I will not leave you orphans, says the Lord;
I go, but I will come back to you,
and your hearts will be full of joy. JN 14:18
ACTS 18:1-8 ©
My Soul's Beloved,
In every difficulty and every hardship, we will always find that the hand of God for You permit nothing to happen to us that is not for our good and for Your greater glory. Aquila and Priscilla who were expelled from Rome because they were Jews returned to their homeland and were privileged to know Paul and to lodge him in their home.
Paul worked at his trade of tentmaking to support himself so as not to be a burden to anyone even though he was doing the work You entrusted to him as Apostle to the Gentiles. However, he was always acutely aware that his mission was to preach and teach the Gospel, and this he did with fervor through his zeal, and passion many came to know You, and believe in You, and whole households were baptized.
We, on the other hand, are at best, lukewarm. Our efforts at evangelizing are ineffective because we lack the zeal to make You known and loved. Lord Jesus, grant us a fresh outpouring of Your Holy Spirit so our faith is stirred up anew and like St. Paul and others like him through the ages and to the present day are unafraid of those who can kill the body but can do nothing else. Rather, let us be afraid of not fulfilling the mission laid upon us at our baptism.
PSALM 97(98):1-4 ©
Sing a new song to the Lord
for he has worked wonders.
His right hand and his holy arm
have brought salvation.
The Lord has made known his salvation;
has shown his justice to the nations.
He has remembered his truth and love
for the house of Israel.
All the ends of the earth have seen
the salvation of our God.
Shout to the Lord, all the earth,
ring out your joy.
The Lord has shown his salvation to the nations.
JOHN 16:16-20 ©
My Soul's Beloved,
JOHN 16:16-20 ©
My Soul's Beloved,
There are many occasions in our life Lord when we allow our sorrows, our grief, and our crushing disappointments to so overwhelm us that we do not feel Your abiding Presence. I know that I have often allowed my troubles to create fear, anxiety, and doubt to build up in me and to bear down on me. A veil of darkness covers my soul and hides You from me. It is a separation of my own making Lord for I know that You never leave me, never abandon me, You are closer to me than my breath. But I am a poor, pitiful, weak creature.
Speaking to Your disciples You warn them that for a while they will be separated from You and will no longer see You as death will take You away from them. But it will be only for a short while - they will see You again after Your resurrection and they will rejoice. They did not understand what You were saying, nor could they make any sense of it because You were telling them of things that were to happen a little later.
I do not always see the whole picture, and I become anxious and troubled, sad and despondent, and even a little discouraged. In moments like these Lord, please draw closer to me and keep Your arms wrapped around Me. Increase my faith, Lord, so I know that all things pass away but You O Lord and Your love endure forever.
‘I tell you most solemnly,
you will be weeping and wailing
while the world will rejoice;
you will be sorrowful,
but your sorrow will turn to joy.’
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