holy Spirit.
"Father let the gift of your life continue to grow in us, drawing us from death to faith, hope, and love. Keep us alive in Christ Jesus. Keep us watchful in prayer and true to his teaching till your glory is revealed in us…." (Alternate Prayer, 16th Sunday)
When God's gifts grow in us, we tend towards life. When we grow in negative gifts, we tend towards death. We either tend towards life or we tend towards death. When we grow in faith, hope and live, we become more like Jesus.
How do we wait on God? Like the disciples waiting for Pentecost. In prayer. Prayer gives us the power to wait from day to day. Prayer releases the power of perseverance to work for us. God is the first cause of all things. Prayer is the efficient cause of answers, favors and blessings.
"Lord, be merciful to your people. Fill us with your gifts and make us always eager to serve you in faith, hope and love….." (Opening Prayer on the 16th Sunday)
Mercy is the most fundamental attribute of God. Asking for mercy is therefore our most fundamental prayer. This is because we absolutely depend on God for mercy.
Lord make us always to serve you always and everywhere. God will give us the eagerness to serve Him if we ask for this in faith and sincerity.
"Look! My servant whom I have chosen, my beloved in whom my soul delights, I will send my Spirit upon him, and he will present judgment to the nations." (Matthew 12: 18)
In the above scripture, the Lord God did not say: "I will send divisions of well-trained and armed soldiers to my servant so that he can easily impose his will on the nations." Instead, it is the Holy Spirit that is promised the Servant. The Holy Spirit is all that He needs. When Christ was baptized, the Spirit came down upon Him and confirmed Him in His mission.
What do I need to accomplish the mission given to me? The Holy Spirit. It will not be by might and power that I will succeed but by the Holy Spirit.
"The night when Yahweh kept vigil to bring them out of Egypt must be kept as a vigil in honor of Yahweh by all Israelites, for all generations to come." (Exodus 12: 42)
The liturgical calendar celebrates the timeline of the saving works of Jesus on our behalf. For example: Christmas, Easter and Pentecost.
Why can't I create my own liturgical calendar to celebrate God's wonderful interventions in my life?
"My grace is sufficient for you, for my strength is made perfect in weakness." (2 Corinthians 12: 9)
Grace does for us in the supernatural order what technology does for us in the natural order. It extends our abilities.
"My grace is sufficient for you, for my strength is made perfect in weakness." (2 Corinthians 12: 9)
Grace does for us in the supernatural order what technology does for us in the natural order. It extends our abilities.
My technology is sufficient for you, for my strength is made perfect in weakness. God supplies a bunch of actual graces to help us make it through our day. These graces (technologies) are given irrespective of our standing with God. The same benevolence is extended to all living things. But more of the actual graces are provided to those who are ready and ask for them. Prayer for actual graces are answered in real time.
Our weakness is the optimal environment for the operations of the grace of God. In the environment of weakness, the grace of God delivers a solution which makes a clear difference in the before and after of the incident.
"Mercy is what pleases me not sacrifice." (Matthew 12: 17)
Lord give me a merciful heart. May your Holy Spirit lead and guide me to a place and time to exercise mercy today. May He also bless me with courage so that I may please you in being merciful.
"This day must be commemorated by you, and you must keep it as a feast in Yahweh's honor." (Exodus 12: 14)
The Passover is a feast in Yahweh's honor. The Eucharist is the new Passover. Just as Yahweh instructed the Israelites to commemorate the Passover, so Christ instructed His disciples to celebrate the Eucharist in memory of Him. The Eucharist commemorates the passion, death and resurrection of Jesus.
When we eat "this bread and drink this cup", we commemorate the death of Christ until He comes again in glory.
"Come to me, all you who labor and are overburdened and I will give you rest. Shoulder my yoke and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble of heart, and you will find rest for your souls. Yes, my yoke is easy and my burden light." (Matthew 11L 28 – 30)
"I am well aware that the king of Egypt will not let you go unless he is compelled by a mighty hand." (Exodus 3: 19)
God's purpose in life is paramount. To accomplish this, God is ready to compel people, events and things to bend to His will.
"All things serve You." (Psalm 119: 91). Nothing can resist God's will.
"I bless you, Father, Lord of heaven and of earth, for hiding these things from the learned and the clever and revealing them to little children." (Matthew 11: 25)
God's plan of salvation is filled with mysteries. The learned professors may speculate but the mysteries of the kingdom are revealed to little children like St. Therese of the Little Flower.
"Moses said to God, 'Who am I to go to Pharaoh and bring the Israelites out of Egypt?' 'I shall be with you." (Exodus 3: 11 – 12)
Who am I to do the work of God? - I shall be with you.
If God is with me, then it is accomplished. If God is with me in the Enterprise, then it is accomplished.
And surely God is with me.
"All powerful God, may the gifts we present bring honor to your saints, and free us from sin in mind and body."
The experience of the Church is that in spite of our Baptism and participation in the sacraments, we still struggle with sins in our mind and body. St. Paul experienced the same thing when he cried out for deliverance from this struggle. Only the Holy Spirit entrenched in us can help us overcome in this struggle.
"Then he began to reproach the towns in which most of his miracles has been worked, because they refused to repent." (Matthew 11: 20)
I have two thoughts on the above scriptures:
