Monday, September 04, 2006

Grateful Memory of God's Graciousness

Remember the long way
that the Lord your God has led you

Key to the Jesuit/Ignatian charism is grateful memory for past graces. God is ever at work in our lives: sometimes this is as clear as day, sometimes it is not clear at all. Looking back at the road taken can remind us of God's grace at work in our lives. Take a moment to still the worries of the day and see the footprints God has left...

Remember the long way that the Lord your God has led you these forty years in the wilderness, in order to humble you, testing you to know what was in your heart, whether or not you would keep his commandments. He humbled you by letting you hunger, then by feeding you with manna, with which neither you nor your ancestors were acquainted, in order to make you understand that one does not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of the LORD.
Deuteronomy 8,2- 3

“There will be mountains
That I will have to climb
And there will be battles
That I will have to fight
But victory or defeat
It's up to me to decide
But how can I expect to win
If I never try

I just can't give up now
Come too far from where I started from
Nobody told me the road would be easy
And I don't believe he brought me this far to leave me

Never said there wouldn't be trials
Never said I wouldn't fall
Never said that everything would go the way I want it to go
But when my back is against the wall
And I feel all hope is gone
I'll just lift my head up to the sky
And say help me to be strong

Lyrics from Mary Mary “I just can't give up now"

Prayer:

Loving God, we thank you for your continuous presence to us throughout our lives. You have walked with us when it was easy and when it was difficult. You have sent us companions to share the journey. Gift us with new disciples: women and men on fire with great desires and generous hearts. We make this prayer through Christ, our Lord, Amen.