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
_-_James_Tissot.jpg)
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
If one part suffers, all the parts suffer with it;
if one part is honored, all the parts share its joy.
1 Corinthians 12:26
Today let me remember that everyone carries the burden of grief and suffering. May I be comfort and compassion for others.
The Wedding at Cana
“Do whatever [Jesus] tells you.” John 2:5b
It’s so simple. Do what the Lord says to do. Love my neighbor as myself. Feed the hungry. Welcome the stranger. Visit the sick and imprisoned. Forgive those who hurt me. Do not be afraid.
Today I will remember Who is the One I follow.
We are called by our baptism to remember each member of our human family is beloved of God.
It is our lifework to offer compassion to the suffering, forgiveness to those who have hurt us, and comfort to those who are grieving and burdened with the stresses that arise in life.
Comfort, give comfort to my people, says your God. Isaiah 40:1
JESUS MAFA. The Three Wise Men, from Art in the Christian Tradition, a project of the Vanderbilt Divinity Library, Nashville, TN.
The star of the Christ leads me by the light of love, hope, compassion, and peace to reveal God’s goodness in me, my neighbor, and the world.
Other stars in our world attract me with the promise of riches, power, ease, and fame.
And then there are the dark stars that seduce me into depression, despair, and discontent.
I must choose with the wisdom of the magi the star I will follow.
And behold, the star that they had seen at its rising preceded them, until it came and stopped over the place where the child was. Matthew 2:9b
Holy Family
A worldwide human family that reflects love and harmony…
…is only possible if I open my heart today and treat myself and all people with compassion, kindness, gentleness, patience, and forgiveness. It is only possible when I stop comparing myself to others and follow the Way of unconditional love.
Put on, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, heartfelt compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience, bearing with one another and forgiving one another. Colossians 3:12-13a
Blessed are we who believe God so loved the world, he sent his only son to remind us that the whole human family is beloved of God.
Blessed are we who believe God’s holy Spirit dwells in each of us, that we share a spark of the divine in our being.
Blessed are we who believe we have been empowered to be God’s eyes, hands, and hearts to love and serve our neighbors.
“Blessed are you who believed that what was spoken to you by the Lord would be fulfilled.” Luke 1:45
Mary Ann McSweeny 