Philippians. Coming to terms with your Mortality
Devotion by Graeme Harrison)
PRAYER:
Lift up our souls, O, Lord,
above the weary round of harassing thoughts,
to your eternal presence.
Lift up our minds
to the pure, bright, serene atmosphere of your presence,
that we may breathe freely,
and rest here in your love.
From there, surrounded by your peace,
may we return to do or to bear whatever shall best please you,
O, blesse, Lord
Edward Pusey (1800-1882)
Read:
Philippians 1:18b-26 Read this 3 times, each time asking God’s help and thinking about those words or phrases that leap out at you.
Yes, and I will continue to rejoice, 19 for I know that through your prayers and God’s provision of the Spirit of Jesus Christ what has happened to me will turn out for my deliverance.
20 I eagerly expect and hope that I will in no way be ashamed, but will have sufficient courage so that now as always Christ will be exalted in my body, whether by life or by death. 21 For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain.
22 If I am to go on living in the body, this will mean fruitful labour for me. Yet what shall I choose? I do not know!
23 I am torn between the two: I desire to depart and be with Christ, which is better by far;
24 but it is more necessary for you that I remain in the body.
25 Convinced of this, I know that I will remain, and I will continue with all of you for your progress and joy in the faith,
26 so that through my being with you again your boasting in Christ Jesus will abound on account of me.
(Philippians 1:18b-26 NIV)
Thought for the Day:
Paul is in Caesar’s prison in Rome awaiting trial. He could be executed or exonerated. Death is now one of the futures that awaits him. He has some anxiety as he hopes he won’t embarrass himself but will be courageous in the face of a possible public execution. In his musings about what awaits him he acts as if he has some choice about it in v22 but I expect his only choice is about whether he mounts a good defence in court.
But his thinking shows that there is some benefit in dwelling on your own mortality. He realises that there are people worth living for who he loves very much. He also realises that there is a Lord who loves him very much and who he will see face to face on the other side of death. So death loses its sting.
We are a death denying society and sometimes you and I have that attitude too. But Paul shows us that there is much to be gained by sometimes reminding ourselves of our mortality. It resulted in life being more focussed on what matters, and death losing its sting.
Will you allow yourself some space to think? Or talk it through with someone you trust?
Photo by Aron Visuals on Unsplash
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Christ is Risen. He is Risen Indeed.
Christ is Risen! He is Risen indeed!
With the joy of Resurrection still glowing brightly, we enter into the sacred Easter time which leads us all the way to Pentecost.
During this time, we will focus on “Practising Resurrection”, a series of sermons that invites us to recognise Jesus and respond with trust and commitment.
For this series, we follow the lead of an old joyous German tradition that allocates themes to the Sundays of Easter. Each Sunday has its own (Latin) name:
2nd Sunday of Easter: quasimodo geniti “Like the newborn children” (1 Peter 2:2)
3rd Sunday of Easter: misericordia domini “The earth is filled with the lovingkindness of God”
4th Sunday of Easter: jubilate “Rejoice!” (Psalm 89:2)
5th Sunday of Easter: cantate “Sing!” (Psalm 98)
6th Sunday of Easter: rogate “Pray!” (Psalm 66:20)
7th Sunday of Easter: exaudi ”Hear me, Lord!” (Psalm 27)
Many churches use the colours white or gold in decorations or clothing to symbolise Joy, glory and light. A beautiful way for us, as people of faith, to witness to Jesus’ Resurrection!
How do you want to practise resurrection?
May this time of celebration be filled with goodness, trust, creativity and renewed commitment to God.
Ellen Grabner | Minister
Lord, Let me be a Mary
Lord, let me be a Mary.
Not Martha’s sister, who sat at your feet, although I find most days I’d much rather be there than in the kitchen.
Mary has chosen the best part; it will not be taken away from her. (Luke 10:42)
Not the mother of our Lord, whose greatest honour brought forth her greatest suffering.
A sword pierced her own soul just as Simeon prophesied. (Luke 2:35)
Let me be a Mary Magdalene, forever and always the first eyewitness to see an empty tomb.
Early on Sunday morning, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene came to the tomb and found that the stone had been rolled away from the entrance. (John 20:1)
Let this news move my feet. Every Resurrection Sunday, from sunrise to sunset let me proclaim your holy name to those who deny you and those whom you call beloved.
He isn't here! He is risen from the dead, just as he said would happen. (Matthew 28:6)
And in our private moments of intimacy, let me recognize your voice the instant you say my name.
“Mary!” Jesus said. She turned to him and cried out, “Rabboni!” (which is Hebrew for “Teacher”). (John 20:16)
Let me remember the desperate times in my past only so much as they show me my very real need for you.
For only in our great need do we come to appreciate a Resurrection Sunday.
After Jesus rose from the dead early on Sunday morning, the first person who saw him was Mary Magdalene, the woman from whom he had cast out seven demons. (Mark 16:9)
By: Traci Rhoades
Ref: Lord, Let Me Be A Mary - A Poem (Traces Of Faith {Traci Rhoades})
The Resurrection Brings Joy
Three significant truths rooted in the Resurrection open a window and highlight some of the reasons for our joy.
First, the Resurrection is a proclamation that Jesus is alive and present with us. In the Resurrection appearances, the disciples experienced Jesus in their midst. The same Jesus who had walked with them now again touched their lives and spoke and ate with them. But Jesus was radically changed. Clearly, Jesus had not simply come back to life like Lazarus did. Jesus now lived the glorious life beyond death, but he was again with them. The Resurrection proclaims that Jesus is with us as well. Luke’s story of the Ascension is not a declaration of Jesus’ absence. Luke is announcing that Jesus is now present in every space and time. We encounter Jesus in the Scripture, in the sacraments, and in our brothers and sisters. As we recall the stories of the Resurrection appearances, Christ is once again with us, forgiving, feeding, and consoling.
Second, death has been conquered. Death opens the way to eternal life. Jesus gives witness to God’s faithfulness even in death. We need not be afraid of death since it is not the end, but the beginning of eternal life. Jesus’ Resurrection gives meaning to suffering and death as a way to salvation.
Third, Jesus’ Resurrection affirms the value of the human person and the world in which we live. Jesus was raised as a whole person—body and soul. Jesus did not take on human flesh and then discard it. Jesus retained his whole humanity. Along with the doctrines of the Incarnation and the Eucharist, the Resurrection assures us that God has identified with matter. God has embraced the human condition. A profound unity forever exists between God and the world, between spirit and matter. As Christians, we do not believe simply in the immortality of the soul. We believe in the immortality of the human person. Jesus’ Resurrection and ours speak of continuity between this life and the next. Jesus’ Resurrection also acknowledges the value of creation.
This world is a gift of an all-loving God. Our faith in the Resurrection assures us that everything of beauty and love and creativity lasts forever. The Resurrection is the foundation of a holistic view of the human person and an incarnational and sacramental view of life.
Jesus is with us, death has been destroyed, and human life and activity have lasting value. These are all reasons to rejoice.
Ref: Gerald M. Fagin, SJ
The Resurrection Brings Joy -
IgnatianSpirituality.com
From Putting on the Heart of Christ: How the Spiritual Exercises Invite Us to a Virtuous Life