I have been meditating this week upon the initiation of Jesus' ministry in the Gospel of Mark. Jesus is named the "Beloved Son" and then is thrust into the wilderness by the Spirit. I find that simple phrases such as "you are my beloved child" lodge easily in the memory bank. They are remembrances that come to mind when we need them most.
To the extent we allow those phrases to fall into the pattern of our daily lives, they start to shape and frame us. Jesus found himself with the wild animals in the wilderness, much as we confront so many challenges that seem disconnected from the meaning phrases we have been given (you are beloved). Yet still, Jesus, like Elijah, had angels attending him.
I wonder if each of us has angels attending us that we entertain unawares. Sometimes we hear an echo of those memory phrases in our angelic encounters. Perhaps the daily Christian life consists in the memory of truth we receive in worship and the angelic encounters God places along our paths.
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