I hope I never tire of being reminded at the closeness of God’s presence to us. And I hope that some good day, I will not need to be reminded, but find that presence in all its infinite manifestations. Today’s reminder comes from Ralph Waldo Emerson.
Never lose an opportunity of seeing anything that is beautiful; for beauty is God’s handwriting – a wayside sacrament. Welcome it in every fair face, in every fair sky, in every fair flower, and thank God for it as a cup of blessing.
Friday’s Responsorial Psalm from Psalm 19 reminds us:
The heavens declare the glory of God;
and the firmament proclaims God’s handiwork.
Day pours out the word to day,
and night to night imparts knowledge.
And when we lift our eyes, we see nature, in all its glory, reminding us
On those days when we are face to face with our own failures – when we feel weak and defeated – we can take heart and reflect on these words from Friday’s reading is from 1 Corinthians 15:
“By the grace of God I am what I am; God’s grace to me has not been ineffective.”
These are the words of a man, the apostle Paul, who saw his failing and who had to reconcile with his intolerant and murderous past. These are the words of a man who saw God working through his weaknesses. So we, like him, need to be patient; it is not always clear to us what God is about.
May each of us also be able to look beyond our failures and near-misses, and see God at work.
Wednesday’s first reading is from a favorite passage for many:
1 Corinthians 12.
“Love is patient,
love is kind. It is not jealous,
love is not pompous, it is not inflated,
it is not rude, it does not seek its own interests, it is not quick-tempered,
it does not brood over injury, it does not rejoice over wrongdoing but rejoices with the truth. It bears all things,
believes all things, hopes all things,
endures all things.
If you can just appreciate each thing, one by one, then you will have pure gratitude. Even though you observe just one flower, that one flower includes everything.
Tuesday’s Responsorial Psalm is from Psalm 119 – a Prayer for Guidance.
Wednesday’s first reading is from a favorite passage for many:
OPreach 