Faith Daily | 16 May 2022

PRAYER of the DAY - APBA p 512

Saving God,

who called your Church to witness

that you were in Christ reconciling the world to yourself:

help us so to proclaim the good news of your love,

that all who heart it may be reconciled to you;

through him who died for us and rose again

and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,

one God, now and for ever.

Amen

GOSPEL for the Day: John 14: 21-26

21They who have my commandments and keep them are those who love me; and those who love me will be loved by my Father, and I will love them and reveal myself to them.’ 22Judas (not Iscariot) said to him, ‘Lord, how is it that you will reveal yourself to us, and not to the world?’ 23Jesus answered him, ‘Those who love me will keep my word, and my Father will love them, and we will come to them and make our home with them. 24Whoever does not love me does not keep my words; and the word that you hear is not mine, but is from the Father who sent me.

25 ‘I have said these things to you while I am still with you. 26But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you everything, and remind you of all that I have said to you.

GOSPEL REFLECTION: Cathy Grant

About 12 years ago, a pair of barn swallows began nesting in our car port. They return every year, renovating last year’s nest and, a few short weeks later, bringing a new generation into the world. Then after a month, the nestlings and their parents fly off, to return again a year later. They must feel safe here despite our many comings and goings so close to their nest. I guess there’s trust between us, a mutual respect, and on my part, an admiration for the homing instinct that brings them back from wherever they’ve been year after year.

These little birds have me thinking about how often I fly off, testing my wings, pursuing new and different horizons, exploring and at times losing myself in the allure and adventure of the world. Because we love Him, we strive to keep his commandments, to do his will, strengthened and guided by the Advocate, the Holy Spirit. Yet, how often we catch ourselves far from the nest and needing to return to its shelter, security and nourishment.

“….and my Father will love them, and we will come to them and make our home with them.”

God always loves us, is with us, no matter how far we fly. We can always return to Him, trusting in his love, forgiveness and generosity. He abides in and with us, ever close, ever present. Thanks be to God.

FINAL PRAYER

In his poem “Glosa á lo Divino,” John of the Cross reveals his deep trust in the mystery of “not knowing,” confident that it will lead him into greater intimacy with God.

I would not sacrifice my soul for all the beauty of this world.

There is only one thing for which I would risk everything: an I-don’t-know-what that lies hidden in the heart of the Mystery.

The taste of finite pleasure leads nowhere. All it does is exhaust the appetite and ravage the palate. And so, I would not sacrifice my soul for all the sweetness of this world.

But I would risk everything for an I-don’t-know-what that lies hidden in the heart of the Mystery.

The generous heart does not collapse into the easy things, but rises up in adversity. It settles for nothing. Faith lifts it higher and higher.

Such a heart savors an I-don’t-know-what found only in the heart of the Mystery.

The soul that God has touched burns with love-longing. Her tastes have been transfigured. Ordinary pleasures sicken her. She is like a person with a fever; nothing tastes good anymore.

All she wants is an I-don’t-know-what locked in the heart of the Mystery. . . .

I will never lose myself for anything the senses can taste, nor for anything the mind can grasp, no matter how sublime, how delicious. I will not pause for beauty, I will not linger over grace. I am bound for an I-don’t-know-what deep within the heart of the Mystery.

—John of the Cross, Glosa á lo Divino, trans. Mirabai Starr