carmelite daily reflectionchemical that dissolves human feces in pit toilet
You must be born from above. Are not his sisters all with us? Yet, the gospel reading we have just heard acknowledges another reality. The Lord will always provide such people at times of transition, like the present time. Even though we are an Easter people, we never stop being a Good Friday people, at least on this side of eternity. We come to the Eucharist to draw life from the Lord, as branches draw life from the vine. In the gospel reading Jesus offers himself to us as the one who offers us the food that endures to eternal life. It is probably true to say that we are all searching for something. Today we remember Joseph the worker. He was also someone who had the insight to see that this new and exciting development in the church of Antioch was the perfect place for the recently converted Saul to exercise his gifts. Perth/Singapore/Philippines: 7am; Timor-Leste/Tokyo: 8am; New Zealand: 12pm; Los Angeles: Thursday 4pm; New York/Toronto: Thursday 7pm] to prayerfully reflect on the Gospel of the coming Sunday. If Lectio Divina is used for group prayer, obviously more structure is needed than for individual use. One of the tasks of life is to try and listen to the particular call that the Lord is addressing to me here and now. Barnabas saw that the new development in Antioch was a great opportunity for Paul to use his gifts and he obviously saw that the church in Antioch could greatly benefit from Pauls gifts. Our fundamental call is to be a loving and caring people, with a mind through which the good Shepherd thinks, a heart through which he loves, a voice through which he speaks and hands through which he works. Just click on the month of interest and scroll to the day required. In todays gospel reading, John the Baptist says of Jesus, He whom God has sent speaks Gods own words. If we listen to that story, if we are attentive to the word of the Lord, we will begin to recognize life where we thought there was only death, light where we thought there was only darkness. Complete the form below to register. We can ignore those deeper hungers which Jesus alone can satisfy. He is described as a Pharisee and a leading Jew. And when they found him across the sea they said to him, Rabbi, when did you get here? Jesus answered them and said, Amen, amen, I say to you, you are looking for me not because you saw signs but because you ate the loaves and were filled. This is what we find stated very clearly in this mornings gospel reading, which declares that Jesus comes from above or from heaven. Jesus speaks as the one who gives us a unique access to God. Was it not ordained that the Christ should suffer and so enter into his glory? Then, starting with Moses and going through all the prophets, he explained to them the passages throughout the scriptures that were about himself. When they had eaten enough he said to the disciples, Pick up the pieces left over, so that nothing gets wasted. So they picked them up, and filled twelve hampers with scraps left over from the meal of five barley loaves. He would not join the community of those who had experienced the risen Lord for themselves. He calls us to lead us a place of pasture, to a place where our deepest hungers and thirsts are satisfied. The story is a reminder to us that we need each other on the journey of faith. It was St Irenaeus, one of the early theologians of the church, who said that the glory of God is the human person fully alive. Catherine stood out as a beacon of light in a dark time. As the shepherd calls his sheep one by one, so the Lord calls his followers one by one; he calls them by name; he calls them in a way that respects their individuality and uniqueness. In his letter to the Romans he says, we do not know how to pray as we ought, but that very Spirit intercedes with sighs too deep for words. In walking with the two disciples, the Lord transformed them from being downcast to having their hearts burn within them; he rekindled their hope. While listed as an optional Memorial, today's liturgy honors the Blessed Mother in her role as patroness of the Carmelite tradition. The rapid expansion of new means of communication in recent decades can mean that we are on call more often. He had been violently persecuting the first followers of Jesus, and in persecuting them he was persecuting Gods Son, Jesus, now risen Lord. There is something of the searcher, the seeker, in us all. As risen Lord, he shows us the wounds of his passion, as signs of his self-giving love, and also to assure us that he identifies with us in our own wounded-ness. Then there are other kinds of losses that we experience in the course of our lives, such as the loss of a job, or the loss of full health, or the loss of our good name. He comes from above, from heaven, and bears witness to what he has seen and heard there. Yet, in Marks gospel the risen Jesus remains faithful to his disciples. The relationship between the shepherd and his sheep was more immediate than it is today. What is it that makes us more alive? We have asked Creighton faculty, staff and administrators to reflect upon the daily readings each day. But they went forth and preached everywhere, while the Lord worked with them and confirmed the word through accompanying signs. The one who enters through the gate is the shepherd of the flock; the gatekeeper lets him in, the sheep hear his voice, one by one he calls his own sheep and leads them out. They were astonished and said, Where did this man get such wisdom and mighty deeds? The risen Lord will always find a way for the gospel to be proclaimed, in spite of peoples best efforts to silence it. Therein lies our confidence and hope. As Peter puts it in todays second reading, You did not see him, yet you love him. They may have been asking themselves, Are we next? They wanted to keep their association with Jesus hidden, out of the public glare. Up until that moment, all the disciples of Jesus were Jews. Eternal life is not just a life that begins after death. As Jesus says in todays gospel reading, whoever eats me will draw life from me. Are they working for food that cannot last or for food that endures to eternal life? AnalyticalOur website uses analytical cookies to make it possible to analyze our website and optimize for the purpose of a.o. There will always be an element of unease about our faith, some restlessness that moves us to keep seeking the Lord. Click on the "Save cookie settings" button to apply your choice. We have gates to the front of the church, but they are rarely closed. There are forces in the world that seek to undermine that relationship and even destroy it. He empowers us to live out his teaching. On his way to Gaza, he sat in his chariot to read from the Jewish Scriptures, the book of Isaiah. "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. In one of his letters he wrote, Christ Jesus took hold of me. He took the few resources that the young boy was generous enough to part with and, having prayed the prayer of thanksgiving to God over these small pieces of food, he somehow fed the enormous crowd. To this end, the website features regularly updated elements such as talks on Carmelite themes, reflections on the spiritual life from a Carmelite perspective, and words of wisdom from contemporary and classic Carmelite figures. The role of the shepherd was to give life to his flock, to protect them from harm by taking them to the sheepfold for the night, and then to lead them out of the sheepfold to pasture in the morning. Yet, his work on our behalf is always more significant than our work on his behalf. The first reading from the Acts of the Apostles shows some tension in the church of Jerusalem. We live out the call to be the Lords disciple in a way that is unique to each one of us. When the disciples were full of Easter joy, declaring to Thomas, We have seen the Lord, he couldnt bring himself to believe their good news. In the morning, the shepherd would come back, the gate keeper would let him into the sheepfold, and the shepherd would call his own sheep by name and lead them out of the sheepfold to a place of pasture, where they could feed for the day. We can all draw strength in these times from that very personal relationship with the Lord he invites us to have with him. Our story, the way we talk about it or write about it, is only one way of putting it. We can also, of course, have the wind at our back, helping us along, like a friend. The first reading puts before us a troubling moment in the life of the church, conflict between Greek speaking and Aramaic speaking Jewish Christian widows regarding the distribution of food. There came a light from heaven all round him and, as a result, he fell to the ground and he heard the Lord say to him, Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me? That kind of dramatic experience of the Lords coming is not an everyday event. In this mornings gospel reading Jesus declares that he wants he wants his relationship with us his followers to be as close as his relationship with God his Father. Like Nicodemus, we all need to keep opening our lives more fully to the Spirit whom the risen Lord is always offering us, so that we can boldly proclaim by our lives the good news of his life, death and resurrection. In the words of Saint Paul that Gods power was made perfect in weakness. It was an unexpected moment which expressed an important truth about how the Pope sees his ministry in the church. Nicodemus can speak to the searcher in each of us. Many believers can be troubled by their sense that the light of Easter does not seem to have penetrated their lives sufficiently. and they are dead; When he spoke, it was to place their sad, hopeless, story in a whole new light. The Carmelites of Australia and Timor-Leste are committed to the protection of children, young people and vulnerable adults from all forms of abuse and mistreatment. they are retained.. When they found Jesus, he addresses them and declares that they are looking for him for the wrong reasons. Even though we may turn from the Lord at times, he never turns from us. He speaks to him of the need to be born from above or born of the Spirit. The human experience of birth can speak to us of another kind of birth, a being born of the Spirit. In the case of the two disciples, when their hearts began to burn within them with new hope, they took the initiative to invite the stranger to their table. As the gate, all who enter through him will be safe; as the gate, all who exit through him will find pasture. The Ethiopian was searching, but he needed help from someone who was a little further down the road of faith that he himself was. Next day, the crowd that had stayed on the other side saw that only one boat had been there, and that Jesus had not got into the boat with his disciples, but that the disciples had set off by themselves. There they were, locked into a room, in a self-imposed prison, out of fear. It is interesting to speculate that Joseph might have found work as that city was being built. We depend on him especially when the wind is against us and the waters of life get stormy. He told them a bigger story from the Scriptures; it was a story that didnt end in death but in glory; it was a story full of hope, about how the promised Messiah would suffer, yes, but would then enter into his glory. Martin Hogan continues to write many books on the Gospel Readings for each day of the Catholic Liturgical Year. God so loved the world that he gave his only-begotten Son, so that everyone who believes in him might not perish but might have eternal life. We can often find ourselves initially resisting a request that someone makes of us or some declaration that they make to us. We live our lives in response to calls of all sorts. The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of the risen Lord and we need his Spirit if our lives are to proclaim his word, his presence, with clarity and courage. Gods love was revealed most powerfuuly in the sending of his Son so that we might have life and have it to the full. This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged. The Ethiopian was not reading silently to himself; he was reading aloud. In Lukes first volume, Jesus had attempted to preach the gospel to a Samaritan village but they rejected Jesus because he was heading for Jerusalem. This is why the Father loves me, because I lay down my life in order to take it up again. They wanted more; they asked him to stay, and over table they recognized him in the breaking of the bread. However, Ananias resisted what the Lord asked of him because he knew Sauls reputation as a persecutor of the church and he didnt trust Saul. The second stage is meditatio (reflection) where we think about the text we have chosen and ruminate upon it so that we take from it what God wants to give us. When you reflect on that saying of Jesus, it is indeed very reassuring. Yet, the small boy with his five barley loaves and two fish is the key to what happens. Catherine was a great mystic or contemplative, but her mysticism did not withdraw her from the world. That restlessness drives us to make contact with other people; it often leads us to set out on a journey of one kind or another, whether it is a physical journey, or an inner journey. When the disciples said, We have seen the Lord, he answered, Unless I see the holes that the nails made in his hands and can put my finger into the holes they made, and unless I can put my hand into his side, I refuse to believe. Eight days later the disciples were in the house again and Thomas was with them. In the language in which the gospels were written, and the language Jesus spoke, the same word could refer to both the physical wind and the Spirit of God. Our point of view, like that of the two disciples, can be limited. He then travelled all the way to Tarsus to encourage Paul to come to Antioch and to work among the believers there. We spend our lives learning to receive like little children. We often tell stories to one another. Zacchaeus heard Jesus invite himself to his home. Thomas doubts speak to our own doubts. Jesus fed the hungry multitude in the wilderness with five loaves and two fish. Yet, he is always with us at such moments, as he was with the two disciples on the road to Emmaus. Our website uses analytical cookies to make it possible to analyze our website and optimize for the purpose of a.o. In this mornings gospel reading, Jesus tells the Jews that the works he does in his Fathers name are his witness; what he does bears witness to his identity as the one sent from God. The Celtic Carmelite integration is unique and expresses a distinctive vision of a way to seek and give thanks to the God-among-us, in prayer and in the challenges and blessings of daily life. They reveal a certain insight into what has happened, but very often a limited insight. God sent his Son into the world so that everyone may have eternal life. The gate was the opening to safety at night and to nourishment by day, and it was the shepherd who led the sheep through the gate to safety and to nourishment. The Lords contribution to the relationship between us and him is much more significant than ours. 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. The evangelist, John, suggests that Jesus needed to be alone with God the Father who had sent him into the world. When a loved one dies, we try to come to terms with it by talking about it. Yet, we are not just passive sheep. I am the bread of life. Our calling is to allow the Spirit of God to be the driving force of our life, as it was the driving force of Jesus life. The Lord will not allow anything or anyone to come between himself and ourselves. The evangelist is referring there not to daylight, but to the one who declares himself to be the light of the world. God gave all to Jesus without reserve, and what Jesus received from God he has given to us, without reserve. His wounds were not just the marks of human cruelty but signs of his enduring love. He is the good shepherd who is prepared to put his life on the line for his flock. The first disciples constantly needed fresh outpourings of the Holy Spirit, if they were to fulfil the mission the risen Lord was giving them. Thomas, like the other disciples, saw and believed. As the search for God leads to the hearing of the word and as the hearing of the word leads to baptism, so baptism leads us to the Eucharist. This command I have received from my Father., (i)Monday, Fourth Week of Easter (Year A). In the passage of Johns gospel that follows our gospel reading, Jesus identifies himself as the good shepherd. The Lord is always working with us to confirm, strengthen and support us in our efforts to answer his call in todays world. When he has driven out all his own, he walks ahead of them, and the sheep follow him, because they recognize his voice. are attesting the truthfulness of God, Up until that point, the church had been Jewish Christian; the disciples of Jesus were all Jews. We are then sent from the Eucharist to live with his life, to live his life. Barnabas who appears in this mornings first reading from the Acts of the Apostles is one of the most attractive characters in the New Testament. Jesus often speaks about spiritual realities with reference to various aspects of human experience. There are many voices competing for our attention today, but in the midst of them all we need to be attentive to the voice of the Lord so that we can follow him each day. When we are struggling with some an experience of loss, we need the support of others who are going through this experience with us. In the gospel reading, Jesus speaks of himself as the good shepherd and he declares that there are other sheep that are not of this fold that he needs to lead as well. Lectio Divina with the Carmelites - CatholicMom.com Just as the risen Lord would not allow the disciples fear to lock him out of their lives, so he would not allow Thomas doubt to lock him out either. So slow to believe the full message of the prophets! The presence of a gate does not automatically mean that people will use it. The risen Jesus, therefore, has to be at the centre of our faith lives and at the centre of the life of the church. The Lords faithfulness to us prompts us to keep faith with each other, especially with those who are close to us. After saying this he breathed on them and said: Receive the Holy Spirit. There are two ways of looking at gates. However, for the good shepherd, the role is not just a job; it is a loving commitment. Sometimes our own grief, or anger, or deep disappointment, can cause us to head off in wrong directions too. Even though we may have turned away from him in the past, he does not turn away from us. My Catholic Life! He was attracted by Jesus, and he allowed himself to be drawn to Jesus, even though it meant going against the prevailing current. Occasionally when myself and my brothers were children, my parents would tie a cloth around the gate to keep it from being opened, so that we wouldnt run out on the road. In the gospel reading, the risen Lord sends out his disciples to proclaim the gospel to the whole world, and the evangelist then says that as they went out to preach everywhere, the Lord was working with them and confirming the word by the signs that accompanied it. There is a very early tradition in the church, which first surfaced in the early part of the second century, according to which Mark was a companion of Peter. At the beginning of todays gospel reading we find the people of Galilee searching for Jesus. The good news is that even when we turn from the light and chose darkness, the light shines in the darkness and, if there is even the smallest opening in us to the light, the darkness will not overcome the light of Gods loving presence. He was succeeded by Pope Urban VI who turned out to be a disastrous Pope. They had a story they needed to tell and they told it to each other, and they listened to each others story. I am struck by that line in the gospel reading, Jesus came and stood among them. When we step into this light, there is a sense in which our sins are exposed. Because we only live in hope of such a meeting, there will always be some element of doubt in our own faith. The most important decision we can make in life is to believe in the one whom God has sent into the world and allow that belief to shape the whole pattern of our life. In the words of todays second reading, we can find ourselves being plagued by all sorts of trials in the season of Easter as much as in any other season. We try to listen to his voice, especially as it comes to us in the words of the gospels, of the New Testament as a whole, and, indeed, in all of the Scriptures. Saint Paul says in his letter to the Romans that we do not know how to pray as we ought. Today, vocations Sunday, reminds us that we all have a vocation in that very fundamental sense. Paul once persecuted the Lord, but after his experience near Damascus, he went on to draw life from the Lord as he gather with other members of the church at the Eucharist. When we invite the Lord to stay with us, he will draw us to the Eucharist, as he drew the two disciples, and there, like them, we too will come to recognize him in the breaking of bread. The cross Pope Francis wears around his neck bears the image of the Good Shepherd, bearing the lost sheep upon his shoulders. This is the bread that came down from heaven. Rather, his teaching is liberating and life-enhancing. Jesus declares that we need to be born of the Spirit to enter the kingdom of God. After a profound mystical experience she had a sense of Christ calling her to serve the wider world and universal church. The greater our capacity to receive from the Lords fullness, the greater will be our ability to give as we have received. We take various security precautions to prevent that from happening. Jesus has approached us, has entered into a relationship with us, not to get something from us, but to give everything to us. There is often some tension between the Easter cry, Christ is risen! The general call to be the Lords disciple is lived out in particular ways. In this mornings gospel reading we find Jesus and his disciples faced with a hungry crowd and little or no means of feeding them. He is always driven by God the Fathers will that all should see the Son and believe in him and so have eternal life. In the language of Johns gospel, we are to remain in him, as he remains in us. He is the good shepherd who knows us through and through and who loves us so completely that he laid down his life for us. Like the Lord, we carry our own wounds, some of them arising out of the crisis we are all going through, but, just as the Lords wounds were transformed by his rising from the dead, the risen Lord can transform our wounds too, recreating them as channels of new life for others. What doesnt pass away, because it is of God, is Jesus capacity to work powerfully through humble human resources in the service of Gods people, such as feeding a large crowd with five barley loaves and two fish. She was deeply involved in what was happening in Europe and in the church in her time. A person filled with the Holy Spirit was likely to discern whether or not this novelty was the work of the Spirit. To believe is always to wait in joyful hope. He was persecuting the church, believing that this was what God wanted him to do. And Jesus walked about in the temple area on the Portico of Solomon. The Heart of Perfect Love and Self-Giving, The Cross, the Eucharist and the Blessed Mother, Ascension of the LordorUnity and Perfection in Christ, The Profound Teaching of the Holy Eucharist, Humility of Service, Nourished by the Eucharist, God Becomes ManNine Months Before Christmas, Unwavering Faith in the Face of Confusion, Ask, and All Good Things Will Be Given You, The Road to Virtue Living Between the Extremes, Drawn to Jesus, Drawn to Mercy for Others, Sowing the Word of GodDespite the Results.
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