Unknown maker, Rembrandt Pupil, active 1650s
Christ and the Canaanite Woman, 1650
Pen and brown ink, brown wash, corrected with white gouache
J. Paul Getty Museum
Every day I have choices to make. I look to the Scriptures to decide what is right and just:
Love my neighbors, love my enemies.
Pray for those who persecute me.
Forgive those who hurt me.
Welcome strangers.
Feed the hungry.
Give shelter to the homeless.
Thus says the LORD: Observe what is right, do what is just. Isaiah 56:1a
Gustave Doré (1832-1883)
Jesus Walks on the Sea
between 1866 and 1870
When the winds of pain, stress, and anxiety blow strong, I tend to lose sight of love and goodness and sink into despair.
Today I will take time alone to pray. I will entrust my troubles to the Lord, and accept the healing of the Lord’s eternal patience, compassion, and presence.
[Jesus] went up on the mountain by himself to pray. When it was evening he was there alone. Matthew 14:23
Charles Cousen (1819-1889)
Engraving after R. Beavis
The heaviest part of today’s burden is not the migraine. It is the negative self-judgment. I am disappointed in my physical frailty and inability to do all that needs to be done.
But I can handle my most pressing need: to take time to partner with the One who is eager to give me rest. It is enough, it is more than enough, it is my calling to let the Lord teach me God’s care and compassion.
[Jesus said,] “Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened, and I will give you rest.” Matthew 11:28
Pieter Breugel the Elder (between 1526-1530 – 1569)
Caritas (Charity) – The Seven Acts of Mercy – Detail of the Feeding of the Hungry
pen in brown ink, 1559
Hungry.
For love. Compassion. Peace. Kindness. Generosity. Forgiveness. Understanding. Acceptance. Encouragement. Companionship. Hope. Meaning. Purpose. Rest.
Today I ask the One who is the bread of life to feed me. And I pray for the grace to share what I am freely given with everyone I encounter.
[Jesus said,] “Just as the living Father sent me and I have life because of the Father, so also the one who feeds on me will have life because of me. This is the bread that came down from heaven. Unlike your ancestors who ate and still died, whoever eats this bread will live forever.” John 6:57-58
Chris Cook, b.1962
Men of Galilee
Acrylic on canvas
Love, forgiveness, compassion, nonviolence, prayer, generosity, service to the poor… does my life witness teach others these commands of the Lord?
Today I will remember Jesus is with me and ask for the courage to embody his commands. I will look to others to be my teachers, too, so that I may become more skilled in the ways of the Lord.
Then Jesus approached and said to them, “…[teach] them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, until the end of the age.” Matthew 28:18a, 20a
Simone Cantarini, 1612-1648
Holy Trinity, 17th c.
Biblioteca Nacional do Brasil
God’s Holy Spirit lives and breathes with, in, and through us. We are in the Lord, the Lord is in us. We are dependent upon the Lord, and the Lord depends on us to be the eyes and ears and hands and hearts of God’s love and compassion in the world.
[Jesus said to his disciples,] “On that day you will realize that I am in my Father and you are in me and I in you.” John 14:20
Jacek Andrzej Rossakiewicz, 1956-2016
The Prayer of Jesus
oil on canvas, 1990
Faith to walk the way of peace and nonviolence and forgiveness.
Faith to be guided by the truth of our common humanity that demands generosity towards the poor and compassion for the suffering.
Faith to choose life with, in, and from the healing power of love.
Jesus said to his disciples: “Do not let your hearts be troubled. You have faith in God; have faith also in me.” John 14:1
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Margret Hofheinz-Döring, 1910-1994
Fußwaschung
Linolschnitt – Handabzug, 1932
Let me listen to God’s silence during this Holy Week.
Let me empty myself of worry, negativity, resentment, indifference, fear, and self-seeking.
Let me be filled with God’s love, peace, and compassion.
Christ Jesus, though he was in the form of God, did not regard equality with God something to be grasped. Rather, he emptied himself. Philippians 2:6-7a
Augustin Hirschvogel (1503-1553)
Temptation of Christ
When I am hungry, angry, tired, lonely, afraid, or in pain, I tend to be short on patience, compassion, and forbearance. I am tempted to snap at others, wallow in discouragement, and forget my call to treat all of God’s people with respect.
Jesus shows me how to turn temptation into contemplation of God’s Word, and to let God’s vision of love triumph over a moment’s satisfaction.
[Jesus] fasted for forty days and forty nights, and afterwards he was hungry. The tempter approached and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, command that these stones become loaves of bread.” Matthew 4:2-3
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Daniel Chodowiecki (1726 – 1801)
Betende Frau mit Rosenkranz, 1773
God has the power to heal the wounds and divisions in my life and in our world. Today I will collaborate with the Lord by praying for those I find difficult to love or respect, and those I fear or resent.
Jesus said to his disciples: “You have heard that it was said, You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy. But I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be children of your heavenly Father, for he makes his sun rise on the bad and the good, and causes rain to fall on the just and the unjust.” (Matthew 5: 43-45)
Mary Ann McSweeny 