Being the feastday of St Matthew today, and all the ways that his Gospel, and conversion to leave all and follow Christ, has brought almost an entire world for centuries and centuries to Christ! "We who take access to words for granted should pause to be grateful to those who perserved the Gospel words (with the obvious help of the Holy Spirit) so carefully and spread then to the utmost bounds of the world without benefit of the printing press or instantaneous media." See http://www.magnificat.com/
Pondering the true miracle of the Gospels.... that we so take for granted in our lives, and our churches, and our homes... How often do we hear the words, and know that the Holy Spirit is speaking to our hearts and souls? So many times, when John was on his cancer/healing journey, would we be praying together and read the Gospel for the next day... I would exclaim with wonder at the way the words would be there just for us! I am remembering the day that it was the reading of St John the Baptist on his feastday, while we had just arrived in Sioux Falls with news that John had a tumor in his brain! Two days before we thought that he had double vision from an old eye injury that had flared up... now we are told that he could have lymphoma cancer in his brain! To cry together as we read the Gospel about the birth of John the Baptist to his mother, who was old and without children... the miracle of the mother-son bond given to them was so touching and we wept together... How we needed those tears then, and how we needed to be reminded that God was in total control of this most horrifying of situations! I must insert the Community of the Lamb today! They have taught us how to truly give the Gospel... the place that it should have in each day of our lives! Today as I was thinking about the gift of St Matthew, and his Gospel... I just wanted to use the words to make a statement that would in some way express the way that I feel about these God inspired words that have touched and will continue to touch my life daily for my entire life!
God's
Outreaching
Spectacularly
Perfect
Eternal
LivingWord
I like the way that it turned out! I think that it expresses how the Gospel is total Truth, and total Wisdom, and totally inspired by the Holy Spirit. My life would be without LIFE without the Word of God in part of every day! Within the Community of the Lamb - they begin the evening before by reading The Gospel for the next day, and they chant each line and read each line nunerous times as they take it in and ponder prayerfully the Word of God! The Spirit can speak to their hearts in such a powerful way! Pat and I don't go to quite this extreme, but we do read it the night before and I find myself getting very excited to hear what it will be!
How I love His Word, and how I am blessed by coming to a deeper place of honor for how it is so important in my life, and how amazing to realize that throughout the entire world - every Catholic Church from tiny ones in Africa of South America to St Peters... the exact same readings are being pondered and read at mass! The Holy Spirit is reaching out to the entire Catholic world and planting the seeds of LIFE and LOVE!
Lord, I am so moved today at the wonder of your Word... the Gospels that bring us to YOU and YOUR MERCY and LOVE and TRUTH! God's Outreaching Spectacularly Perfect Eternal LivingWORD! Christ comes to me and speaks to me each and every day... when I am empty and in need...I am fed and healed and comforted! Thank you for the GIFT of your GOSPEL! Jesus, we trust in you! Amen and Halelluia!
"I do not believe in God by forcing myself to believe in him. I meet him, that is all I can say. When the 'I' is not there, he is: it is simple, as day-to-day, as evident as that.... One must have the experience of God. The one who has had that experience feels transformed. That person knows what life is all about, the true one, the eternal life. He knows that God is the life of life and that, if we do not have an encounter with him, the life of today will be hollow and empty.... When we are within this space, and insofar as we remain fixed in it, then everything becomes true, real, and action is a radiance a power. We are immersed in truth, the total truth..."
Fr Zundel (1975) reflects on "Matthew's encounter with Christ"
St Matthew, pray for us!
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