carmelite daily reflection
That very day, the first day of the week, two of Jesus disciples were going to a village seven miles from Jerusalem called Emmaus, and they were conversing about all the things that had occurred. The light of Jesus is a light of love, the light of God who so loved the world that he gave his only Son. He was persecuting the church, believing that this was what God wanted him to do. We find something similar happening in todays gospel reading. We are much more security conscious than we were in the past. He said to them, What matters are you discussing as you walk along? They stopped short, their faces downcast. Then one of them, called Cleopas, answered him, You must be the only person staying in Jerusalem who does not know the things that have been happening there these last few days. What things? he asked. She commenced her role as a public figure, dictating hundreds of letters to popes, monarchs and other letters of note. In calling us to himself he also sends us into the world afire with the flame of his love. Jesus said to the crowds: No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draw him, and I will raise him on the last day. and the bread that I shall give is my flesh, A stranger who joined them asked them to tell him their story, and one of them, Cleopas, duly obliged. Like Saint Paul, we can find ourselves saying, I can do all things through him who strengthens me. When we hear in this mornings first reading of the road from Jerusalem to Gaza it is hard not to think of the strained and tension-filled relationship between Jerusalem and Gaza today. He had a profound appreciation of the uniqueness of Jesus, which is why he could say, he must increase, but I must decrease. I have power to lay it down, and power to take it up again. In the case of infants, it is the faith of the parents and family and the faith of the believing community that is presupposed. Then the Lord Jesus, after he spoke to them, was taken up into heaven and took his seat at the right hand of God. He was drawn to Jesus but he could not quite grasp what Jesus was asking of him, not initially at least. Her life shows us very clearly that the life of faith has both an inward and outward dimension. Jesus distributed to those who were reclining as much as they wanted. The wind is beyond our control; it doesnt blow where and when we want it to blow. He had spoken to Nicodemus about the need to be born of water and the Spirit so as to enter the kingdom of God. At some deep level, we are unhappy with the direction our lives are taking. Marks gospel was the primary written source for the gospels of Matthew and Luke. Even if we try to lock the Lord out of our lives, he comes to us anyway. We must take what we read in the Word of God into our daily lives. "Lectio Divina", a Latin term, means "divine reading" and describes a way of reading the Scriptures whereby we gradually let go of our own agenda and open ourselves to what God wants to say to us. The wind is a mysterious force which we cannot simply manage to suit ourselves. This message of Marks gospel that the Lord continues to work with his disciples today, in spite of past serious failings, is one the church needs to hear today. We need the same courage or boldness to proclaim the gospel of the Lord today. However, once we set out for that other side, we often find ourselves struggling, like the disciples. One thing we can be sure of is that, whatever the Lords personal call to each one of us is, it will always be a call towards life. They will pick up serpents with their hands, and if they drink any deadly thing, it will not harm them. We are not strangers to the Lord; he knows us deeply, better than we know ourselves. Contact Us | Privacy Policy | Subscribe | Prayer| Titus Brandsma, Site designed, developed and hosted by Matthew Price: Transformation by Design. Easter celebrates the faithfulness of God to his Son Jesus, and the faithfulness of Jesus to all of us. If Lectio Divina is used for group prayer, obviously more structure is needed than for individual use. For my Flesh is true food, and my Blood is true drink. No one who comes to me will ever hunger; no one who believes in me will ever thirst. It has been said that to understand all is to forgive all. It is said of Barnabas in that reading that he was filled with the Holy Spirit. Ever since, the church has repeated the actions and words of Jesus at the last supper. Do not be surprised when I say: we speak only about what we know The Lord is there with us at those moments in all his risen power, calling on us not to be afraid but to trust in his presence. That same early tradition places Mark in the church of Rome, the city where Peter was crucified, the city where the church experienced the first real persecution lead by the Roman state. We recognize in the words of todays gospel reading that he is above all others, including all human authority, be it religious or political. Mark never knew Jesus personally; he was not an eyewitness. On his search he meets with a companion who helps him to find an answer to some of his questions, who throws light on the word of God that has so intrigued him. In the gospel reading this morning, the people of Galilee set out to look for Jesus. click to accept all cookiesAccept %CC% cookies. you hear its sound, It was a kind of a nickname given to him because he had a reputation for giving encouragement to others. The darkness of Good Friday was still too real, for him to be influenced by the Easter proclamation of the other disciples. Rather, his teaching is liberating and life-enhancing. However, shortly after his return to Rome, Gregory died. She also wrote her great work, the Dialogues, describing the contents of her mystical conversations with Christ. For my flesh is real food Jesus takes seriously the horizon of this world in which we live and work, but he also shows us another horizon, a horizon that is not of this world. He is described there as a good man, filled with the Holy Spirit and with faith. In fact, Jesus wants our relationship with him to be as close as his relationship with God the Father. Even older again is Rome, and older again is Jerusalem. In todays gospel reading Jesus declares that our coming to Jesus is in response to the drawing of the Father, no one can come to me unless they are drawn by the Father who sent me. There was the same greeting from the Lord, Peace by with you, and an invitation to Thomas to doubt no longer but believe. We are to be constantly asking ourselves, What is the Lord saying to us? It is a statement that reveals the welcoming nature of the Lords presence. An essential element of following Jesus is listening to his voice. Up until then, the story of Jesus live had been passed primarily by word of mouth. He presents himself to the crowd as someone who can satisfy not just their physical hunger but their spiritual hunger. When they found Jesus, he addresses them and declares that they are looking for him for the wrong reasons. they are dead, Peace be with you he said. Our website uses cookies to give you the best online experience. Yes, Jesus gave them bread in the wilderness to eat, but, more importantly, he himself is the Bread of Life who can satisfy their deepest hunger, their spiritual hunger. The gospel reading is suggesting that if we are to reach our destination, we cannot do it on our own. Sunday, November 27 Monday, November 28 Tuesday, November 29 Wednesday, November 30 Thursday, December 1 Friday, December 2 Saturday, December 3 December 4 - December 10, 2022 It is said of Saul in the first reading that he worked for the total destruction of the church. In referring to the wind, Jesus was really speaking of the Holy Spirit. It is nearly evening they said and the day is almost over. So he went in to stay with them. With the rapid expansion of new means of communication in recent decades we can be made much more aware of these various calls on us. From that moment he knew that Jesus was calling to announce this message to all, especially to the pagans. Our website places advertising cookies to show you 3rd party advertisements based on your interests. He was anticipating what we see happening in the first reading. The story they told ended in death, but the full story ended in life. This gospel emphasizes their failure. There is something wonderfully mysterious about the birth of every child. We recognize that in and through the Eucharist we enter into communion with the Lord, and with each other, in a special way. We reach out towards the Lord who journeys with us in the context of the church, in the company of our fellow pilgrims, those who are stumbling along the path of discipleship with us. This is surely one of the most striking statements of Jesus in all of the gospels. The bread of the word is a necessary first course, as it were, that prepares us to receive the Eucharist well. One of the tasks of life for each of us as disciples of the Lord is to try and listen to the particular call that the Lord is addressing to me here and now. The risen Lord helped the disciples to see that Jerusalem was not just the city where Gods anointed one had been cruelly put to death but also the city where Gods faithful love had triumphed over the forces of death by raising his Son from the dead. The first reading this morning is Lukes dramatic account of the call of Paul. He will always ignore our locked doors and stand before us in his risen power. Eight days later Jesus came and stood in their midst. Your sister in Babylon is the church in Rome. Daily Scripture, May 1, 2023. In other words, it is in giving that we receive; it is in giving life that we receive life. Rather than seeking the consolations of the Lord we are to seek the Lord of consolation. The Lord who is the gate is also the shepherd who protects and nourishes us each day. In todays gospel reading, Jesus speaks of two kinds of food, food that cannot last and food that endures to eternal life. In all four gospels, Jesus shows us how so much of human life can speak to us of Gods life, the kingdom of heaven. He will not allow the forces that are hostile to our relationship with him to get the better of us. More often than not, it seems to be in our face and makes our walking a little more difficult. but anyone who refuses to believe in the Son will never see life: so that they may have life and have it to the full.. In raising his Son from the dead, God gave his Son back to the world that had rejected him. They had forgotten that Jesus had told them that, having been crucified by his enemies, God would raise him from the dead. We are pleased to know that the daylight is lengthening every day at this time of the year. Then they said to each other, Were not our hearts burning within us while he spoke to us on the way and opened the Scriptures to us? So they set out at once and returned to Jerusalem where they found gathered together the eleven and those with them who were saying, The Lord has truly been raised and has appeared to Simon! Then the two recounted what had taken place on the way and how he was made known to them in the breaking of bread. My sheep hear my voice; I know them, and they follow me. What is true of our relationship with others is true to a greater extent of our relationship with Jesus. In this mornings gospel reading, the Jews ask the question, How can this man give us his flesh to eat? Far from pulling back in response to that dismissive question, Jesus goes on to speak of the need not only to eat his flesh but to drink his blood as well. So the Jews gathered around him and said to him, How long are you going to keep us in suspense? He wants to reveal his Father to us, to share the love of the Father with us. The gospel was not experienced as good news by some and they made every effort to silence those who were preaching it. More than the other evangelists, Mark highlights that Jesus preaching and living of the gospel challenged the status quo and brought great hostility down on his head, resulting in his crucifixion. That statement has been a source of inspiration for many believers over the centuries. We reflect deeply on all that Jesus said and did, on the whole of his life, on his death, resurrection and ascension, because we know that God has spoken the most powerful and clearest word he could ever speak through Jesus. Our presence at the Eucharist is one of the primary ways we come to the Lord in faith and open ourselves to his presence as the bread of life. She was born in 1347, the daughter of a prosperous wool dyer, and died in 1380, at the age of thirty three. The good shepherd takes on the role not primarily to get something out of it, but to give something in it. The Lords way of working is different to how the world works.
