Zeynel Cebeci
A male house sparrow (Passer domesticus’) at Eskibaraj Dam Lake, Adana – Turkey.
7 November 2018
Jesus said to the Twelve: “Fear no one.” Matthew 10:26
Today I will open my heart to God’s love. I will ask for the grace to love as God loves. I will ask God to fill me with love, peace, compassion, and joy.
Love heals fear. Today I will choose love over fear.
JESUS MAFA. Jesus multiplies the loaves and fish, from Art in the Christian Tradition, a project of the Vanderbilt Divinity Library, Nashville, TN. [retrieved June 14, 2020]. Original source: http://www.librairie-emmanuel.fr
“Do not forget the LORD, your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, that place of slavery; who guided you through the vast and terrible desert with its saraph serpents and scorpions, its parched and waterless ground; who brought forth water for you from the flinty rock and fed you in the desert with manna, a food unknown to your fathers.” Deuteronomy 8:14b-16a
It is God who leads me through and out of the dark, arid, despairing times. The kindness of people who listen to me, encourage me, and feed me with their love and compassion are God-reminders of Who is in charge.
Retable de la Trinité. Musée d’art Hyacinthe Rigaud, Perpignan (1489)
Brothers and sisters, rejoice. Mend your ways, encourage one another, agree with one another, live in peace, and the God of love and peace will be with you. 2 Corinthians 13:11
To serve the cause of justice, I must be aware of God’s presence and ask God to show me the next right action. I must be grounded in love of my neighbor and ask the Lord to give me the courage to love unconditionally. I must empty myself of self-serving justification and ask the Holy Spirit to fill me with love and peace.
Set of thirteen select slides of shepherd life, illustrating the Twenty Third Psalm. “He restoreth my soul”
The Lord is my shepherd; there is nothing I shall want. Psalm 23:1
God is in charge. As I listen to the voice of the Good Shepherd, I know that everything I need shall be provided.
De maaltijd te Emmaüs, Jacobus Buys, naar Rembrandt van Rijn, 1765
Amsterdam, Rijksmuseum
I set the LORD ever before me; with him at my right hand I shall not be disturbed. Psalm 16:8
God is present at all times. God is in illness and loneliness, in sorrow and suffering — in the wounds of the human condition and in the silence of healing.
Today I will practice the presence of God in ordinary events and in the people I encounter.
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Caravaggio (1571-1610)
The Incredulity of Saint Thomas
oil on canvas, from 1601 until 1602
Sanssouci Picture Gallery
Jesus came and stood in their midst and said to them, “Peace be with you.” John 20:19
Peace in this time of uncertainty. Peace in our hearts. Peace in our words. Peace in our actions.
Breathe peace.
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Icon of the Resurrection
This is the day the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad.
Psalm 118:24
Today is a gift from God. May I open my eyes, ears, and heart to find reasons to rejoice and be glad in it.
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Jesus Before Pilate, James Tissot (1836-1902)
First Interview (Jésus devant Pilate. Premier entretien).
gouache over graphite on gray wove paper
between 1886 and 1894
Brooklyn Museum
[Jesus] humbled himself, becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. Philippians 2:8
In all times God walks with us through fear, pain, uncertainty, sorrow, and grief. Our part is to trust God’s will, trust God’s vision, trust God’s love, trust God is with us.
Today I will accept that this is a time of illness and isolation. I will ask God to show me God’s will for me and for the grace to carry it out.
The Raising of Lazarus (after Rembrandt)
Vincent van Gogh (1853 – 1890), Saint-Rémy-de-Provence, May 1890
oil on paper, 50 cm x 65.5 cm
Van Gogh Museum, Amsterdam (Vincent van Gogh Foundation)
When Jesus arrived, he found that Lazarus had already been in the tomb for four days. Now Bethany was near Jerusalem, only about two miles away. And many of the Jews had come to Martha and Mary to comfort them about their brother. John 11:17-19
There is a tremendous sorrow in our world right now. We need each other’s love and compassion. We need to comfort one another.
Today I will offer comfort to someone in need.
American Colony (Jerusalem). Photo Department, photographer
Set of thirteen select slides of shepherd life, illustrating the Twenty Third Psalm. “He maketh me to lie down in green pastures”
The Lord is my shepherd; there is nothing I shall want. Psalm 23:1
May my heart reflect and bless the world with the goodness and love that is my birthright.
May I live as a child of the Light and produce every kind of goodness and love.
May the Lord open my eyes that I may see goodness and love in everyone I encounter.
