John 21:1-19
It only takes a moment to recognize the Lord. May I keep my eyes, ears, and heart open to realize he is here and I am with him.
Jesus said to them, “Come, have breakfast.” And none of the disciples dared to ask him, “Who are you?” because they realized it was the Lord. John 21:12
Caravaggio (1571-1610)
Doubting Thomas
oil on canvas, ca.1601-1602
Potsdam, Sanssouci
I am called by faith to investigate my wounds—betrayal, shame, illness, fear, grief, depression—and find therein the Risen Jesus. And I am also called by faith to honor the wounds of others and find therein the Risen Jesus.
Today I will find peace in the presence of the Risen Jesus despite the many wounds of the human family.
Jesus came, although the doors were locked, and stood in their midst and said, “Peace be with you.”
Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here and see my hands, and bring your hand and put it into my side, and do not be unbelieving, but believe.”
John 20:26a-27
Rembrandt (1606-1669)
Christ Resurrected
Oil on canvas, 1661
Munich, Alte Pinakothek
Like Mary, I am going in search of Jesus. The path is sometimes dark with pain and sorrow, uncertainty and discouragement, suffering and anxiety. What I bring with me—hope, love, faith, compassion, kindness, respect, forgiveness, peace—is what I am searching for. I follow the way, even in darkness, to find the Way.
On the first day of the week, Mary of Magdala came to the tomb early in the morning, while it was still dark, and saw the stone removed from the tomb. John 20:1
Rembrandt (1606-1669)
The Three Crosses (third state)
drypoint and burin on paper (III/IV), 1653
Amsterdam, Rijksmuseum
Today I pray for the grace to be emptied of arrogance, fear, and self-seeking, and to be filled with humility, love, and generosity to those in need.
Christ Jesus, though he was in the form of God, did not regard equality with God something to be grasped. Rather, he emptied himself. Phillipians 2:6-7a
James Tissot (1836-1902)
La femme adultère seule avec Jésus
opaque watercolor over graphite on gray wove paper, between 1886 and 1894
Brooklyn Museum
How vulnerable I will feel to stand alone with Jesus and face the truth of how I have hurt and betrayed others.
How amazed I will feel to know he does not condemn me for my wrongdoings. How I hope I will have the courage to accept responsibility for my actions.
How I pray for the humility to ask for God’s grace to change the way I treat my family, friends, colleagues, strangers, the poor, the elderly, the sick, the needy.
How unburdened I will feel to experience the mercy of the Lord. How I trust I will extend that mercy to others.
Then Jesus said, “Neither do I condemn you. Go, and from now on do not sin any more.” John 8:11b
Düsseldorf, Germany. Catholic church St. Lambertus, main portal with bronze door created by Ewald Mataré. Detail: Return of the prodigal son.
Photo by Beckstet, 2010
I may identify with either the prodigal son or his resentful older brother, but in this parable Jesus is calling me to be like the compassionate father.
How ready am I to forgive? To let go of resentment? To welcome the lost? To be a peacemaker? To show compassion to those who are poor, ill, or different from me in culture, ways of thinking, acting, being?
Today I will choose compassion over indifference and acceptance over judgment.
While [the younger son] was still a long way off,
his father caught sight of him, and was filled with compassion. Luke 15:20b
James Tissot (1836-1902)
Le vigneron et le figuier
opaque watercolor over graphite on gray wove paper, between 1886 and 1894
Brooklyn Museum
Rooting ourselves in prayer, meditation on God’s Word, and conscious awareness of God’s presence in each moment and in all of creation, we allow God, the Master Gardener, to cultivate our hearts and minds to bear the fruits of peace, joy, forgiveness, compassion, justice, acceptance, and love.
[Jesus told them this parable:] “[The gardener] said to him in reply, ‘Sir, leave it for this year also, and I shall cultivate the ground around it and fertilize it; it may bear fruit in the future. If not you can cut it down.’” Luke 13:8-9
Икона, Преображение Господне, 15 в. Новгород
Icon, Transfiguration of the Lord, 15th c., Novgorod
Prayer transforms, bedazzles, transfigures, inspires, transfixes, awes. May I climb the mountain of prayer today in the company of Jesus and listen to what he has to say.
Jesus took Peter, John, and James and went up the mountain to pray. While he was praying his face changed in appearance and his clothing became dazzling white. Luke 9:28b-29
William Hole (1846-1917)
Temptation of Jesus in the desert
Watercolor, ca.1900-1908
The desert of inner exploration is a lonely place. It tends to be dry and tiring, and it seems endless. At times I come upon an oasis where I am refreshed and renewed to continue the journey. At times I am accosted by demons of self-hatred, greed, and despair. At times I am befriended by a ministering angel who reminds me I am not alone in my loneliness, that God is always with me.
Let me give thanks for the opportunity to be in this empty place where only God’s love can fill me. Let me trust that the Holy Spirit has led me here.
Filled with the Holy Spirit, Jesus returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit into the desert for forty days, to be tempted by the devil. Luke 4:1-2
Today I will put my attention boat a little distance from the shore of everyday tasks, obligations, and responsibilities, and invite Jesus to sit down with me. I will ask him to teach me his way and I will listen to his word.
Getting into one of the boats, the one belonging to Simon, [Jesus] asked him to put out a short distance from the shore. Then he sat down and taught the crowds from the boat. Luke 5:3
Mary Ann McSweeny 