Throughout the night, shadows make their way, And by the light of day, they cast doubt. Sad, sorry, tragic! They think they know. They slink, they slide, they lie, steal, and cheat.
Snuffing out light and stomping on hope, Making little of all the deceit. They rely on breaking down goodness, Splitting up what once stood together.
They view resistance, a futile thing, Failing to recognize the power, The strength and speed, of Light that’s within. Feed the poor, care for the downtrodden.
Light travels and bends, it radiates, generously spreads out across time. Some wills have shadows that can’t stand truth. Only Thine will to be done through Christ.
I am the light of the world, says the Lord; whoever follows me will have the light of life. – John 8:12
Beating still, beating quietly, beating nonetheless, Attention becomes the disciple of intention. A stir within, roars within, formation from within. Look and listen closely as true passion is revealed.
Following the leader? Where? To what good do they lead? Igniting hearts? Uniting hearts? On whose behalf? All hearts can and must choose for whom and for what they burn. Discern! Discern! Deception has so many voices.
Does the message uplift all of us, like the true one Who gracefully overcomes the small, in all of us, Helping the steadfast to be ready, set, and to ask, How does this represent the good teacher serving all?
The Lord keeps faith forever, secures justice for the oppressed, gives food to the hungry. The Lord sets captives free. The Lord gives sight to the blind; the Lord raises up those who were bowed down. The Lord loves the just; the Lord protects strangers. The fatherless and the widow the Lord sustains, but the way of the wicked he thwarts. The Lord shall reign forever; your God, O Zion, through all generations. Alleluia. – Psalm 146:6-10
Although the colder air that accompanies this time of year in the Northeast can be quite refreshing, after some time, it can leave one wanting for the warmth of shelter, a soft blanket, or hot beverage to offset the chill.
In the Gospel passage for the Fourth Sunday of Advent (Matthew 1:18-24), we learn about the warmth of St. Joseph’s response to his betrothed, with whom he had not yet lived or had relations with, being pregnant. Imagine the response, gossip, or chill in the air, created by those around Mary and Joseph. Yet, even before his dream in which the Lord appeared, reassuring him of Mary’s faithfulness, Joseph had decided to respond in a way that was filled with warmth, gentleness, and mercy:
This is how the birth of Jesus Christ came about. When his mother Mary was betrothed to Joseph, but before they lived together, she was found with child through the Holy Spirit. Joseph her husband, since he was a righteous man, yet unwilling to expose her to shame, decided to divorce her quietly. – v. 18-19
Envision yourself in Joseph’s shoes. He is described here as being righteous. What do you make of his initial decision to quietly divorce?
Reflecting on situations that are on your mind and in your heart, how do you seek righteousness? What does it look like? And what qualities does it manifest?
As the Gospel passage continues, Joseph has a dream in which the Lord visits him.
“Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary your wife into your home. For it is through the Holy Spirit that this child has been conceived in her. She will bear a son and you are to name him Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.” – v. 20-21
Recall a time when you had made a decision and then something occurred that reaffirmed your decision or created a new sense of the situation. What happened? What were you praying for, and how did things turn out? How were you saved or blessed? What was the warmth of God like?
Invite the Lord to revisit this with you. What grace from this experience awaits you today?
Spend some time contemplating the verses below and noticing what word, phrase, or image speaks to your heart most:
All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall name him Emmanuel, which means “God is with us.” – v. 22-23
Continuing to pray with what caught your attention, ask the Lord to grant you insight so that you may see, or have a greater sense of, “God is with us.”
Before ending this prayer time, return to the image of St. Joseph.
When Joseph awoke, he did as the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took his wife into his home. – v. 24
As you strive to be faithful to God, what inspires you? What do you need from the Lord to draw comfort and strength from Him, as you journey through your days, while also reflecting the warmth of His presence.
Let the Lord enter; he is king of glory. – Psalm 24:7c,10b
As Lazarus lay with outstretched arm, the rich man, held all within his grip; pursuing his designs, above All, making no matter of Lazarus.
Living well, thinking well of himself, dwelling in the lap of luxury, the rich man, held up by many things, could not see the Beat within his heart.
Rich man? We all do what we will do. Lazarus? Raised up, received his due, dignity and comfort came his way, Abraham by his side in Heaven.
And while things can still be bought and sold, the most important and precious ones, worth their weight in gold, are born of Grace, arriving on the wings of mercy.
Blessed is he who keeps faith forever, secures justice for the oppressed, gives food to the hungry. The Lord sets captives free.
The Lord gives sight to the blind; the Lord raises up those who were bowed down. The Lord loves the just; the Lord protects strangers.
The fatherless and the widow he sustains, but the way of the wicked he thwarts. The Lord shall reign forever; your God, O Zion, through all generations. Alleluia. – Psalm 146:7-10
September 21 is the feast day of St. Matthew, the tax collector turned disciple. It is Matthew’s home at which Jesus and his disciples are having dinner, among, “many tax collectors and sinners” (Mt 9:10), when the following exchange occurs:
The Pharisees saw this and said to his disciples, “Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?” He heard this and said, “Those who are well do not need a physician, but the sick do. Go and learn the meaning of the words, ‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice.’ I did not come to call the righteous but sinners.” – Matthew 9:11-13
If you were Matthew or a dinner guest at his house and witnessed this exchange between Jesus and the Pharisees, how would you feel, and what would you make of Jesus’s words? How about if you were a Pharisee? A disciple? Envision yourself in the shoes of the different people present or groups represented.
While there can be a wide range of perspectives and experiences in earthly regards, looking beyond that, what do you see or sense as a common bond or thread between them all?
Next, take some time to remember and pray with some of your experiences of compassion, forgiveness, and kindness. What’s it like to reflect on instances in which you received mercy, as well as the ones where you exhibited mercy toward another, as originating from the heart of God, for whom nothing is impossible? Not only that, but also to consider that these instances involved your cooperation with God, through whom anything is possible?
Share with the Lord what’s on your mind and in your heart as you contemplate his words.
In the Gospel for the Twenty-fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time, St. Luke writes:
Jesus said to his disciples: “The person who is trustworthy in very small matters is also trustworthy in great ones; and the person who is dishonest in very small matters is also dishonest in great ones. If, therefore, you are not trustworthy with dishonest wealth, who will trust you with true wealth? If you are not trustworthy with what belongs to another, who will give you what is yours? No servant can serve two masters. He will either hate one and love the other, or be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and mammon.” – Luke 16:10-13
Continuing to pray with your experiences of mercy, reflect on God’s grace and the extent to which honesty, trust, and trustworthiness, have helped or aided you toward receiving and extending compassion, kindness, and the benefit of the doubt to yourself and others. Ask the Lord to help you to see clearly your areas of growth, and to gently acknowledge, and commit to cooperation with Grace in, areas in need of conversion.
What wisdom is waiting on you today?
Closing prayer: Hallelujah! Praise, you servants of the Lord, praise the name of the Lord. Blessed be the name of the Lord both now and forever. From the rising of the sun to its setting let the name of the Lord be praised. High above all nations is the Lord; above the heavens his glory. Who is like the Lord our God, enthroned on high, looking down on heaven and earth? He raises the needy from the dust, lifts the poor from the ash heap, Seats them with princes, the princes of the people, Gives the childless wife a home, the joyful mother of children. Hallelujah! – Psalm 113:1-9
“The Holy Scriptures were not given to us that we should enclose them in books, but that we should engrave them upon our hearts.” ― St. John Chrysostom
Praying with the scripture readings for the Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross (Numbers 21:4b-9; Psalm 78:1b-2, 34-38; Philippians 2:6-11; and John 3:3-17), contemplate what it means to engrave them upon your heart.
In the First Reading, we hear of the Israelites, at wit’s end, upset by their situation in the desert, and making it known to Moses. We also learn of the punishing arrival of saraph serpents, leading to the surmise of many, and the subsequent realization of sin and prayer for relief. Following this, Moses prays for the people to be spared from the serpents, and the Lord replies, “Make a saraph and mount it on a pole, and if any who have been bitten look at it, they will live.” (Numbers 21:8).
What do you make of the notion that to be cured, or to overcome the serpent’s bite, requires looking at the bronze serpent mounted on the pole?
Take some time to consider a situation or area in which your patience is worn thin, or where you have been bitten. What has your reaction or response been? And how might you ask for, and receive, God’s grace to move toward peace and healing—a better way?
The response for the Psalm (Psalm 78:1b-2, 34-38) is, “Do not forget the works of the Lord!” (Ps 78:7b). Like it was in the desert for the Israelites and Moses, it can be tempting for anyone to react or respond out of feelings of discontent or anger, when it feels like needs are not being met or answers are nowhere to be found. This psalm invites us to recall what is true. None of us are without mistakes and missteps along the way. Still though, God is merciful and forgiving. This psalm encourages us to recall and remember the ways that God has been, and is, steadfast toward us.
Think about your experience of God turning something bad into something good?
Throughout the week, in moments with or without concern or upset, pause to acknowledge and give praise to God for God’s faithfulness to you. Allow yourself the space and invite God into it, to help you to see the entire picture, and to remember what is true.
In the Letter of St. Paul to the Philippians (Philippians 2:6-11), it is written:
Christ Jesus, though he was in the form of God, did not regard equality with God something to be grasped. Rather, he emptied himself, taking the form of a slave, coming in human likeness; and found human in appearance, he humbled himself, becoming obedient to death, even death on a cross. Because of this, God greatly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bend, of those in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
Continuing to pray with the thoughts, feelings, and situations that have come to mind and heart thus far, where might the words emptied, humbled, exalted, and bestowed—the past tense verbs used by St. Paul to describe actions of Jesus and God—be applicable or come into play? Ask the Lord to help you to identify ways that these words operate in your life, and what purpose they might be serving.
Turning to the Gospel passage (John 3:13-17), Jesus is mid-conversation with Nicodemus, a Pharisee who has come to see Jesus in the darkness of night. Nicodemus is trying to understand what Jesus means by, “no one can see the kingdom of God without being born from above.” (Jn 3:3).
What does being born from above mean to you?
For the Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross, we are reminded of where, and who, we currently are—our place as well as our call—eternal life through Jesus.
In the Gospel passage, Jesus refers to Moses lifting up the bronze serpent in the desert and says, “so must the Son of Man be lifted up, so that everyone who believes in him may have eternal life.” (Jn 3:14-15). He knows that Nicodemus will be familiar with and understand what has been written in Scripture. However, an earmark of Jesus is to elevate and help us along toward living Scripture. This is what he is trying to do, when he follows up with:
“For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him might not perish but might have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world might be saved through him.” (Jn 3:16-17).
Enter into conversation with Jesus about these two verses, inviting him to elevate and help you along in your journey toward living Scripture, or living it more fully. When your prayer time comes to a close, add the following:
We adore you, O Christ, and we bless you, because by your Cross you have redeemed the world. – St. Francis of Assisi
Like the lily In that One pond, Live in service, Remain faithful To creation.
Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, heartfelt compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience, bearing with one another and forgiving one another, if one has a grievance against another; as the Lord has forgiven you, so must you also do. And over all these put on love, that is, the bond of perfection. – Colossians 3:12-14
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