Message of 7-28-15

Published: Tue, 07/28/15

Message of the Day

Just think: you are here not by chance, but by GOD’s choosing. God's hand formed you and made you the person you are. He compares you to no one else; you are one of a kind. You lack nothing that His grace cannot give you. He has allowed you to be here at this time in history to fulfill His special purpose for this generation. You are GOD’s servant in GOD’s place at GOD’s perfect time.

- Anonymous

(You are here for God’s special purpose. What might that be?)

Daily Readings

EX 33:7-11; 34:5B-9, 28; PS 103:6-13; MT 13:36-43

R. The Lord is kind and merciful.

The LORD secures justice

and the rights of all the oppressed.

He has made known his ways to Moses,

and his deeds to the children of Israel.

Merciful and gracious is the LORD,

slow to anger and abounding in kindness.

He will not always chide,

nor does he keep his wrath forever.

Not according to our sins does he deal with us,

nor does he requite us according to our crimes.

For as the heavens are high above the earth,

so surpassing is his kindness toward those who fear him.

As far as the east is from the west,

so far has he put our transgressions from us.

As a father has compassion on his children,

so the LORD has compassion on those who fear him.

USCCB Lectionary

Reflection on the Scriptures

The responsorial psalm reiterates the concept of being kind and merciful and the forgiveness. I love the idea of how far the east is from the west in understanding the span of forgiveness that is afforded to us. Loving arms were extended on a cross for us to absolve us from all these previous sins. By giving us Jesus as our Savior, God, indeed, has shown us mercy and salvation. We have only to embrace it and it is ours.

The parable in the gospel further explains this idea of those who are to be forgiven and welcomed into loving arms. The weeds are to be gathered and burned. I think about the weeds in my garden that became so overgrown while I was away. I spent hours pulling them and throwing them away. One thought that occurred to me during this tedious work is that not all the weeds were ugly just inappropriately placed. Oh, some were sticky and picked at my skin as I attempted to pull at their roots. But in reality, some were “volunteers” from some of my beautiful flowers. Still this had to be removed from their current site – it reminded me that some seeds of the Evil One can be very inviting and seemingly harmless. It is essential to stay focused on the beauty of the garden and those seeds that are related to the rightful sower.

- by Nancy Shirley

Creighton Online Ministries

SPIRITUAL READING

Revelations of Divine Love
- by Julian of Norwich

Chapter 3

“I desired to suffer with Him”

AND when I was thirty years old and a half, God sent me a bodily sickness, in which I lay three days and three nights; and on the fourth night I took all my rites of Holy Church, and weened not to have lived till day. And after this I languored forth two days and two nights, and on the third night I weened oftentimes to have passed; and so weened they that were with me.

And being in youth as yet, I thought it great sorrow to die;—but for nothing that was in earth that meliked to live for, nor for no pain that I had fear of: for I trusted in God of His mercy. But it was to have lived that I might have loved God better, and longer time, that I might have the more knowing and loving of God in bliss of Heaven. For methought all the time that I had lived here so little and so short in regard of that endless bliss,—I thought [it was as] nothing. Wherefore I thought: Good Lord, may my living no longer be to Thy worship! And I understood by my reason and by my feeling of my pains that I should die; and I assented fully with all the will of my heart to be at God’s will.

Thus I dured till day, and by then my body was dead from the middle downwards, as to my feeling. Then was I minded to be set upright, backward leaning, with help,—for to have more freedom of my heart to be at God’s will, and thinking on God while my life would last.

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