When we find that — through God’s grace and forgiveness — we are living spiritually harmonious lives, then we’ll
understand that disobedience is without a doubt more horrible than hell, and more painful. Why? Because it goes against the essential grain of our good, God-given nature.
- Julian of Norwich
(Are you in touch with your "good, God-given nature?" Spend some time being aware of God's loving
acceptance of you.)
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1 SM 18:6-9; 19:1-7; PS 56:2-3, 9-10A, 10B-13
MK 3:7-12
Jesus withdrew toward the sea with his disciples.
A large number of people followed from Galilee and from Judea.
Hearing what he was doing,
a large number of people came to him also from Jerusalem,
from Idumea, from beyond the Jordan,
and from the
neighborhood of Tyre and Sidon.
He told his disciples to have a boat ready for him because of the crowd,
so that they would not crush him.
He had cured many and, as a result, those who had diseases
were pressing upon him to touch him.
And whenever unclean spirits saw him they would fall down before him
and shout, "You are the Son of God."
He warned them sternly not to make him known.
Reflection on the
Scriptures |
God speaks to his people in Mark’s
3:7-12 passage. He draws a large crowd secondary to his teaching and miracles performed. He tells his disciples to have a boat ready for him so he can safely speak without fear of being crushed. I put myself into that scene. I absolutely would want to meet this ‘man’ who can perform miracles, cure disease, and drive away ‘unclean spirits.’ I probably would not rush to be part of the crowd but would find a rock to sit on some distance away, or climb a tree to observe from the heights, or perhaps
walk down the beach a way and sit solitary observing the scene. I would marvel at this man’s gifts; I would ask for his blessing in silence; I would believe these miracles. I believe I would feel his presence no matter how far away I was and he would know of my presence. In the same way that I feel God’s presence when I take time during the day to be quiet, to silence myself and be in prayer. In prayer I ask for strength and support for what I need to get through the day or to get
beyond something that is difficult or to say thank-you for the blessings of today. So, in this Ordinary time between Advent and Lent, I feel blessed to continue to experience the Joy, Faith, and Trust that God provides.
- by Cindy Costanzo Revelations of Divine
Love - by Julian of Norwich
Fourteenth Revelation, Chapter 46
“We fail oftentimes of the sight of Him, and anon we fall into our self, and then find we no
feeling of right,—nought but contrariness that is in our self”
TWO things belong to our soul as duty: the one is that we reverently marvel, the other that we meekly suffer, ever enjoying in God. For He would have us understand that we shall in short time see clearly in Himself all that we desire.
And notwithstanding all this, I beheld and marvelled greatly: What is the mercy and forgiveness of God? For by the teaching that I had afore, I understood that the mercy of God
should be the forgiveness of His wrath after the time that we have sinned. For methought that to a soul whose meaning and desire is to love, the wrath of God was harder than any other pain, and therefore I took [150] that the forgiveness of His wrath should be one of the principal points of His mercy. But howsoever I might behold and desire, I could in no wise see this point in all the Shewing.
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