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Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament in the
Living Water Chapel
We
invite you to come into
and spend 10 minutes in reflection
and prayer, every day, as you sit
at your computer
Monday, January 23
“But no one can enter a strong man's house to plunder his
property unless he first ties up the strong man.”
(Read Mark 3:22-30)
When you were Baptized
you were plucked out of the devil’s grip and made a new creation through the
blood of Jesus. When you get up each morning, take a few moments to commit
your heart and your circumstances to Jesus; then during the day, be sure to
make time to be with Jesus. Talk to him and listen to him. Even when your
time seems scarce, ask the Holy Spirit to help you find the opportunity to
spend just ten minutes in God’s presence. That may be all you need to be
refreshed and strengthened.
As you fill your heart
with Jesus, the devil will find no entrance or weakness to exploit. Instead
of breaking through your defenses, he will run into Jesus, the “stronger man
“standing guard. Satan cannot harm you if you ground yourself in Jesus’
victory and take up the tools he has given you.
Remember God has
blessed you “with every Spiritual blessing “and has made it possible for you
to be “holy and blameless “before him. Put your Faith in God’s power and
grace!
Jesus helps us to build strong defenses against the enemy so that
we may love and honour you and say “yes” to our Baptismal
promises.
Tuesday, January 24
Jesus asked this question, “Who are my mother and my brothers?” He answered
his own question by saying “whoever does the will of God is my brother,
sister and mother”. (Read Mark 3:31-35).
Jesus’ words were a gentle reminder to Mary, his mother of the scope of his
ministry. Jesus was reminding Mary both of his mission and of hers. As he
was going about Israel bringing people into God’s Kingdom, he was giving her
more and more people to take under her motherly care. Jesus was saying “Who
is my family? All of my disciples! Mother can you take all these people –
wounded, sinful and outcast as many of them are – and find a place for them
in your heart? Can your love be as wide as mine?”
How willing are we to embrace as our own the broad family of God? Do we
limit ourselves to the safe harbor of family and friends? Or are we open to
developing relationships with everyone who seeks to follow Jesus? Let us
follow Mary’s example and take all the people of God into our hearts.
Jesus, thank you for
making us a member of your family.
Draw all your people
together. Lord, teach us to love.
Wednesday January 25
“I fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to me,
'Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?'
I replied, 'Who are you, sir?' And he said to me,
'I am Jesus the Nazorean whom you are persecuting.'”
(Read Acts 22:3–16)
The
story of Paul’s conversion can fill us with great hope. He was guilty of a
very serious wrong: persecuting the followers of Jesus. Yet Jesus showed him
mercy and turned him into one of the greatest saints of all time. Today we
celebrate the conversion of a man who was arrogant, pushy, stubborn, and
sometimes violent. His conversion is an encouraging sign that the mercy and
grace of Jesus can change the worst of sinners. Like all of us, Paul had
some character faults that took years for God to iron out. He was not always
a model of perfection. Rather, he was a real human being who developed from
self-love to love for Jesus. It may have taken a lifetime, but God remained
faithful. And Paul kept fighting, pressing on to become more like Jesus. God
will work in us if we keep turning back to him. We can all be transformed
just as powerfully as Paul was.
Jesus
how great is your mercy to sinners!
We
are grateful that you bring about conversion and
deep
transformation by your Holy Spirit.
Thursday, January 26
“For this reason, I remind you to stir into flame the gift of
God that you have through the imposition of my hands.”
(Read 2
Timothy 1:1-8)
Paul told Timothy – a somewhat
timid apostle – to fan the flame of the Spirit within him so that he could
be more effective in leading the church in Ephesus. Yet Paul’s command was
not only for this one man in a particularly challenging situation. These
words apply just as much to us, whatever our situations! After all, the same
Spirit that raised Christ from the dead – the same Spirit that empowered
Timothy – lives in us as well!
Why should we fan the flame of
the Spirit? Because God wants us to make a difference in this world, and he
knows that we cannot do this on our own strength. Only Christ in us, the
hope of glory, can empower us to build the kingdom of God. We must step out
in faith, learning to rely on the Spiritual gifts Jesus has given us. How
can we actually “fan the flame”? If we begin by following Jesus in the small
things, not only will our faith grow but so will our experience of God’s
power.
Like the rest of us, Timothy
and Titus had their own strengths and weaknesses. But over time, as they
cooperated with the Holy Spirit, they both saw God work wonders in them and
through them.
Lord, thank
you for the gift of your Spirit.
Friday January
27
“This is how it is with the Kingdom of God;
it is as if a man were to scatter seed on the land
and would sleep and rise night and day
and the seed would sprout and grow,
he knows not how.”
(Read
Mark
4:26–34)
By speaking in
parables, Jesus used simple images to convey deep truths about the kingdom
of God. God’s kingdom starts from the smallest beginnings in the hearts of
men and women who receive God’s word and works unseen, bringing a
transformation from within. Just as a seed has no power to change itself
until it is planted in the ground, so we cannot change our lives to become
like Jesus until we surrender our lives to Christ and ask for the power of
the Holy Spirit. But when the seeds of God’s word do germinate and grow, the
result is tremendous. Let the Holy Spirit show us how we can be sowers of
God’s word.
Holy Spirit,
open our eyes to the transforming power of your word. Guide us in
sharing the good news of Jesus with
those we meet.
Saturday
January 28
They woke him and said to him,
"Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?"
He woke up, rebuked the wind,
and said to the sea, “Quiet! Be still!”
(Read Mark 4:35–41)
When storms
confront us in our lives and we are in the midst of them, we are naturally
overwhelmed. Like the disciples, we may forget that Jesus is still with us
in the boat. We feel abandoned by God. But the truth is that Jesus is never
unaware of what we are going through. He is always with us and always cares
deeply for us. When we cry out to him, we can see that he is closer to us in
the storms than any other time. He will always speak peace to our hearts.
Lord Jesus
help us to look up and see you looking at us with love. Raise us up so we
can keep our eyes on you.
Sunday January
30
“ ‘He commands even the unclean spirits and they obey him.’
His fame spread everywhere throughout the whole region of Galilee.”
(Read Mark 1:21–28)
Satan seems so
powerful and fearsome! Yet as powerful as he is, the devil is still a
created being, finite in his power and limited in his abilities. Ultimately,
he cannot defeat God’s love or his plans for his kingdom. He and his demons
are real. We need to believe this, even as we trust that God, in his mercy,
will gently and powerfully guide us and all human history…until Jesus comes
in Glory.
Lord Jesus,
deliver everyone who is under
the oppression of the devil!
(Reflections for this week are by Theresa McLean,
Lay Minister, St Benedict's Parish, La Romaine)
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