Saint Teresa of Avila … a stained-glass window by Phyllis Burke in Saint Teresa’s Carmelite Church, Clarendon Street, Dublin (Photograph: Patrick Comerford)
Patrick Comerford
The countdown to Lent continues, and today is the Third Sunday before Lent. Later this morning I am preaching at the Parish Eucharist in Castletown Church, Co Limerick (9:30) and preaching at Morning Prayer in Holy Trinity Church, Rathkeale (11:30).
But, before this busy day begins, I am taking some time early this morning for prayer, reflection and reading.
The Church Calendar is now in Ordinary Time until Ash Wednesday, 2 March 2022. During this month in Ordinary Time, I hope to continue this Prayer Diary on my blog each morning, reflecting in these ways:
1, Short reflections drawing on the writings of a great saint or spiritual writer;
2, the day’s Gospel reading;
3, a prayer from the USPG prayer diary.
At present, I am exploring the writings of the great Carmelite mystic, Saint Teresa of Avila (1515-1582), so my quotations over these few days are from her writings:
‘The surest way to determine whether one possesses the love of God is to see whether he or she loves his or her neighbour. These two loves are never separated. Rest assured, the more you progress in love of neighbour the more your love of God will increase.’
Luke 6: 17-26 (NRSVA):
17 He came down with them and stood on a level place, with a great crowd of his disciples and a great multitude of people from all Judea, Jerusalem, and the coast of Tyre and Sidon. 18 They had come to hear him and to be healed of their diseases; and those who were troubled with unclean spirits were cured. 19 And all in the crowd were trying to touch him, for power came out from him and healed all of them.
20 Then he looked up at his disciples and said:
‘Blessed are you who are poor,
for yours is the kingdom of God.
21 ‘Blessed are you who are hungry now,
for you will be filled.
‘Blessed are you who weep now,
for you will laugh.
22 ‘Blessed are you when people hate you, and when they exclude you, revile you, and defame you on account of the Son of Man. 23 Rejoice on that day and leap for joy, for surely your reward is great in heaven; for that is what their ancestors did to the prophets.
24 ‘But woe to you who are rich,
for you have received your consolation.
25 ‘Woe to you who are full now,
for you will be hungry.
‘Woe to you who are laughing now,
for you will mourn and weep.
26 ‘Woe to you when all speak well of you, for that is what their ancestors did to the false prophets.’
The Prayer in the USPG Prayer Diary today (13 February 2022) invites us to pray:
Redeemer God,
may we share your blessings
with the marginalised,
the disenfranchised and the oppressed.
Yesterday’s reflection
Continued tomorrow
Scripture quotations are from the New Revised Standard Version Bible: Anglicised Edition copyright © 1989, 1995, National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide. http://nrsvbibles.org
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