Devotion August 27, 2024

Sunday Reflection (August 25, 2024)

 Sunday Reflection upon John 6:66-69

We all grapple with the challenge of obeying Christ, which humbles us and prevents us from feeling superior to others. We are tempted to follow Christ on our terms, veering away from his path.  Yet, despite our imperfections, we can take comfort in the fact that the Holy Spirit, the divine wisdom of God, continues to guide us on the path of Christ.

God’s forgiveness, healing, and restoration are not distant promises but ever-present realities. They are the tools that enable us to bring forgiveness, healing, and restoration to the world around us. We may not understand everything, but we can be sure that through time, our understanding will grow in the love and grace of God revealed in Jesus Christ.

Prayer for the Week (August 25, 2024-August 31, 2024)

Let us pray to God for the courage to be faithful to God: Faithful to God in the daily choices we make, give us the courage to opt always for the way of our example, Jesus Christ, our Lord.  Through the Holy Spirit, guide us on the difficult road we sometimes take without seeing where it will lead us.  Keep us from making half-hearted decisions when we do not have enough faith. Keep us always faithful through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

 (Claretian Publications, alt.)

                                  
  

                   
                                                                                         
               

                                   

                         

Sunday Sermon August 25, 2024

Devotion August 21, 2024

Devotion August 20, 2024

Prayer for the Week (August 18, 2024-August 24, 2024)

Let us pray to God who calls us to serve him:  Most holy God, we joyfully worship you in gladness and song – our response to your gracious activity in our lives.  You gather us together through the power and wisdom of your Holy Spirit and transform us into a community graced and held together by Jesus Christ, our Lord.  May you be glorified in and through all we do and say. Amen.      (Moira B. Laidlaw)

                                  
  

                   
                                                                                         
               

                                   

                         

Sunday Reflection (August 18, 2024)

Sunday Reflection upon Lady Wisdom

When we contemplate wisdom, our minds often gravitate toward the philosophical teachings of Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle. However, in the Biblical wisdom literature, wisdom transcends mere philosophy; it embodies divine wisdom through which God created the world. Proverbs personifies wisdom (Lady Wisdom) as God’s way of reaching out to us. With its divine nature, this wisdom does not favor the smartest, strongest, or most powerful. It beckons the simple, embracing all to bestow wisdom upon them. This call of wisdom is indeed the call of God, which embraces all, regardless of their worldly status or knowledge.   Paul tells us in 1 Corinthians (1:26-30) that Jesus became the wisdom of God for us. God displays wisdom through that which the world deems weak (consider a ‘crucified Messiah’).

As the wisdom of God, Jesus says, ‘Follow me.’ Lady Wisdom tells us in Proverbs 9:2: ‘Come, eat my bread and drink the wine I have mixed.’ The Lord has prepared a table before us, and on the first Sunday of each month, we prepare the ‘Lord’s Table,’ eat the bread, and drink the wine. We partake of the body and blood of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has become God’s wisdom for us. Wisdom beckons us to follow Christ. You could say the Holy Spirit she beckons us to follow Christ because ‘spirit’ in Hebrew is grammatically feminine. Holy Wisdom (‘sophia’) comes to us from the Holy Spirit, she who leads us in the way of Christ, providing us with constant guidance and reassurance.

Sunday Sermon August 18, 2024

Devotion August 14, 2024