Every day is a new day . . . an opportunity to wipe the slate clean and begin again. The past few weeks have presented some challenges. Seems like the stronger and closer I get to Christ, the attacks seem to appear when I least expect it. Some are surprising. Others not so much . . . even anticipated. Despite the disappointment when I am attacked, I get through it pretty quickly by talking it out with Jay and realizing hurt people hurt others. Then I have a choice to make . . . I can either prolong the hurt by revisiting the injury over and over or wipe the slate clean and begin anew. I choose to begin anew. I choose to forgive. I choose to let go of the past. And pray, pray, pray I don't fall back into old ways of thinking.
In today's Gospel (Mark 2:18-22), Jesus explains He is the New Covenant (new cloth/new wine) and therefore it isn't necessary to be restricted by Old Covenant (Mosaic Law) rules such as fasting while He is on this earth:
The disciples of John and of the Pharisees were accustomed to fast. People came to Jesus and objected, “Why do the disciples of John and the disciples of the Pharisees fast, but your disciples do not fast?” Jesus answered them, “Can the wedding guests fast while the bridegroom is with them? As long as they have the bridegroom with them they cannot fast. But the days will come when the bridegroom is taken away from them, and then they will fast on that day. No one sews a piece of unshrunken cloth on an old cloak. If he does, its fullness pulls away, the new from the old, and the tear gets worse. Likewise, no one pours new wine into old wineskins. Otherwise, the wine will burst the skins, and both the wine and the skins are ruined. Rather, new wine is poured into fresh wineskins.”
In Anne a lay apostle's book Lessons in Love, she gives good advice on how to let go of things which weigh us down:
"In order to truly enter into the heart of Jesus, we must serve Him in the way He needs us to serve. This is another way of saying that we must reduce our commitment to self-will and replace it with commitment to divine will. Often we pay lip service to this but do not really abandon our own plan. Jesus says that the door is narrow. I think that means that we cannot get through it if we are carrying too much of our own stuff. If we are laden down, we are bulky and we simply cannot squeeze through. What makes us bulky? I believe that things like attachment to the opinions of others, addictions, materialism, pride, greed, anger, holding on to hurts . . . carrying things like these add weight and girth to us. I believe that we all spend time standing outside the door knowing that we are called to enter but remaining unwilling to let go of some things. Many of us, I think, are squeezing through a little at a time, making wonderful progress by gradually letting go of the things that prevent complete entry into the Lord’s Sacred Heart. A pertinent part of that passage is the Lord’s encouraging us to make every effort. This tells us that Jesus expects us to cooperate with this process of holiness by relinquishing the things that weigh us down and recommitting daily to the duties of our vocations. We must ask the Lord to help us on each day to let go of our fears and attachments so that we can slip through this door and move into the light of the Divine Will."
Lay apostles, whether someone offended you years or even hours ago, let it go. The past is the past. Forgiving someone doesn't mean you continue to be their punching bag. Forgive and move on. Eliminate toxic people from your lives, but continue to pray for them. The difficulty in the elimination process occurs when it involves family members or friends. This is where boundaries come in. Learn from the past what behavior you will accept in the future. You will then be free to let go of your hurts and continue to focus on God's Will, receiving the joy He will bring into your life by doing so.
Thank you, Lord, for teaching me to let go of hurts and offenses, quickly focusing on the joy You bring into my life.
God bless,
Bonnie
In today's Gospel (Mark 2:18-22), Jesus explains He is the New Covenant (new cloth/new wine) and therefore it isn't necessary to be restricted by Old Covenant (Mosaic Law) rules such as fasting while He is on this earth:
The disciples of John and of the Pharisees were accustomed to fast. People came to Jesus and objected, “Why do the disciples of John and the disciples of the Pharisees fast, but your disciples do not fast?” Jesus answered them, “Can the wedding guests fast while the bridegroom is with them? As long as they have the bridegroom with them they cannot fast. But the days will come when the bridegroom is taken away from them, and then they will fast on that day. No one sews a piece of unshrunken cloth on an old cloak. If he does, its fullness pulls away, the new from the old, and the tear gets worse. Likewise, no one pours new wine into old wineskins. Otherwise, the wine will burst the skins, and both the wine and the skins are ruined. Rather, new wine is poured into fresh wineskins.”
In Anne a lay apostle's book Lessons in Love, she gives good advice on how to let go of things which weigh us down:
"In order to truly enter into the heart of Jesus, we must serve Him in the way He needs us to serve. This is another way of saying that we must reduce our commitment to self-will and replace it with commitment to divine will. Often we pay lip service to this but do not really abandon our own plan. Jesus says that the door is narrow. I think that means that we cannot get through it if we are carrying too much of our own stuff. If we are laden down, we are bulky and we simply cannot squeeze through. What makes us bulky? I believe that things like attachment to the opinions of others, addictions, materialism, pride, greed, anger, holding on to hurts . . . carrying things like these add weight and girth to us. I believe that we all spend time standing outside the door knowing that we are called to enter but remaining unwilling to let go of some things. Many of us, I think, are squeezing through a little at a time, making wonderful progress by gradually letting go of the things that prevent complete entry into the Lord’s Sacred Heart. A pertinent part of that passage is the Lord’s encouraging us to make every effort. This tells us that Jesus expects us to cooperate with this process of holiness by relinquishing the things that weigh us down and recommitting daily to the duties of our vocations. We must ask the Lord to help us on each day to let go of our fears and attachments so that we can slip through this door and move into the light of the Divine Will."
Lay apostles, whether someone offended you years or even hours ago, let it go. The past is the past. Forgiving someone doesn't mean you continue to be their punching bag. Forgive and move on. Eliminate toxic people from your lives, but continue to pray for them. The difficulty in the elimination process occurs when it involves family members or friends. This is where boundaries come in. Learn from the past what behavior you will accept in the future. You will then be free to let go of your hurts and continue to focus on God's Will, receiving the joy He will bring into your life by doing so.
Thank you, Lord, for teaching me to let go of hurts and offenses, quickly focusing on the joy You bring into my life.
God bless,
Bonnie
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