Monday, July 7, 2014 Virtual Retreat Monday of the Fourteenth Week in Ordinary Time Reflections following the Daily Liturgical cycle Retreat Master: Deacon John Ruscheinsky Saint of the Day Hos 2:16, 17c-18, 21-2; Ps 145:2-3, 4-5, 6-7, 8-9; Mt 9:18-26 THE DEPTH AND INTENSITY OF LOVE We can never fully appreciate the depth and intensity of Gods love for us. This is because all we can do to try to grasp Gods love is to compare His love with what we already know about love from human experience, and that experience can never match the reality of Gods love for us, for He is a lavish giver! In the first reading, the prophet Hosea implies that Gods love is like that of a husband and wife. We hear God say to His people, I will espouse you to me forever (Hos 2: 21). But we know that even the most ideal human marriage is imperfect. In Gods love there is simply no imperfection. I would recommend for your reading pleasure, if you havent already reflected upon it, Pope Emeritus, Benedicts XVIs first encyclical, Deus Caritas Est (God is Love), given to the world on December 25, 2005. This encyclical talks about Eros, differences of human love, and Agape, Gods love that brings us unity. We observe Gods love through the actions of Jesus Christ, who is God in the flesh. Today in the Gospel, we see Jesus concern for the synagogue leader whose daughter had died. In contrast, the woman with the hemorrhage was really an unknown in society, as compared with the leader of the synagogue. Yet, Jesus showed just as much concern for her and was unwilling to ignore her. Jesus loves all people, from CEOs to those who are cleaning toilets. Jesus appreciates human life in its joys and sorrows, if theyre critical ones, like the death of the little girl, and less serious ones, like the illness of the woman. In the Responsorial Psalm we acclaimed, The Lord is gracious and merciful (Ps 145:8). Jean Vanier, founder of LArche International, wrote, In the heart of each one of us we have this longing for something over and above our immediate reality. This longing for peace is very deep in the hearts of each one of us. We love truth. We want truth. We want justice. It is something that unites all human beings and can bring us together. This access to God, this possibility of being in relationship to God, links us all together. All things were made through God. The Word became flesh. God is forgiveness. God is mercy; we dont have to be frightened of God. God knows our brokenness, God knows how vulnerable we are, and God knows also the fear and violence that are within us. But He is inviting us to go deeper...Jesus says to us, Im with you. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- If for any reason you do not receive your daily retreat, please go to ihrc.net to read it.
Posted on: Mon, 07 Jul 2014 11:43:36 +0000
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