Magnificat

Mark Jesus has power over nature, sin and even death.  We must trust Jesus that he is in full control of any situation.  It is ultimately faith in him that will save us.  God will never abandon us regardless of our circumstances and sufferings.  The icon of the Mother of the perpetual succour. The perpetual succour is actually Jesus.  To find consolation and relief in God.  ...fled to your protection...have not left unaided. (From the Memorae)  Homily - Father Eugene Lee

2021 Wednesday 23 June (12th Wednesday of Ordinary Times)  Genesis 15.  Abram's faith and confidence in God were credited to him as righteousness.  We should resolve to live our lives like him.  It is that faith that will determine whether we will produce good fruits as seen in Matthew 15: You will know them by their fruits. Grapes are not gathered from thorn  bushes,  nor figs from thistles, are they? 

Today is the Feast Day of Saint Thomas More Grant me, O Lord, good digestion, and also something to digest. Grant me a healthy body, and the necessary good humor to maintain it. Grant me a simple soul that knows to treasure all that is good and that doesn't frighten easily at the sight of evil, but rather finds the means to put things back in their place. Give me a soul that knows not boredom, grumblings, sighs and laments, nor excess of stress, because of that obstructing thing called "I". Grant me, O Lord, a sense of good humor. Allow me the grace to be able to take a joke to discover in life a bit of joy, and to be able to share it with others. Amen.  - Saint Thomas More Let me love you, my Lord and my God, and see myself as I really am - a pilgrim in this world, a Christian called to respect and love all whose lives I touch, those in authority over me or those under my authority, my friends and my enemies. Help me to conquer anger with gentleness, greed by generosity,...

God calls us not to judge but to love, not to criticise but to encourage.  We do not know the circumstances and the background. We are to be charitable and understand that we too are frail and prone to sin. 

Isaiah 41:10  Do not be afraid for I am with you; stop being anxious and watchful, for I am your God. I give you strenght, I will bring you help, I uphold you with my victorious right hand. The power of faith links us to the Lord and not to fear. As baptized people, we are a new creation.

 Psalms 8  How great is your name, O lOrd our God,  through all the earth!  Your majesty is praised above the heavens;  on the lips of children and babes you have found praise to foil your enemy, to silence the foe and the rebel.  When I see the heavens, the work of your hands, the moon and the stars which you arranged, what is man that you should keep him in mind,  mortal man that you care for him?  Yet you have made him little less than a god; with glory and honour you crowned him, gave him power over the works of your hand,  put all things under his feet.  All of them, sheep and cattle,  yes, even the savage beast,  birds of the air and fish that make their way through the waters.  How great is your name, O Lord our God, through all the earth!  The response from us: Let us praise the God whose mystery fills the universe with wonder Blessed are you, O Lord our God; you created all things and pronounced them good:...

 Psalms 1:  Happy indeed is the man who follows not the counsel of the wicked: nor lingers in the way of sinners nor sits in the company of scorners, but whose delight is the law of the Lord and who ponders his law day and night.  He is like a tree that is planted beside the flowing waters,  that yields its fruit in due season and whose leaves shall never fade; and all that he does shall prosper.  (This stanza is an analogy of the previous one of what an obedient man of God is)  A passage about how God gave us a choice between life and death:  Ecclesiasticus 14:14-17  He Himself made in the beginning and then left him free to make his own decisions. If you wish, you can keep the commandments, to behave faithfully is within your power. He has set fire and water before you; put out your hand to whatever you prefer. Man has life and death before him; whichever a man likes better will be given him.  What is compassion?  Compassion is to take...

 Our weak effort seemingly small before the complexity of the problems of the world, when integrated with God's effort, fears no difficulty. The victory of the Lord is certain. This opens us up to trust and hope, despite the tragedies, the injustices, the sufferings that we encounter. When going as we do by faith and not by sight, the hidden depths of things become apparent.  Prayer: (Grace of God)  O God, the strength of those who hope in you,  graciously hear our pleas, and, since without you mortal frailty can do nothing, grant us always the help of your grace,  that in following your commands we may please you by our resolve and our deeds. Quote from the 2nd reading 2 Cor5:9-10 (Judgment)  For all the truth about us will be brought out in the law court of Christ and each of us will get what he deserves for the things he did in the body, good or bad.