Blessed be the name of the Lord forever October 16

For freedom Christ set us free... (Gal 5:1)

He raises up the lowly from the dust; from the dunghill he lifts up the poor. (Psalm 113: 7)

…at the preaching of Jonah they repented, and there is something greater than Jonah here. (Luke 11:32)

Piety

Blessed be your name, Lord, blessed be your name. Keep before me this day, Lord, your presence and your might. Help me see in each minute of this day the opportunity to give thanks for your many gifts in the form of the people I meet, the majesty of creation and examples of human creativity that I see. Stay before my eyes, Lord so that I may rejoice in you.

Study

http://www.usccb.org/nab/101606.shtml

We are people born of a promise more than 3,000 years old and brought to fulfillment in Christ. Paul tells us that we are a free people, free of the rituals of Mosaic law but realizing and renewing the covenant God made with Abraham. There is a serious responsibility here. We are the heirs and children of the new covenant. We are responsible to recognize and honor that fulfillment just, Paul reminds the Galations, as they are.

And Jesus reminds his listeners that they are missing what is right in front of them. They do not need great signs and wonders – like the whale of Jonah. Jesus, himself, is the fulfillment of their spiritual heritage. His death and resurrection three days later is the real deal. We are children of that fulfillment. Can we be constantly aware of the salvation which is right in front of us, already delivered?

How difficult it is to accept and live in the promise of that salvation rather than live our own will. How difficult to always praise the God of the poor and lowly when we think we have the answers; when we must be right; when we are part of and place ourselves responsible to the institutions and ways of this world rather than in the will of God. How difficult to praise the God of the poor and lowly by loving the poor and lowly with our Christian action.

Action

Place your Cursillo cross into your pocket, at the top of your keyboard or hanging from your rearview mirror today. Each time it catches your eye, pause and Bless the name of the Lord. Say a prayer of thanks for God’s blessings. Say a prayer for the insistently annoying colleague in the next cubicle; or the family member from whom you are estranged; or the person who owes you some kind of debt; or the person who is so lonely, damaged, isolated, or angry that she/he is contemplating hurting someone in return.

DeColores

Beth DeCristofaro