Daily Office Readings for Monday of Holy Week: Year 2
Morning, Psalm 51:1-18(19-20); Evening, Psalm 69:1-23
Lamentations 1:1-2,6-12; 2 Corinthians. 1:1-7; Mark 11:12-25
“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and the God of all consolation, who consoles us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to console those who are in any affliction with the consolation with which we ourselves are consoled by God.” (2 Corinthians 1: 3 – 4)
When I read these biblical passages I always try to seek out the timeless messages, those passages that are still relevant for us today. Paul identifies God as “Father of mercies and the God of all consolation.” He goes on to say that as God consoles us, so we then are able to console others. This consolation that God blesses us with is truly a blessing. And just like God told Abram, “I will make you into a great nation, and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you:” (Genesis 12:2 and 3). So I see this divine consolation as God’s blessing that comes upon us and then we are to console others.
Consoling, that is, the listening to, and blessing of, the other, is so important today. We need to be spiritually present with our neighbors. A phone call, a text message, an email, any form of spiritual consolation we can do means a lot to someone suffering from loss of work, fearing sickness, stuck in their home and are at their wits end. Our neighbors need us and we need them, now more than ever.
God has blessed you with the blessing of consolation. Some of it is for you, be blessed and wear it like a new suit. But some of what God has given you is for you to give to someone else. See who God puts in your path or on your mind today and give them that consolation that God gave you for them.
Let us pray:
Oh Lord God, as you provide each of us with your divine consolation, remind us to also receive this same consolation from the people you put in our path, both on line or in line, wherever we encounter them. And also remind us to be generous in proving the same to others. In your Holy Name we pray: Amen.
Please keep up your thoughts and prayers and hopes for Ukraine and Russia, Israel and Palestine, and our schools including St. Augustine in Raleigh, North Carolina.
As we listen to what the Spirit of God is saying to us, let us live to love and serve, and to teach others to love and serve, while pondering anew what the Almighty can do. John
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