E&W 1-5-14

Sacred Story

Encouragements & Wisdom: January 5, 2014

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Encouragements and Wisdom: January 5, 2014 (PDF).

E & W reflections are additional helps for your Sacred Story prayer journey. Reflect on them at week’s beginning or outside of your 15-minute prayer periods.

The Affirmations

Christ, who has walked before me, shares my every burden.

 
Suffering, whether it is spiritual, psychological or physical is intensified when the one who suffers feels alone, as if no one else understands what they are experiencing. This terrible sense of isolation and the fracturing of relationship is the result of sin’s disobedience.

The Divine Creator knew the terrible suffering that would result if the beloved children divided their hearts and broke relationship with God. Fully anticipating this devastation, the Enemy of human nature soothed with deceptive assurances: “You certainly will not die! God knows well that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened and you will be like gods, who know good and evil.” (Gn 3: 4-5)

God’s responds to the cataclysm of sin’s suffering and loneliness by fully entering into the suffering created by our own rejection of God’s love. The One “for whom and through whom” all creation was made, in an act of supreme love and humility, choose to be born as one of us and to take on the full cost of our sin.

The Lord Jesus wanted us to know, even in the depths of our suffering, that Love has come to rescue us and His Sacred Heart fully understands what we endure. He does not want us to ever feel alone in our suffering, for He is by our side.

Lord Jesus, no matter what we suffer in our lives, give us the presence of mind and heart to always invite you in to our hearts and ask for your help. You know the full depth of our suffering – give us the knowledge of the gift of your love, that we may praise you in
Creation, Presence, Memory, Mercy and Eternity.

For he shall rescue the poor when he cries out,
and the afflicted when he has no one to help him.
He shall have pity for the lowly and the poor;
the lives of the poor he shall save.

(Psalm 72: 12-13)

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