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James Tissot (1836-1902)
La transfiguration
opaque watercolor over graphite on gray wove paper
between 1886 and 1894
Brooklyn Museum
Peter said to Jesus, “Master, it is good that we are here.” Luke 9:33b
Let me be aware of the loud, grace-filled silence of the Lord’s presence in every moment, every breath.
How good it is to be here.
Augustin Hirschvogel (1503-1553)
Temptation of Christ
When the devil had finished every temptation,
he departed from [Jesus] for a time. Luke 4:13
The demons are never done with us. They assault us without warning, especially when we are vulnerable from grief, illness, or emotional distress.
They also assault us when we are strengthening our relationship with the Lord. They don’t like us to be close to God.
Today I will remember I am always in the Presence of God and ask God for the courage to resist the temptation to be afraid, despairing, greedy, or indifferent.
When I intentionally practice love, compassion, respect, forgiveness, gratitude, and peace, those Christ-like qualities grow in my heart to feed me and others—even in times of loneliness, suffering, and conflict.
[Jesus said,] “A good person out of the store of goodness in his heart produces good.” Luke 6:45a
Resentment, fear, and the desire for retribution are heavy burdens. I would like to let them go, even though the pain of mistreatment goes deep.
Today I will hear and practice what the Lord asks of me: to love, bless, and pray for the people I consider my enemies and all those who have hurt me. Then may the burdens I carry be dissolved into the light of Love and Truth.
Jesus said to his disciples: “To you who hear I say, love your enemies, do good to those who hate you,
bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you.” Luke 6:28
Richard Dadd (British, 1817 – 1886)
Mercy: David Spareth Saul’s Life
oil on canvas, 1854
Getty Center
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James Tissot (1836-1902)
La sermon des béatitudes
opaque watercolor over graphite on gray wove paper
between 1886 and 1894
Brooklyn Museum of Art
Blessed are we who hope in the Lord even when we are lonely, discouraged, distressed, and afraid. We know there is no solution to our sorrows and burdens except in the Lord, and we put our trust in God.
Blessed are we who understand the nature of suffering. We extend comfort to others who suffer, and offer to walk with them as they move through the pain.
Blessed are we who refuse to make enemies. We know each human person is made in God’s image, and we practice looking deeply to find love and goodness in each other.
Blessed are they who hope in the Lord. Psalm 40:5
JESUS MAFA. Miraculous Catch, from Art in the Christian Tradition, a project of the Vanderbilt Divinity Library, Nashville, TN.
retrieved February 10, 2019
God has graced me with a unique personality and specific gifts and talents. Even when I do not see clearly how I am serving the Lord, I trust that my willingness to love God and my neighbor empowers me to use my gifts and talents to carry out God’s will for me each day .
But by the grace of God I am what I am,
and his grace to me has not been ineffective.
1 Corinthians 15:10
Without judgment, where does my love sit on the beautiful spectrum St. Paul describes? What can I do today to embody patience, kindness, generosity, forgiveness, truth, faith, hope, and endurance?
Love is patient, love is kind.
It is not jealous, it is not pompous,
It is not inflated, it is not rude,
it does not seek its own interests,
it is not quick-tempered, it does not brood over injury, it does not rejoice over wrongdoing but rejoices with the truth. It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. 1 Corinthians 13:4-7
