Psalm 103:13-14
13 As a father has compassion on his children, so the Lord pities those who fear him.
14 For he knows how we are formed, he remembers that we are dust.
Psalm 104:28-30
28 You give it to them,
and they gather it up;
you open your hand,
they are filled with good things.
29 When you hide your face they vanish,
you take away their breath, they expire
and return to dust.
30 When you send forth your spirit,
they are created,
and the face of the earth is renewed.
In both PsalmsYou remind me who I am. You love as a Father, You have a Father's compassionate heart for me. You know that I am dust and yet You redeemed and ransomed me. You sustain me, Lord and giver of life. You open Your hands and You spill over all good things into my life, my heart and my spirit. You give me Your own Holy Spirit who renews my soul every morning and holds me up every moment of the day. Keep me close to You my God this day and I will be glad.
Philipians 2:12-18
12 Therefore, my dearest friends, as you always obeyed me while I was with you, even more now that I am far from you, continue working out your salvation “with fear and trembling.” 13 It is God who makes you not only wish but also carry out what pleases him. 14 Do everything without grumbling, 15 so that without fault or blame, you will be children of God without reproach among a crooked and perverse generation. You are a light among them, like stars in the universe, 16 holding to the Word of life. I shall feel proud of you on the day of Christ on seeing that my effort and labor have not been in vain. 17 And if I am being poured out as a libation over the sacrifice and the offering of your faith, I rejoice and continue to share your joy; 18 and you likewise should rejoice and share my joy.
Beloved, if we followed the exhortation of St. Paul and we all took our faith seriously, Your Kingdom would already be here on earth. We are called to work at our salvation with fear and trembling, yet how few take salvation seriously. People live their lives as they please and every now and then they nod in Your direction, acknowledging Your Presnece. We are called to be witnesses. We ought not to grumble, find fault, blame, and we should put an end to all the petty bickering that takes up so much of our time. We are called to shine like stars in the universe. And like St. Paul we should be willing to pour ourselves out in love and service for one another.
Luke 14:25-33
25 One day, when large crowds were walking along with Jesus, he turned and said to them, 26 “If you come to me, without being ready to give up your love for your father and mother, your spouse and children, your brothers and sisters, and indeed yourself, you cannot be my disciple. 27 Whoever does not follow me carrying his own cross cannot be my disciple.28 Do you build a house without first sitting down to count the cost to see whether you have enough to complete it? 29 Otherwise, if you have laid the foundation and are not able to finish it, everyone will make fun of you: 30 Whoever does not follow me carrying his own cross cannot be my disciple.28 Do you build a house without first sitting down to count the cost to see whether you have enough to complete it? 29 Otherwise, if you have laid the foundation and are not able to finish it, everyone will make fun of you: 30 ‘This fellow began to build and was not able to finish.’31 And when a king wages war against another king, does he go to fight without first sitting down to consider whether his ten thousand can stand against the twenty thousand of his opponent? 32 And if not, while the other is still a long way off he sends messengers for peace talks. 33 In the same way, none of you may become my disciple if he doesn’t give up everything he has.
Beloved, You tell us plainly in the Gospel the cost of discipleship. All that I have and am is what You have given me or done for me. Nothing is mine and I cannot cling to anything no matter who or what it may be. No creature or thing should come between us. I have to put You above all and before all. Nothing can have prior clain on me but You alone. I must first understand what following You will cost before I consent to do so - only when I realise that I must be prepared to give up everything, including my life, only then must I decide or I will give up half way. Give me a generous heart and an understanding spirit. Amen.
Psalm 27:1 & 4
1 The Lord is my light and my salvation
whom shall I fear?
The Lord is the rampart of my life;
I will not be afraid.
4 One thing I ask of the Lord, one thing I seek –
that I may dwell in his house all the days of my life,
to gaze at his jewel and to visit his sanctuary.
What a beautiful Psalm. How beautifully it describes what You are and mean to me. You are my light and my salvation. You are my strong defence - I fear nothing and no one.
I will spend eternity gazing at You Beloved, the precious Jewel of God as well as my Priceless Jewel. I have already begun eternity when I kneel before You each morning before the Blessed Sacrament and gaze at You. You are my sure hope. You give me the strength and courage I need to live each day secure in the knowledge of Your love and concern for me. Thank You.
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