Daily Retreat 06/08/09
2009 Jun 8 Mon:Ordinary Weekday (Tenth Week in Ordinary Time)
2 Cor 1:1-7/ Ps 33(34):2-3. 4-5. 6-7. 8-9/ Mt 5:1-12
From today’s readings: “We know that as you share in the sufferings, you also share in the encouragement.... Taste and see the goodness of the Lord.... Blessed are the pure of heart, for they will see God...”
The God of All Encouragement
For the next two weeks, the first reading will primarily be covering Paul’s Second Letter to the Corinthians. Incidentally, you may have also noted that the daily Gospel selection has also shifted from the last chapters of Mark to Chapter Five of Matthew, the beginning of the Lord’s Sermon on the Mount.
Obviously, for all of us, life involves hardships. Tragically, when things are going well and during times of prosperity, people in general think of God less and don’t turn to Him as frequently. In contrast, during hard times and life’s tribulations, men and women are more inclined to recognize their need for God and thus turn to Him in prayer.
A good portion of the entire Bible is dedicated to the comforting message that God is there to provide strength, consolation, and encouragement in our times of need. The paradoxical Beatitudes trumpet this certainty, and Paul’s Second Letter to the Corinthians begins by spelling out the link between Christ’s suffering and the encouragement that brings.
Paul also insists that we who have been blessed with God’s encouragement and comfort then have the duty to share this with others: “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all encouragement, who encourages us in our every affliction, so that we may be able to encourage those who are in any affliction with the encouragement with which we ourselves are encouraged by God!”
So, in whatever affliction or trouble you find yourself, turn to the God of all encouragement, and as you receive His comfort and encouragement, then be sure to pass it on!
2 Cor 1:1-7/ Ps 33(34):2-3. 4-5. 6-7. 8-9/ Mt 5:1-12
From today’s readings: “We know that as you share in the sufferings, you also share in the encouragement.... Taste and see the goodness of the Lord.... Blessed are the pure of heart, for they will see God...”
The God of All Encouragement
For the next two weeks, the first reading will primarily be covering Paul’s Second Letter to the Corinthians. Incidentally, you may have also noted that the daily Gospel selection has also shifted from the last chapters of Mark to Chapter Five of Matthew, the beginning of the Lord’s Sermon on the Mount.
Obviously, for all of us, life involves hardships. Tragically, when things are going well and during times of prosperity, people in general think of God less and don’t turn to Him as frequently. In contrast, during hard times and life’s tribulations, men and women are more inclined to recognize their need for God and thus turn to Him in prayer.
A good portion of the entire Bible is dedicated to the comforting message that God is there to provide strength, consolation, and encouragement in our times of need. The paradoxical Beatitudes trumpet this certainty, and Paul’s Second Letter to the Corinthians begins by spelling out the link between Christ’s suffering and the encouragement that brings.
Paul also insists that we who have been blessed with God’s encouragement and comfort then have the duty to share this with others: “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all encouragement, who encourages us in our every affliction, so that we may be able to encourage those who are in any affliction with the encouragement with which we ourselves are encouraged by God!”
So, in whatever affliction or trouble you find yourself, turn to the God of all encouragement, and as you receive His comfort and encouragement, then be sure to pass it on!
posted by FrPitstick | 6/05/2009
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