God searches our hearts, not to condemn us, but to show us where we need his saving grace and help. He calls us to seek him with true repentance, humility, and the honesty to see our sins for what they really are – a rejection of his love and will for our lives. God will transform us if we listen to his word and allow his Holy Spirit to work in our lives.
Monday of the 28th Week in Ordinary Time
Romans 1:1-7
Psalm 98:1bcde, 2-3ab, 3cd-4
Luke 11:29-32 When the crowds were increasing, he began to say, "This generation is an evil generation; it seeks a sign, but no sign shall be given to it except the sign of Jonah. 30 For as Jonah became a sign to the men of Nin'eveh, so will the Son of man be to this generation. 31 The queen of the South will arise at the judgment with the men of this generation and condemn them; for she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon, and behold, something greater than Solomon is here. 32 The men of Nin'eveh will arise at the judgment with this generation and condemn it; for they repented at the preaching of Jonah, and behold, something greater than Jonah is here.
Meditation by Don Schwager
Do you pay attention to warning signs? Many fatalities could be avoided if people took the warning signs seriously. When the religious leaders demanded a sign from Jesus, he gave them a warning to avert spiritual disaster. It was characteristic of the Jews that they demanded "signs" from God's messengers to authenticate their claims. When the religious leaders pressed Jesus to give proof for his claims he says in so many words that he is God's sign and that they need no further evidence from heaven than his own person. The Ninevites recognized God's warning when Jonah spoke to them, and they repented. And the Queen of Sheba recognized God's wisdom in Solomon. Jonah was God's sign and his message was the message of God for the people of Nineveh. Unfortunately the religious leaders were not content to accept the signs right before their eyes. They had rejected the message of John the Baptist and now they reject Jesus as God's Anointed One (Messiah) and they fail to heed his message. Simeon had prophesied at Jesus' birth that he was "destined for the falling and rising of many in Israel, and to be a sign that will be opposed so that inner thoughts of many will be revealed" (Luke 2:34- 35). Jesus confirmed his message with many miracles in preparation for the greatest sign of all – his resurrection on the third day.
The Lord Jesus came to set us free from slavery to sin and hurtful desires. Through the gift of the Holy Spirit he pours his love into our hearts that we may understand his will for our lives and walk in his way of holiness. God searches our hearts, not to condemn us, but to show us where we need his saving grace and help. He calls us to seek him with true repentance, humility, and the honesty to see our sins for what they really are – a rejection of his love and will for our lives. God will transform us if we listen to his word and allow his Holy Spirit to work in our lives. Ask the Lord to renew your mind and to increase your thirst for his wisdom. James says that the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits, without uncertainty or insincerity (James 3:17). A double-minded person cannot receive this kind of wisdom. The single of heart desire one thing alone – God's pleasure. God wants us to delight in him and to know the freedom of his truth and love. Do you thirst for the holiness without which no one will see the Lord (Hebrews 12:14)?
"Lord Jesus, give me a heart that loves what is good and in accord with your will and fill me with your wisdom that I my understand your ways. Give me the grace and the courage to reject whatever is evil and contrary to your will."
Supplementary Reading
fAmIly
“My mother and brothers are those who hear the word of God and act on it.” – Luke 8:21
I love my family. I do my best to love my relatives from both “sides” — the Fernandezes and the Pecañas. I’ve learned to love my sisters and brothers in community — my second family. I strive to love my friends, both old and new. But I guess my “loving” is still limited to those whom I consider as “family.”
And family for me is about relationships — by blood, by friendship, by faith. Jesus’ definition of family encompasses every type of relationship and more. He considers part of His family “those who hear the word of God and act on it.” Having a personal relationship with God and obeying His will are what it takes to become part of Jesus’ big, wonderful family.
I struggle to become worthy of being called “daughter of God” and “sister of Jesus.” I struggle to love beyond the confines of my family. I believe I shall do so until the end. Only by God’s grace and mercy will I be able to embrace as “family” all those who love and are bound by a spiritual relationship with Him. Dina Pecaña
REFLECTION:
“You don’t choose your family. They are God’s gift to you, as you are to them.” (Desmond Tutu)
Thank You, Jesus, for calling me to be part of Your family. What an honor and privilege it is to be Your brother, Your sister.
For meditation/readings of the previous days/months , please click any of the following links:
http://his-ways-better-than-our-ways.blogspot.com/
http://www.mabuhayradio.com/sections/the-daily-bread.html
http://butuanglobalforum.org/cgi-bin/dboard/YaBB.pl?num=1229339492/220
GOD BLESS US ALL!
O Theos Na Mas Evlogisi!
PRAY as if everything depended on HIM. ACT as if everything depended on YOU.
http://www.tlig.org/en/messages/
Daily Mass and Gospel Meditation Broadcast (Tagalog) thru DWXI (5am Phil Time), pls click this link: http://www.eradioportal.com/index.php?p=2&aid=1&sid=62
Saturday, October 03, 2009
Oct 11, 2009 - Sunday Meditation (Opened Hands to Receive!)
Often, with Jesus, it is the question about the importance of what we have in hand versus having our hands open to receive what is promised in the unknown-to-come.
28th Sunday in Ordinary Time
Wisdom 7:7-11
Psalm 90:12-13, 14-15, 16-17
Hebrews 4:12-13
Mark 10:17-30 And as he was setting out on his journey, a man ran up and knelt before him, and asked him, "Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?" 18 And Jesus said to him, "Why do you call me good? No one is good but God alone. 19 You know the commandments: `Do not kill, Do not commit adultery, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Do not defraud, Honor your father and mother.'" 20 And he said to him, "Teacher, all these I have observed from my youth." 21 And Jesus looking upon him loved him, and said to him, "You lack one thing; go, sell what you have, and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me." 22 At that saying his countenance fell, and he went away sorrowful; for he had great possessions. 23 And Jesus looked around and said to his disciples, "How hard it will be for those who have riches to enter the kingdom of God!" 24 And the disciples were amazed at his words. But Jesus said to them again, "Children, how hard it is to enter the kingdom of God! 25 It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God." 26 And they were exceedingly astonished, and said to him, "Then who can be saved?" 27 Jesus looked at them and said, "With men it is impossible, but not with God; for all things are possible with God." 28 Peter began to say to him, "Lo, we have left everything and followed you." 29 Jesus said, "Truly, I say to you, there is no one who has left house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or lands, for my sake and for the gospel, 30 who will not receive a hundredfold now in this time, houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and lands, with persecutions, and in the age to come eternal life.
Meditation By Larry Gillick, S.J.
There is great satisfaction in completing a task. The partial remains a nagging bother. We receive compliments humbly when the full complement of tasks are arranged. Total is our desire and the incomplete damages our egos.
We are invited through our Eucharistic spirituality to live peacefully with our desires for the infinite while constantly experiencing our own and others, fragmentitude. The Holy Bread is broken, and the community moves from the experiencing of the One Body blessed and sent. It is sent for distribution. We prepare for the gathering by picking up our partials with their accompanying disappointments, and head for the “blessing-Place”, the Sending-Place, that is the Eucharistic table. There our personal and communal partials are blessed and we are to live them as holy-not-quites.
REFLECTION
The six verses which proceed our First Reading from the Book of Wisdom are simple declarations that the great King Solomon was conceived, born and raised just as do all humans. This whole chapter is worth reading and prayed with slowly.
Our five verses are a praise of the God Who gives the king such wisdom. He prayed and God has given him prudence which he sees as that which has guided him all his life. The reading is full of examples highlighting how Solomon made choices. This prudence freed him from the natural inclinations to wealth, health, comeliness, and even light.
Solomon admits that all these gems and silver and power did come to him as a result of living with this gift from God, prudence.
This is one humble man who knows what things are and are not. He is given the gift of knowing from where things come and where they lead. Prudence is a reverence for, a vision of, his personal giftedness and as he states two verses after our Reading, “What I learned without self-interest, I pass on without reserve; I do not intend to hide her riches.”
The Gospel seems simple, but has some strong statements about money. The opening scene, as usual, creates a tension into which Jesus steps and speaks His message. A rich fellow asks a good question about what is required so as “to inherit eternal life”. Jesus reads the laws according to Jewish tradition and the man affirms that he has completed them all quite well.
Jesus knows the requirements of the Law, but here in this single moment ups the expectation of His New Law. Instead of “inheriting eternal life” by keeping certain commands, abundance in this life and life eternal will be for those who leave everything as their identity and entitlement and follow Jesus. In the Jewish history, health, wealth, large families and homes were absolute signs of God’s blessing. To have much and many meant that the Jewish person had done all things rightly. Jesus is changing the rules and this young fellow, in his personal race to win the prize of salvation, hits the wall and walks away in sadness. Jesus loved him and offered him a new way in. The tension increases now for those who have been His followers, the new is presented for them as well.
The image of a camel entering the eye of a needle does get our attention, as many of the images which Jesus uses, often do. Jesus admits the truth that for humans to enter into the kingdom of God is so very hard. His followers see this and kind of complain about the apparent impossibility for them. Jesus comforts them by saying that with God, what seems impossible is not. Peter of course has his own variety of complaint. He and the others have left everything to follow Jesus. Jesus emphasizes His main point once more. Take the risk of emptiness and see if you can receive the mystery contained in the future.
Often, with Jesus, it is the question about the importance of what we have in hand versus having our hands open to receive what is promised in the unknown-to-come.
I will be celebrating a jubilee mass the Sunday of these readings. Dedicated religious women will be honored, admired, prayed over for their responses over the years to Gospel Readings just like this. They have been trying to leave behind possessions, families, riches, and property. They have tried to do the impossible, but they lived lives of trying to experience God’s possibility. Did they do all this perfectly, their community members will celebrate that they kept trying. Their years have been filled with the reception of “hundred times more now in this present age: houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and lands, with persecutions, and eternal life in the age to come.”
I suspect few artists, composers, and writers, such as myself, are ever totally satisfied with their works. That which we most want to do perfectly or especially well, never seems to fulfill their heartful desires. Jesus is the constant invitation to keep loving, keep painting, keep on keeping on. The following quote does say it well.
'I see no reason to spend your life writing poems unless your goal is to write great poems. To desire to write poems that endure -- we undertake such a goal certain of two things: that in all likelihood we will fail, and that if we succeed we will never know it.' Donald Hall, (a poet)
Supplementary Reading
The Person God Sees by Robert H. Schuller
"She gave this name to the Lord who spoke to her: 'You are the God who sees me,' for she said, 'I have now seen the One who sees me.'" – Genesis 16:13
A beggar sat across the street from an artist's studio. From his window the portrait painter sketched the face of the defeated, despairing soul—with two important changes. In the dull eyes of the beggar he put the flashing hint of an inspired dreamer. He sketched the man's face reflecting an iron will and fierce determination. When the portrait was finished, the artist called the poor man over to see it.
"Who is it?" he asked as the artist smiled quietly. Then, catching just a glimpse of himself in this portrait, the beggar hesitantly asked, "Is it me? Can that possibly be me?"
"That's how I see you," replied the artist.
Straightening his shoulders, the beggar responded, "If that's the man you see—then that's the man I'll be."
God looks at you and sees a beautiful person waiting to be born!
* * *
Ask a trusted friend to describe for you in one or two sentences the person he or she sees in you.
* * *
This excerpt was taken from the "Power for Life Daily Devotional"
For meditation/readings of the previous days/months , please click any of the following links:
http://his-ways-better-than-our-ways.blogspot.com/
http://www.mabuhayradio.com/sections/the-daily-bread.html
http://butuanglobalforum.org/cgi-bin/dboard/YaBB.pl?num=1229339492/220
GOD BLESS US ALL!
O Theos Na Mas Evlogisi!
PRAY as if everything depended on HIM. ACT as if everything depended on YOU.
http://www.tlig.org/en/messages/
Daily Mass and Gospel Meditation Broadcast (Tagalog) thru DWXI (5am Phil Time), pls click this link: http://www.eradioportal.com/index.php?p=2&aid=1&sid=62
28th Sunday in Ordinary Time
Wisdom 7:7-11
Psalm 90:12-13, 14-15, 16-17
Hebrews 4:12-13
Mark 10:17-30 And as he was setting out on his journey, a man ran up and knelt before him, and asked him, "Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?" 18 And Jesus said to him, "Why do you call me good? No one is good but God alone. 19 You know the commandments: `Do not kill, Do not commit adultery, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Do not defraud, Honor your father and mother.'" 20 And he said to him, "Teacher, all these I have observed from my youth." 21 And Jesus looking upon him loved him, and said to him, "You lack one thing; go, sell what you have, and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me." 22 At that saying his countenance fell, and he went away sorrowful; for he had great possessions. 23 And Jesus looked around and said to his disciples, "How hard it will be for those who have riches to enter the kingdom of God!" 24 And the disciples were amazed at his words. But Jesus said to them again, "Children, how hard it is to enter the kingdom of God! 25 It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God." 26 And they were exceedingly astonished, and said to him, "Then who can be saved?" 27 Jesus looked at them and said, "With men it is impossible, but not with God; for all things are possible with God." 28 Peter began to say to him, "Lo, we have left everything and followed you." 29 Jesus said, "Truly, I say to you, there is no one who has left house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or lands, for my sake and for the gospel, 30 who will not receive a hundredfold now in this time, houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and lands, with persecutions, and in the age to come eternal life.
Meditation By Larry Gillick, S.J.
There is great satisfaction in completing a task. The partial remains a nagging bother. We receive compliments humbly when the full complement of tasks are arranged. Total is our desire and the incomplete damages our egos.
We are invited through our Eucharistic spirituality to live peacefully with our desires for the infinite while constantly experiencing our own and others, fragmentitude. The Holy Bread is broken, and the community moves from the experiencing of the One Body blessed and sent. It is sent for distribution. We prepare for the gathering by picking up our partials with their accompanying disappointments, and head for the “blessing-Place”, the Sending-Place, that is the Eucharistic table. There our personal and communal partials are blessed and we are to live them as holy-not-quites.
REFLECTION
The six verses which proceed our First Reading from the Book of Wisdom are simple declarations that the great King Solomon was conceived, born and raised just as do all humans. This whole chapter is worth reading and prayed with slowly.
Our five verses are a praise of the God Who gives the king such wisdom. He prayed and God has given him prudence which he sees as that which has guided him all his life. The reading is full of examples highlighting how Solomon made choices. This prudence freed him from the natural inclinations to wealth, health, comeliness, and even light.
Solomon admits that all these gems and silver and power did come to him as a result of living with this gift from God, prudence.
This is one humble man who knows what things are and are not. He is given the gift of knowing from where things come and where they lead. Prudence is a reverence for, a vision of, his personal giftedness and as he states two verses after our Reading, “What I learned without self-interest, I pass on without reserve; I do not intend to hide her riches.”
The Gospel seems simple, but has some strong statements about money. The opening scene, as usual, creates a tension into which Jesus steps and speaks His message. A rich fellow asks a good question about what is required so as “to inherit eternal life”. Jesus reads the laws according to Jewish tradition and the man affirms that he has completed them all quite well.
Jesus knows the requirements of the Law, but here in this single moment ups the expectation of His New Law. Instead of “inheriting eternal life” by keeping certain commands, abundance in this life and life eternal will be for those who leave everything as their identity and entitlement and follow Jesus. In the Jewish history, health, wealth, large families and homes were absolute signs of God’s blessing. To have much and many meant that the Jewish person had done all things rightly. Jesus is changing the rules and this young fellow, in his personal race to win the prize of salvation, hits the wall and walks away in sadness. Jesus loved him and offered him a new way in. The tension increases now for those who have been His followers, the new is presented for them as well.
The image of a camel entering the eye of a needle does get our attention, as many of the images which Jesus uses, often do. Jesus admits the truth that for humans to enter into the kingdom of God is so very hard. His followers see this and kind of complain about the apparent impossibility for them. Jesus comforts them by saying that with God, what seems impossible is not. Peter of course has his own variety of complaint. He and the others have left everything to follow Jesus. Jesus emphasizes His main point once more. Take the risk of emptiness and see if you can receive the mystery contained in the future.
Often, with Jesus, it is the question about the importance of what we have in hand versus having our hands open to receive what is promised in the unknown-to-come.
I will be celebrating a jubilee mass the Sunday of these readings. Dedicated religious women will be honored, admired, prayed over for their responses over the years to Gospel Readings just like this. They have been trying to leave behind possessions, families, riches, and property. They have tried to do the impossible, but they lived lives of trying to experience God’s possibility. Did they do all this perfectly, their community members will celebrate that they kept trying. Their years have been filled with the reception of “hundred times more now in this present age: houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and lands, with persecutions, and eternal life in the age to come.”
I suspect few artists, composers, and writers, such as myself, are ever totally satisfied with their works. That which we most want to do perfectly or especially well, never seems to fulfill their heartful desires. Jesus is the constant invitation to keep loving, keep painting, keep on keeping on. The following quote does say it well.
'I see no reason to spend your life writing poems unless your goal is to write great poems. To desire to write poems that endure -- we undertake such a goal certain of two things: that in all likelihood we will fail, and that if we succeed we will never know it.' Donald Hall, (a poet)
Supplementary Reading
The Person God Sees by Robert H. Schuller
"She gave this name to the Lord who spoke to her: 'You are the God who sees me,' for she said, 'I have now seen the One who sees me.'" – Genesis 16:13
A beggar sat across the street from an artist's studio. From his window the portrait painter sketched the face of the defeated, despairing soul—with two important changes. In the dull eyes of the beggar he put the flashing hint of an inspired dreamer. He sketched the man's face reflecting an iron will and fierce determination. When the portrait was finished, the artist called the poor man over to see it.
"Who is it?" he asked as the artist smiled quietly. Then, catching just a glimpse of himself in this portrait, the beggar hesitantly asked, "Is it me? Can that possibly be me?"
"That's how I see you," replied the artist.
Straightening his shoulders, the beggar responded, "If that's the man you see—then that's the man I'll be."
God looks at you and sees a beautiful person waiting to be born!
* * *
Ask a trusted friend to describe for you in one or two sentences the person he or she sees in you.
* * *
This excerpt was taken from the "Power for Life Daily Devotional"
For meditation/readings of the previous days/months , please click any of the following links:
http://his-ways-better-than-our-ways.blogspot.com/
http://www.mabuhayradio.com/sections/the-daily-bread.html
http://butuanglobalforum.org/cgi-bin/dboard/YaBB.pl?num=1229339492/220
GOD BLESS US ALL!
O Theos Na Mas Evlogisi!
PRAY as if everything depended on HIM. ACT as if everything depended on YOU.
http://www.tlig.org/en/messages/
Daily Mass and Gospel Meditation Broadcast (Tagalog) thru DWXI (5am Phil Time), pls click this link: http://www.eradioportal.com/index.php?p=2&aid=1&sid=62
Oct 10, 2009 - Saturday Meditation (Just Do It!)
For us, Jesus is the word of God. We imitate Mary by hearing and following Jesus. That’s what this business of daily reflection (on the word of God about the Word of God) is all about. Blessed are those who hear the word of God and keep it.
Saturday of the Twenty-seventh Week in Ordinary Time
Joel 4:12-21
Psalm 97:1-2, 5-6, 11-12
Luke 11:27-28 As he said this, a woman in the crowd raised her voice and said to him, "Blessed is the womb that bore you, and the breasts that you sucked!" 28 But he said, "Blessed rather are those who hear the word of God and keep it!"
Meditation by Dennis Hamm, S.J.
While he was speaking, a woman from the crowd called out and said to him, “Blessed is the womb that carried you and the breasts at which you nursed.” He replied, “Rather, blessed are those who hear the word of God and observe it.”—Luke 11:27-28
This woman is deeply impressed with Jesus and his ability to hold the crowd’s attention with his healing and his story telling. She does the most natural thing in the world: she thinks how proud his mom must be to have raised a child to become such a man, and she congratulates the child by blessing the mother with a beatitude: “Blessed is the womb that carried you and the breasts at which you nursed.”
When Jesus answers—“Rather, blessed are those who hear the word of God and observe it”—it may sound at first as if he is deflecting the compliment to his mother by using it to make his own point, as if he has said that anyone who does God’s will is greater than his mother. In fact, he increases the honoring of his mother. He is saying, in effect, “Greater even than her human mothering of me is the way Miriam has heard the word of God and carried out that word.”
It helps to recall that the daily prayer of Jews was and still is, the Shema (“Hear!”), named from the first word of Deuteronomy 6:4-5: “Hear, O Israel! The Lord is our God, the Lord alone! Therefore, you shall love the Lord, your God, with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength.” So the whole of the life of the covenant could be summarized in the phrase “to hear the word of God and live it out.” Mary exemplified that kind of deep hearing—a total response to the word of God expressed in the Torah. It was the readiness of that deep hearing that enabled her to become his mother in the first place.
Two chapters before this reading in the Gospel of Luke, we have the vision of the transfiguration, where Peter, James and John first see and hear Moses and Elijah (who represented the Law and the Prophets who mediated the word of God to Israel) speaking with Jesus; then those two disappear and Jesus is standing alone, when the voice of the Father is heard to say, “This is my beloved son, hear him!”
For us, Jesus is the word of God. We imitate Mary by hearing and following Jesus. That’s what this business of daily reflection (on the word of God about the Word of God) is all about. Blessed are those who hear the word of God and keep it.
Supplementary Reading
RulES foR SPIRITuAl GRoWTH
“Thus he has given us new life to raise again the house of our God and restore its ruins…” – Ezra 9:9
Padre Pio of Pietrelcina was an Italian Capuchin priest who was famous for his stigmata, wounds that correspond to those that Jesus had during His crucifixion. A holy man who often had to engage the devil in physical battles that left his body bruised and battered, Padre Pio was also a spiritual director who guided many in their faith walk.
He had five rules for spiritual growth: Weekly confession, daily Communion, spiritual reading, meditation and examination of conscience. He likened weekly confession to cleaning a room once a week. As for the examination of conscience, he suggested doing it twice a day — in the morning to prepare you for the day ahead, and in the evening as a form of retrospection. Padre Pio’s rules for spiritual growth are simple despite the depth of his relationship and commitment to the Lord. Doing them doesn’t require us to have doctorates in theology or knowledge of the Magisterium. Instead, they are things that even the baby Christian can do.
What are you doing daily to keep growing in the Lord? Rissa Singson-Kawpeng
REFLECTION:
Is your spiritual life in ruins? What can you do to once again establish God’s dwelling in your life?
Lord, I want to grow in my spiritual life. Grant me the discipline to apply Padre Pio’s rules for spiritual growth
For meditation/readings of the previous days/months , please click any of the following links:
http://his-ways-better-than-our-ways.blogspot.com/
http://www.mabuhayradio.com/sections/the-daily-bread.html
http://butuanglobalforum.org/cgi-bin/dboard/YaBB.pl?num=1229339492/220
GOD BLESS US ALL!
O Theos Na Mas Evlogisi!
PRAY as if everything depended on HIM. ACT as if everything depended on YOU.
http://www.tlig.org/en/messages/
Daily Mass and Gospel Meditation Broadcast (Tagalog) thru DWXI (5am Phil Time), pls click this link: http://www.eradioportal.com/index.php?p=2&aid=1&sid=62
Saturday of the Twenty-seventh Week in Ordinary Time
Joel 4:12-21
Psalm 97:1-2, 5-6, 11-12
Luke 11:27-28 As he said this, a woman in the crowd raised her voice and said to him, "Blessed is the womb that bore you, and the breasts that you sucked!" 28 But he said, "Blessed rather are those who hear the word of God and keep it!"
Meditation by Dennis Hamm, S.J.
While he was speaking, a woman from the crowd called out and said to him, “Blessed is the womb that carried you and the breasts at which you nursed.” He replied, “Rather, blessed are those who hear the word of God and observe it.”—Luke 11:27-28
This woman is deeply impressed with Jesus and his ability to hold the crowd’s attention with his healing and his story telling. She does the most natural thing in the world: she thinks how proud his mom must be to have raised a child to become such a man, and she congratulates the child by blessing the mother with a beatitude: “Blessed is the womb that carried you and the breasts at which you nursed.”
When Jesus answers—“Rather, blessed are those who hear the word of God and observe it”—it may sound at first as if he is deflecting the compliment to his mother by using it to make his own point, as if he has said that anyone who does God’s will is greater than his mother. In fact, he increases the honoring of his mother. He is saying, in effect, “Greater even than her human mothering of me is the way Miriam has heard the word of God and carried out that word.”
It helps to recall that the daily prayer of Jews was and still is, the Shema (“Hear!”), named from the first word of Deuteronomy 6:4-5: “Hear, O Israel! The Lord is our God, the Lord alone! Therefore, you shall love the Lord, your God, with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength.” So the whole of the life of the covenant could be summarized in the phrase “to hear the word of God and live it out.” Mary exemplified that kind of deep hearing—a total response to the word of God expressed in the Torah. It was the readiness of that deep hearing that enabled her to become his mother in the first place.
Two chapters before this reading in the Gospel of Luke, we have the vision of the transfiguration, where Peter, James and John first see and hear Moses and Elijah (who represented the Law and the Prophets who mediated the word of God to Israel) speaking with Jesus; then those two disappear and Jesus is standing alone, when the voice of the Father is heard to say, “This is my beloved son, hear him!”
For us, Jesus is the word of God. We imitate Mary by hearing and following Jesus. That’s what this business of daily reflection (on the word of God about the Word of God) is all about. Blessed are those who hear the word of God and keep it.
Supplementary Reading
RulES foR SPIRITuAl GRoWTH
“Thus he has given us new life to raise again the house of our God and restore its ruins…” – Ezra 9:9
Padre Pio of Pietrelcina was an Italian Capuchin priest who was famous for his stigmata, wounds that correspond to those that Jesus had during His crucifixion. A holy man who often had to engage the devil in physical battles that left his body bruised and battered, Padre Pio was also a spiritual director who guided many in their faith walk.
He had five rules for spiritual growth: Weekly confession, daily Communion, spiritual reading, meditation and examination of conscience. He likened weekly confession to cleaning a room once a week. As for the examination of conscience, he suggested doing it twice a day — in the morning to prepare you for the day ahead, and in the evening as a form of retrospection. Padre Pio’s rules for spiritual growth are simple despite the depth of his relationship and commitment to the Lord. Doing them doesn’t require us to have doctorates in theology or knowledge of the Magisterium. Instead, they are things that even the baby Christian can do.
What are you doing daily to keep growing in the Lord? Rissa Singson-Kawpeng
REFLECTION:
Is your spiritual life in ruins? What can you do to once again establish God’s dwelling in your life?
Lord, I want to grow in my spiritual life. Grant me the discipline to apply Padre Pio’s rules for spiritual growth
For meditation/readings of the previous days/months , please click any of the following links:
http://his-ways-better-than-our-ways.blogspot.com/
http://www.mabuhayradio.com/sections/the-daily-bread.html
http://butuanglobalforum.org/cgi-bin/dboard/YaBB.pl?num=1229339492/220
GOD BLESS US ALL!
O Theos Na Mas Evlogisi!
PRAY as if everything depended on HIM. ACT as if everything depended on YOU.
http://www.tlig.org/en/messages/
Daily Mass and Gospel Meditation Broadcast (Tagalog) thru DWXI (5am Phil Time), pls click this link: http://www.eradioportal.com/index.php?p=2&aid=1&sid=62
Oct 9, 2009 - Friday Meditation (The Finger of God!)
We should not judge others rashly for what they are doing as if they do it for selfish reasons. We should acknowledge “the finger of God” which is in the good works of others and not be so judgmental.
Friday of the 27th Week in Ordinary Time
Joel 1:13-15; 2:1-2
Psalm 9:2-3, 6 and 16, 8-9
Luke 11:15-26 But some of them said, "He casts out demons by Be-el'zebul, the prince of demons"; 16 while others, to test him, sought from him a sign from heaven. 17 But he, knowing their thoughts, said to them, "Every kingdom divided against itself is laid waste, and a divided household falls. 18 And if Satan also is divided against himself, how will his kingdom stand? For you say that I cast out demons by Be-el'zebul. 19 And if I cast out demons by Be-el'zebul, by whom do your sons cast them out? Therefore they shall be your judges. 20 But if it is by the finger of God that I cast out demons, then the kingdom of God has come upon you. 21 When a strong man, fully armed, guards his own palace, his goods are in peace; 22 but when one stronger than he assails him and overcomes him, he takes away his armor in which he trusted, and divides his spoil. 23 He who is not with me is against me, and he who does not gather with me scatters. 24 "When the unclean spirit has gone out of a man, he passes through waterless places seeking rest; and finding none he says, `I will return to my house from which I came.' 25 And when he comes he finds it swept and put in order. 26 Then he goes and brings seven other spirits more evil than himself, and they enter and dwell there; and the last state of that man becomes worse than the first.
Meditation by Paul Mahowald, S.J.
“For you say that it is by Beelzebul that I drive out demons. If I, then, drive out demons by Beelzebul, by whom do your own people drive them out?” Lk 11: 11-19
We are familiar with the several times the gospels have some sort of criticism of Jesus’ healing and driving demons out of possessed people. In Luke’s gospel, it is not the usual suspects, the scribes and Pharisees, that Jesus is responding to but rather to the crowd who witnessed the event. Some in the crowd say it is by Beelzebul that Jesus heals the man: others say it was to test him, to ask for a sign from heaven. Jesus counters by challenging them to answer his question: “If Satan is divided against himself how will his kingdom stand?”
The crowd then hears Jesus describe the two Kingdoms in the event: the Kingdom of God versus the kingdom of Satan.
“Whoever is not with me is against me ….” Luke 11:23
Jesus invites those who follow him to do so completely and without compromise. Our act of contrition in the sacrament of reconciliation states that we “firmly resolve, with the help of God’s grace, to confess our sins, to do penance and to amend our life.” This is the theme of Luke’s gospel: that we wholeheartedly follow him as his disciples.
For those who seek a sign from heaven, Luke’s gospel just ten verses earlier gives us Jesus’ version of the Lord’s prayer which ends with “and do not put us [God] to the test!”
How does this exorcism healing story apply to my life? Certainly I should not “test God”, i.e., to presume that I have questionable and valid issues about how God is working with me. God is God and I am not! There is too often a sinful attitude of presumption when I don’t trust God and over value my own judgment in how God works with me. I need to have that attitude that God is loving and working for me but in ways at times too mysterious for me to understand.
And for those who question from where Jesus gets his power and authority to heal others and rid them of the devils that inhibit them, we should trust in the Lord, have faith in him even if we don’t understand. We should not judge others rashly for what they are doing as if they do it for selfish reasons. We should acknowledge “the finger of God” which is in the good works of others and not be so judgmental.
In this gospel story we see Jesus teaching us to see the difference between the Kingdom of God and the kingdom of the devil. We need to take up our cross and follow him – completely.
Supplementary Reading
THE CoNSEQuENCE of RASH BEHAVIoR
Thus says the Lord of hosts: Consider your ways! – Haggai 1:7
My co-leaders and I were scheduled to attend an affair so the company van was reserved for us. But my supervisor’s colleague was in the front seat when the van arrived to pick us up. He asked if he could be dropped at his destination 30 minutes away.
Since our destination was only 15 minutes away and there were two members in the group who had cars, I decided to let him take the van while our group used the cars. A company driver who learned about the incident reported it to my supervisor who quickly confronted his colleague and accused him of taking the van from us. Naturally, the latter denied it. Consequently, they had a fight.
Only after the squabble did my supervisor ask me what happened. I told him what transpired but it was too late. By then, the damage had been done.
If we do not consider our ways, if we do not carefully examine our behavior, if we do not act with prudence, we can dent relationships and even cause others to sin. Cristy Galang
REFLECTION:
Am I inclined to act impulsively? Do I need help to learn to be more deliberate in my ways?
Examine me, Lord, and bring to my awareness the areas that I need to change. Help me to live a righteous life. Amen.
For meditation/readings of the previous days/months , please click any of the following links:
http://his-ways-better-than-our-ways.blogspot.com/
http://www.mabuhayradio.com/sections/the-daily-bread.html
http://butuanglobalforum.org/cgi-bin/dboard/YaBB.pl?num=1229339492/220
GOD BLESS US ALL!
O Theos Na Mas Evlogisi!
PRAY as if everything depended on HIM. ACT as if everything depended on YOU.
http://www.tlig.org/en/messages/
Daily Mass and Gospel Meditation Broadcast (Tagalog) thru DWXI (5am Phil Time), pls click this link: http://www.eradioportal.com/index.php?p=2&aid=1&sid=62
Friday of the 27th Week in Ordinary Time
Joel 1:13-15; 2:1-2
Psalm 9:2-3, 6 and 16, 8-9
Luke 11:15-26 But some of them said, "He casts out demons by Be-el'zebul, the prince of demons"; 16 while others, to test him, sought from him a sign from heaven. 17 But he, knowing their thoughts, said to them, "Every kingdom divided against itself is laid waste, and a divided household falls. 18 And if Satan also is divided against himself, how will his kingdom stand? For you say that I cast out demons by Be-el'zebul. 19 And if I cast out demons by Be-el'zebul, by whom do your sons cast them out? Therefore they shall be your judges. 20 But if it is by the finger of God that I cast out demons, then the kingdom of God has come upon you. 21 When a strong man, fully armed, guards his own palace, his goods are in peace; 22 but when one stronger than he assails him and overcomes him, he takes away his armor in which he trusted, and divides his spoil. 23 He who is not with me is against me, and he who does not gather with me scatters. 24 "When the unclean spirit has gone out of a man, he passes through waterless places seeking rest; and finding none he says, `I will return to my house from which I came.' 25 And when he comes he finds it swept and put in order. 26 Then he goes and brings seven other spirits more evil than himself, and they enter and dwell there; and the last state of that man becomes worse than the first.
Meditation by Paul Mahowald, S.J.
“For you say that it is by Beelzebul that I drive out demons. If I, then, drive out demons by Beelzebul, by whom do your own people drive them out?” Lk 11: 11-19
We are familiar with the several times the gospels have some sort of criticism of Jesus’ healing and driving demons out of possessed people. In Luke’s gospel, it is not the usual suspects, the scribes and Pharisees, that Jesus is responding to but rather to the crowd who witnessed the event. Some in the crowd say it is by Beelzebul that Jesus heals the man: others say it was to test him, to ask for a sign from heaven. Jesus counters by challenging them to answer his question: “If Satan is divided against himself how will his kingdom stand?”
The crowd then hears Jesus describe the two Kingdoms in the event: the Kingdom of God versus the kingdom of Satan.
“Whoever is not with me is against me ….” Luke 11:23
Jesus invites those who follow him to do so completely and without compromise. Our act of contrition in the sacrament of reconciliation states that we “firmly resolve, with the help of God’s grace, to confess our sins, to do penance and to amend our life.” This is the theme of Luke’s gospel: that we wholeheartedly follow him as his disciples.
For those who seek a sign from heaven, Luke’s gospel just ten verses earlier gives us Jesus’ version of the Lord’s prayer which ends with “and do not put us [God] to the test!”
How does this exorcism healing story apply to my life? Certainly I should not “test God”, i.e., to presume that I have questionable and valid issues about how God is working with me. God is God and I am not! There is too often a sinful attitude of presumption when I don’t trust God and over value my own judgment in how God works with me. I need to have that attitude that God is loving and working for me but in ways at times too mysterious for me to understand.
And for those who question from where Jesus gets his power and authority to heal others and rid them of the devils that inhibit them, we should trust in the Lord, have faith in him even if we don’t understand. We should not judge others rashly for what they are doing as if they do it for selfish reasons. We should acknowledge “the finger of God” which is in the good works of others and not be so judgmental.
In this gospel story we see Jesus teaching us to see the difference between the Kingdom of God and the kingdom of the devil. We need to take up our cross and follow him – completely.
Supplementary Reading
THE CoNSEQuENCE of RASH BEHAVIoR
Thus says the Lord of hosts: Consider your ways! – Haggai 1:7
My co-leaders and I were scheduled to attend an affair so the company van was reserved for us. But my supervisor’s colleague was in the front seat when the van arrived to pick us up. He asked if he could be dropped at his destination 30 minutes away.
Since our destination was only 15 minutes away and there were two members in the group who had cars, I decided to let him take the van while our group used the cars. A company driver who learned about the incident reported it to my supervisor who quickly confronted his colleague and accused him of taking the van from us. Naturally, the latter denied it. Consequently, they had a fight.
Only after the squabble did my supervisor ask me what happened. I told him what transpired but it was too late. By then, the damage had been done.
If we do not consider our ways, if we do not carefully examine our behavior, if we do not act with prudence, we can dent relationships and even cause others to sin. Cristy Galang
REFLECTION:
Am I inclined to act impulsively? Do I need help to learn to be more deliberate in my ways?
Examine me, Lord, and bring to my awareness the areas that I need to change. Help me to live a righteous life. Amen.
For meditation/readings of the previous days/months , please click any of the following links:
http://his-ways-better-than-our-ways.blogspot.com/
http://www.mabuhayradio.com/sections/the-daily-bread.html
http://butuanglobalforum.org/cgi-bin/dboard/YaBB.pl?num=1229339492/220
GOD BLESS US ALL!
O Theos Na Mas Evlogisi!
PRAY as if everything depended on HIM. ACT as if everything depended on YOU.
http://www.tlig.org/en/messages/
Daily Mass and Gospel Meditation Broadcast (Tagalog) thru DWXI (5am Phil Time), pls click this link: http://www.eradioportal.com/index.php?p=2&aid=1&sid=62
Oct 8, 2009 - Thursday Meditation (He Awakens us that We May Ask)
Augustine of Hippo reminds us that "God, who does not sleep and who awakens us from sleep that we may ask, gives much more graciously."
Thursday of the Twenty-seventh Week in Ordinary Time
Malachi 3:13-20b
Psalm 1:1-2, 3, 4 and 6
Luke 11:5-13 And he said to them, "Which of you who has a friend will go to him at midnight and say to him, `Friend, lend me three loaves; 6 for a friend of mine has arrived on a journey, and I have nothing to set before him'; 7 and he will answer from within, `Do not bother me; the door is now shut, and my children are with me in bed; I cannot get up and give you anything'? 8 I tell you, though he will not get up and give him anything because he is his friend, yet because of his importunity he will rise and give him whatever he needs. 9 And I tell you, Ask, and it will be given you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. 10 For every one who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened. 11 What father among you, if his son asks for a fish, will instead of a fish give him a serpent; 12 or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion? 13 If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!"
Meditation by Don Schwager
What can we expect from God, especially when we recognize that he doesn't owe us anything and that we don't deserve his grace and favor? Jesus used the illustration of a late-night traveller to teach his listeners an important lesson about how God treats us in contrast to the kind of treatment we might expect from good neighbors. The rule of hospitality in biblical times required the cooperation of the entire community in entertaining an unexpected or late-night guest. Whether the guest was hungry or not, a meal would be served. In a small village it would be easy to know who had baked bread that day. Bread was essential for a meal because it served as a utensil for dipping and eating from the common dishes. Asking for bread from one's neighbor was both a common occurrence and an expected favor. To refuse to give bread would bring shame because it was a sign of inhospitality.
If a neighbor can be imposed upon and coerced into giving bread in the middle of the night, how much more hospitable is God, who, no matter what the circumstances, is generous and ready to give us what we need. Augustine of Hippo reminds us that "God, who does not sleep and who awakens us from sleep that we may ask, gives much more graciously." In conclusion Jesus makes a startling claim: How much more will the heavenly Father give! The Lord is ever ready to give us not only what we need, but more than we can expect. He gives freely of his Holy Spirit that we may share in his life and joy. Do you approach your heavenly Father with confidence in his mercy and kindness?
"Heavenly Father, you are merciful, gracious and kind. May I never doubt your love nor hesitate to seek you with confidence in order to obtain the gifts, graces, and daily provision I need to live as your disciple and child."
Supplementary Reading
EASy ComPANy
While he was at table in his house, many tax collectors and sinners came and sat with Jesus and his disciples. – Matthew 9:10
In our barkada, she was the most difficult to be with. Don’t get me wrong. I enjoyed her company. I had great respect for her and her opinions. She was wise and we learned a lot from her. It’s just that she was much more fussy than the others.
When she didn’t like something, she wouldn’t hesitate to make it known. When a waiter serving her at a restaurant made a mistake, she’d call him down. When you expressed an opinion that didn’t sit well with her, she’d immediately correct you. She was fun to be with but, often, I felt like I was walking on eggshells rather than chilling out with friends. It could get tiring just being with her. It must have been a lot different with Jesus. Despite His holiness, the worst of sinners were attracted to His presence. They must have felt no judgment or condemnation when they were with Him. I’m sure He didn’t tell them acerbically how corrupt and perverted they were. Otherwise, who’d want to eat with Him?
Jesus was refreshing company to souls that were tired and weary of sin. That’s why we can always run to Him even when we’re at our worst. Rissa Singson-Kawpeng
REFLECTION:
When you’re in sin, do you run away from Jesus in shame? Or do you boldly run into His forgiving embrace?
Lord, sin is tiring. I turn to You to free me, heal me and refresh my soul.
For meditation/readings of the previous days/months , please click any of the following links:
http://his-ways-better-than-our-ways.blogspot.com/
http://www.mabuhayradio.com/sections/the-daily-bread.html
http://butuanglobalforum.org/cgi-bin/dboard/YaBB.pl?num=1229339492/220
GOD BLESS US ALL!
O Theos Na Mas Evlogisi!
PRAY as if everything depended on HIM. ACT as if everything depended on YOU.
http://www.tlig.org/en/messages/
Daily Mass and Gospel Meditation Broadcast (Tagalog) thru DWXI (5am Phil Time), pls click this link: http://www.eradioportal.com/index.php?p=2&aid=1&sid=62
Thursday of the Twenty-seventh Week in Ordinary Time
Malachi 3:13-20b
Psalm 1:1-2, 3, 4 and 6
Luke 11:5-13 And he said to them, "Which of you who has a friend will go to him at midnight and say to him, `Friend, lend me three loaves; 6 for a friend of mine has arrived on a journey, and I have nothing to set before him'; 7 and he will answer from within, `Do not bother me; the door is now shut, and my children are with me in bed; I cannot get up and give you anything'? 8 I tell you, though he will not get up and give him anything because he is his friend, yet because of his importunity he will rise and give him whatever he needs. 9 And I tell you, Ask, and it will be given you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. 10 For every one who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened. 11 What father among you, if his son asks for a fish, will instead of a fish give him a serpent; 12 or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion? 13 If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!"
Meditation by Don Schwager
What can we expect from God, especially when we recognize that he doesn't owe us anything and that we don't deserve his grace and favor? Jesus used the illustration of a late-night traveller to teach his listeners an important lesson about how God treats us in contrast to the kind of treatment we might expect from good neighbors. The rule of hospitality in biblical times required the cooperation of the entire community in entertaining an unexpected or late-night guest. Whether the guest was hungry or not, a meal would be served. In a small village it would be easy to know who had baked bread that day. Bread was essential for a meal because it served as a utensil for dipping and eating from the common dishes. Asking for bread from one's neighbor was both a common occurrence and an expected favor. To refuse to give bread would bring shame because it was a sign of inhospitality.
If a neighbor can be imposed upon and coerced into giving bread in the middle of the night, how much more hospitable is God, who, no matter what the circumstances, is generous and ready to give us what we need. Augustine of Hippo reminds us that "God, who does not sleep and who awakens us from sleep that we may ask, gives much more graciously." In conclusion Jesus makes a startling claim: How much more will the heavenly Father give! The Lord is ever ready to give us not only what we need, but more than we can expect. He gives freely of his Holy Spirit that we may share in his life and joy. Do you approach your heavenly Father with confidence in his mercy and kindness?
"Heavenly Father, you are merciful, gracious and kind. May I never doubt your love nor hesitate to seek you with confidence in order to obtain the gifts, graces, and daily provision I need to live as your disciple and child."
Supplementary Reading
EASy ComPANy
While he was at table in his house, many tax collectors and sinners came and sat with Jesus and his disciples. – Matthew 9:10
In our barkada, she was the most difficult to be with. Don’t get me wrong. I enjoyed her company. I had great respect for her and her opinions. She was wise and we learned a lot from her. It’s just that she was much more fussy than the others.
When she didn’t like something, she wouldn’t hesitate to make it known. When a waiter serving her at a restaurant made a mistake, she’d call him down. When you expressed an opinion that didn’t sit well with her, she’d immediately correct you. She was fun to be with but, often, I felt like I was walking on eggshells rather than chilling out with friends. It could get tiring just being with her. It must have been a lot different with Jesus. Despite His holiness, the worst of sinners were attracted to His presence. They must have felt no judgment or condemnation when they were with Him. I’m sure He didn’t tell them acerbically how corrupt and perverted they were. Otherwise, who’d want to eat with Him?
Jesus was refreshing company to souls that were tired and weary of sin. That’s why we can always run to Him even when we’re at our worst. Rissa Singson-Kawpeng
REFLECTION:
When you’re in sin, do you run away from Jesus in shame? Or do you boldly run into His forgiving embrace?
Lord, sin is tiring. I turn to You to free me, heal me and refresh my soul.
For meditation/readings of the previous days/months , please click any of the following links:
http://his-ways-better-than-our-ways.blogspot.com/
http://www.mabuhayradio.com/sections/the-daily-bread.html
http://butuanglobalforum.org/cgi-bin/dboard/YaBB.pl?num=1229339492/220
GOD BLESS US ALL!
O Theos Na Mas Evlogisi!
PRAY as if everything depended on HIM. ACT as if everything depended on YOU.
http://www.tlig.org/en/messages/
Daily Mass and Gospel Meditation Broadcast (Tagalog) thru DWXI (5am Phil Time), pls click this link: http://www.eradioportal.com/index.php?p=2&aid=1&sid=62
Oct 7, 2009 - Wednesday Meditation (Forgive, Forgive and Forgive!!!)
For forgiveness, which is almost another word for the Gospel, is a gift, a power, an answer to prayer. Ultimately, only God can forgive. We can forgive everything only by trusting in and living in God.
Our Lady of the Rosary
Jonah 4:1-11
Psalm 86:3-4, 5-6, 9-10
Luke 11:1-4 He was praying in a certain place, and when he ceased, one of his disciples said to him, "Lord, teach us to pray, as John taught his disciples." 2 And he said to them, "When you pray, say: "Father, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. 3 Give us each day our daily bread; 4 and forgive us our sins, for we ourselves forgive every one who is indebted to us; and lead us not into temptation."
Meditation by Bert Thelen, S.J.
Our first reading is the conclusion of the Book of Jonah. Jonah is "angry enough to die" over the destruction of the plant that was protecting him from the sun (but really still angry that God had spared the city of Nineveh which Jonah had prophesied would be destroyed by God). God is using a gourd plant to teach Jonah a lesson about Who God Is - Mercy Upon Mercy Upon Mercy. Does Jonah get it? We don't know because the story ends with God's words of universal concern. So, the real point is, Do we get it? Each of us has to decide for herself. And that is our prayer today. But I can at least offer some of the insights of God's Faithful over the years.
(1) Unlike us, God never acts out of anger or retaliation. Actually, Jonah knows this. He says the right words when he tells God why he fled: "I knew that you were a gracious and merciful God, slow to anger, rich in clemency, loathe to punish." But he doesn't really get it. Do we? Do we really believe that, beyond our wildest dreams, despite our worst sins, we are loved with an extravagant love that is also eternal?
(2) Our anger, no matter how well justified, never serves our own well being (Jonah is dying from anger), the well being of others, or God's purposes. No wonder the wisdom of ages tells us, "Never let the sun go down on your anger!" I have also discovered over the years that an angry person cannot minister to others. He or she needs first to be healed (perhaps even to be exorcised) before being truly able to serve others in love-- which is always what Christ calls us to.
(3) Finally -- and our Gospel today gives us the clue when Jesus says, "Here is how to pray...we forgive all who do us wrong...." we can only act this way (as God acts) when we are in a stance of prayer. For forgiveness, which is almost another word for the Gospel, is a gift, a power, an answer to prayer. Ultimately (which is why we shouldn't blame Jonah for his anger), only God can forgive. We can forgive everything only by trusting in and living in God. And the Psalm for today, Psalm 86, is a beautiful prayer for this grace.
Supplementary Reading
EAVESDRoPPING oN SENIoR CITIzENS
What did we bring into the world? Nothing! What can we take out of the world? Nothing! – 1Timothy 6:7
I looked for a vacant table after I ordered my usual breakfast value meal and cup of coffee. As I placed the tray on the table, I noticed that a group of senior citizens in the next table were also enjoying their breakfast.
In between my sips of coffee and pancake bites, it was difficult not to hear their stories and laughter. Their combined voices seemed to come out of a booming speaker. I looked around for another vacant place to transfer but there was none. Little did I know that this moment would be a great source of learning.
They didn’t talk about fashion or compare the cars they were driving. They didn’t discuss what gadget was “hot” and how big their houses were. All they talked about was their old adventures together and how their former classmates were doing. They exchanged stories about their grand kids. They also discussed how they spent the previous day and their plans for today. It was obvious how much fun they were having. They had what probably most rich people would pay for — happy relationships!
We came in this world because of love and it’s the only thing we can bring when we leave this world. Alvin fabella
REFLECTION:
Take time to evaluate your priorities. What is consuming much of your time and resources? Is love a part of your priorities?
Lord, teach me to love others more as You continue to love me. Amen.
For meditation/readings of the previous days/months , please click any of the following links:
http://his-ways-better-than-our-ways.blogspot.com/
http://www.mabuhayradio.com/sections/the-daily-bread.html
http://butuanglobalforum.org/cgi-bin/dboard/YaBB.pl?num=1229339492/220
GOD BLESS US ALL!
O Theos Na Mas Evlogisi!
PRAY as if everything depended on HIM. ACT as if everything depended on YOU.
http://www.tlig.org/en/messages/
Daily Mass and Gospel Meditation Broadcast (Tagalog) thru DWXI (5am Phil Time), pls click this link: http://www.eradioportal.com/index.php?p=2&aid=1&sid=62
Our Lady of the Rosary
Jonah 4:1-11
Psalm 86:3-4, 5-6, 9-10
Luke 11:1-4 He was praying in a certain place, and when he ceased, one of his disciples said to him, "Lord, teach us to pray, as John taught his disciples." 2 And he said to them, "When you pray, say: "Father, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. 3 Give us each day our daily bread; 4 and forgive us our sins, for we ourselves forgive every one who is indebted to us; and lead us not into temptation."
Meditation by Bert Thelen, S.J.
Our first reading is the conclusion of the Book of Jonah. Jonah is "angry enough to die" over the destruction of the plant that was protecting him from the sun (but really still angry that God had spared the city of Nineveh which Jonah had prophesied would be destroyed by God). God is using a gourd plant to teach Jonah a lesson about Who God Is - Mercy Upon Mercy Upon Mercy. Does Jonah get it? We don't know because the story ends with God's words of universal concern. So, the real point is, Do we get it? Each of us has to decide for herself. And that is our prayer today. But I can at least offer some of the insights of God's Faithful over the years.
(1) Unlike us, God never acts out of anger or retaliation. Actually, Jonah knows this. He says the right words when he tells God why he fled: "I knew that you were a gracious and merciful God, slow to anger, rich in clemency, loathe to punish." But he doesn't really get it. Do we? Do we really believe that, beyond our wildest dreams, despite our worst sins, we are loved with an extravagant love that is also eternal?
(2) Our anger, no matter how well justified, never serves our own well being (Jonah is dying from anger), the well being of others, or God's purposes. No wonder the wisdom of ages tells us, "Never let the sun go down on your anger!" I have also discovered over the years that an angry person cannot minister to others. He or she needs first to be healed (perhaps even to be exorcised) before being truly able to serve others in love-- which is always what Christ calls us to.
(3) Finally -- and our Gospel today gives us the clue when Jesus says, "Here is how to pray...we forgive all who do us wrong...." we can only act this way (as God acts) when we are in a stance of prayer. For forgiveness, which is almost another word for the Gospel, is a gift, a power, an answer to prayer. Ultimately (which is why we shouldn't blame Jonah for his anger), only God can forgive. We can forgive everything only by trusting in and living in God. And the Psalm for today, Psalm 86, is a beautiful prayer for this grace.
Supplementary Reading
EAVESDRoPPING oN SENIoR CITIzENS
What did we bring into the world? Nothing! What can we take out of the world? Nothing! – 1Timothy 6:7
I looked for a vacant table after I ordered my usual breakfast value meal and cup of coffee. As I placed the tray on the table, I noticed that a group of senior citizens in the next table were also enjoying their breakfast.
In between my sips of coffee and pancake bites, it was difficult not to hear their stories and laughter. Their combined voices seemed to come out of a booming speaker. I looked around for another vacant place to transfer but there was none. Little did I know that this moment would be a great source of learning.
They didn’t talk about fashion or compare the cars they were driving. They didn’t discuss what gadget was “hot” and how big their houses were. All they talked about was their old adventures together and how their former classmates were doing. They exchanged stories about their grand kids. They also discussed how they spent the previous day and their plans for today. It was obvious how much fun they were having. They had what probably most rich people would pay for — happy relationships!
We came in this world because of love and it’s the only thing we can bring when we leave this world. Alvin fabella
REFLECTION:
Take time to evaluate your priorities. What is consuming much of your time and resources? Is love a part of your priorities?
Lord, teach me to love others more as You continue to love me. Amen.
For meditation/readings of the previous days/months , please click any of the following links:
http://his-ways-better-than-our-ways.blogspot.com/
http://www.mabuhayradio.com/sections/the-daily-bread.html
http://butuanglobalforum.org/cgi-bin/dboard/YaBB.pl?num=1229339492/220
GOD BLESS US ALL!
O Theos Na Mas Evlogisi!
PRAY as if everything depended on HIM. ACT as if everything depended on YOU.
http://www.tlig.org/en/messages/
Daily Mass and Gospel Meditation Broadcast (Tagalog) thru DWXI (5am Phil Time), pls click this link: http://www.eradioportal.com/index.php?p=2&aid=1&sid=62
Oct 6, 2009 - Tuesday Meditation (Enthrone Jesus in the Altar of Our Hearts!)
The altar is more than a wooden, bamboo or stone structure found in many churches globally. For most of us, everyday, the altar is composed of the multitude of encounters we have with people, with the Christ in each of them.
Tuesday in the 27th Week in Ordinary Time
Jonah 3:1-10
Psalm 130:1b-2, 3-4ab, 7-8
Luke 10:38-42 Now as they went on their way, he entered a village; and a woman named Martha received him into her house. 39 And she had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord's feet and listened to his teaching. 40 But Martha was distracted with much serving; and she went to him and said, "Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me to serve alone? Tell her then to help me." 41 But the Lord answered her, "Martha, Martha, you are anxious and troubled about many things; 42 one thing is needful. Mary has chosen the good portion, which shall not be taken away from her."
Meditation by Elizabeth Furlong
When I reflect on Luke’s Gospel Reading of today, I imagine myself in the position of two of the individuals –Martha and Mary. I think that most of you who are reading this reflection have read, reflected, and known this Gospel story for all your lives. For me, every time I read or heard it, I’ve always immediately imagined myself in the Martha role. I would think – “…but someone has to do the work. Someone has to do the concrete tasks of hospitality. Someone has to do the cooking, the carrying of water, the housecleaning, etc.” And, I would continue reflecting, “Given Christ’s response, is this a fair distribution of time and energy?”
For this writing, I imagined myself as Mary. And, perhaps, for the first time, I recognized and came to really value the greater gift of hospitality she was transmitting. She was present. She was in the moment. She was engaged. She was being, not doing.
This Gospel Reading has such a strong message for us in late 2009 in this technology world where there are too many cell phones, Blackberries, I-pods, and many more devices that are barriers to each of us “being in the moment with the other.” Many of you, as you read this, can instantly visualize the numbers of meetings you attend where professional adults are busy sending or checking their latest email. For those of us who teach, we know the classroom world of students behind computer screens and with their texting devices. We eat in restaurants and watch a table of four people conversing – not with each other but each talking to someone else on their cell phone. And, the list continues of not being present to the other in the moment.
During our early morning coffee times with certain friends, Chuck frequently talks about the importance of ‘being present’ and of the many altars in life where we find Christ. The altar is more than a wooden, bamboo or stone structure found in many churches globally. For most of us, everyday, the altar is composed of the multitude of encounters we have with people, with the Christ in each of them. Chuck told a story of his ‘being present’ with a stranger as they waited for a law office to open and the difference it made in both of their lives. Courtney told of ‘being present’ with a patient bleeding to death. They both understood and practiced hospitality and the ability to recognize altars in their daily lives where Christ is.
Today, will you be Martha or Mary? Will you be engaged, present, and in the moment with others? Tonight, as you do a reflection of how your day went, which altars will you have been at?
Supplementary Reading
TRuE fAITH
“They may look and not see, and hear but not understand.” – Luke 8:10
It annoys me whenever I talk to someone and he looks like he’s listening intently, only to hear him say later, “I’m sorry, what were you saying again? I got distracted and I was not really paying much attention.”
But many times, that’s how we are with God.
Our faith is put into practice when we live out the teachings of Christ. Problem is, many of us go to church without really knowing and understanding what our faith is about. We often get involved in various community services and church activities but we lack knowledge and proper understanding of the doctrines of the Church. This is one of the reasons why we get easily swayed and begin to doubt our faith.
God is challenging us today: it’s not how often we go to church but how we understand its teachings and live it out.Jane Gonzales
REFLECTION:
Do we take time out to learn more about our faith so we may be ready to defend it anytime it is put to the test?
Heavenly Father, create in me a real hunger for Your truth that I may continue to learn more about You each and every day. Amen.
For meditation/readings of the previous days/months , please click any of the following links:
http://his-ways-better-than-our-ways.blogspot.com/
http://www.mabuhayradio.com/sections/the-daily-bread.html
http://butuanglobalforum.org/cgi-bin/dboard/YaBB.pl?num=1229339492/220
GOD BLESS US ALL!
O Theos Na Mas Evlogisi!
PRAY as if everything depended on HIM. ACT as if everything depended on YOU.
http://www.tlig.org/en/messages/
Daily Mass and Gospel Meditation Broadcast (Tagalog) thru DWXI (5am Phil Time), pls click this link: http://www.eradioportal.com/index.php?p=2&aid=1&sid=62
Tuesday in the 27th Week in Ordinary Time
Jonah 3:1-10
Psalm 130:1b-2, 3-4ab, 7-8
Luke 10:38-42 Now as they went on their way, he entered a village; and a woman named Martha received him into her house. 39 And she had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord's feet and listened to his teaching. 40 But Martha was distracted with much serving; and she went to him and said, "Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me to serve alone? Tell her then to help me." 41 But the Lord answered her, "Martha, Martha, you are anxious and troubled about many things; 42 one thing is needful. Mary has chosen the good portion, which shall not be taken away from her."
Meditation by Elizabeth Furlong
When I reflect on Luke’s Gospel Reading of today, I imagine myself in the position of two of the individuals –Martha and Mary. I think that most of you who are reading this reflection have read, reflected, and known this Gospel story for all your lives. For me, every time I read or heard it, I’ve always immediately imagined myself in the Martha role. I would think – “…but someone has to do the work. Someone has to do the concrete tasks of hospitality. Someone has to do the cooking, the carrying of water, the housecleaning, etc.” And, I would continue reflecting, “Given Christ’s response, is this a fair distribution of time and energy?”
For this writing, I imagined myself as Mary. And, perhaps, for the first time, I recognized and came to really value the greater gift of hospitality she was transmitting. She was present. She was in the moment. She was engaged. She was being, not doing.
This Gospel Reading has such a strong message for us in late 2009 in this technology world where there are too many cell phones, Blackberries, I-pods, and many more devices that are barriers to each of us “being in the moment with the other.” Many of you, as you read this, can instantly visualize the numbers of meetings you attend where professional adults are busy sending or checking their latest email. For those of us who teach, we know the classroom world of students behind computer screens and with their texting devices. We eat in restaurants and watch a table of four people conversing – not with each other but each talking to someone else on their cell phone. And, the list continues of not being present to the other in the moment.
During our early morning coffee times with certain friends, Chuck frequently talks about the importance of ‘being present’ and of the many altars in life where we find Christ. The altar is more than a wooden, bamboo or stone structure found in many churches globally. For most of us, everyday, the altar is composed of the multitude of encounters we have with people, with the Christ in each of them. Chuck told a story of his ‘being present’ with a stranger as they waited for a law office to open and the difference it made in both of their lives. Courtney told of ‘being present’ with a patient bleeding to death. They both understood and practiced hospitality and the ability to recognize altars in their daily lives where Christ is.
Today, will you be Martha or Mary? Will you be engaged, present, and in the moment with others? Tonight, as you do a reflection of how your day went, which altars will you have been at?
Supplementary Reading
TRuE fAITH
“They may look and not see, and hear but not understand.” – Luke 8:10
It annoys me whenever I talk to someone and he looks like he’s listening intently, only to hear him say later, “I’m sorry, what were you saying again? I got distracted and I was not really paying much attention.”
But many times, that’s how we are with God.
Our faith is put into practice when we live out the teachings of Christ. Problem is, many of us go to church without really knowing and understanding what our faith is about. We often get involved in various community services and church activities but we lack knowledge and proper understanding of the doctrines of the Church. This is one of the reasons why we get easily swayed and begin to doubt our faith.
God is challenging us today: it’s not how often we go to church but how we understand its teachings and live it out.Jane Gonzales
REFLECTION:
Do we take time out to learn more about our faith so we may be ready to defend it anytime it is put to the test?
Heavenly Father, create in me a real hunger for Your truth that I may continue to learn more about You each and every day. Amen.
For meditation/readings of the previous days/months , please click any of the following links:
http://his-ways-better-than-our-ways.blogspot.com/
http://www.mabuhayradio.com/sections/the-daily-bread.html
http://butuanglobalforum.org/cgi-bin/dboard/YaBB.pl?num=1229339492/220
GOD BLESS US ALL!
O Theos Na Mas Evlogisi!
PRAY as if everything depended on HIM. ACT as if everything depended on YOU.
http://www.tlig.org/en/messages/
Daily Mass and Gospel Meditation Broadcast (Tagalog) thru DWXI (5am Phil Time), pls click this link: http://www.eradioportal.com/index.php?p=2&aid=1&sid=62
Oct 5, 2009 - Monday Meditation (True Compassion)
True compassion not only identifies and emphathizes with the one who is in pain, but takes that pain on oneself in order to bring freedom and restoration. Jesus truly identified with our plight, and he took the burden of our sinful condition upon himself. He showed us the depths of God's love and compassion, by sharing in our suffering and by offering his life as an atoning sacrifice for our sins upon the cross.
Monday in the 27th Week in Ordinary Time
Jonah 1:1-2:2, 11
Jonah 2:3, 4, 5, 8
Luke 10:25-37 And behold, a lawyer stood up to put him to the test, saying, "Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?" 26 He said to him, "What is written in the law? How do you read?" 27 And he answered, "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength, and with all your mind; and your neighbor as yourself." 28 And he said to him, "You have answered right; do this, and you will live." 29 But he, desiring to justify himself, said to Jesus, "And who is my neighbor?" 30 Jesus replied, "A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and he fell among robbers, who stripped him and beat him, and departed, leaving him half dead. 31 Now by chance a priest was going down that road; and when he saw him he passed by on the other side. 32 So likewise a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. 33 But a Samaritan, as he journeyed, came to where he was; and when he saw him, he had compassion, 34 and went to him and bound up his wounds, pouring on oil and wine; then he set him on his own beast and brought him to an inn, and took care of him. 35 And the next day he took out two denarii and gave them to the innkeeper, saying, `Take care of him; and whatever more you spend, I will repay you when I come back.' 36 Which of these three, do you think, proved neighbor to the man who fell among the robbers?" 37 He said, "The one who showed mercy on him." And Jesus said to him, "Go and do likewise."
Meditation by Don Schwager
If God is all-loving and compassionate, then why is there so much suffering and evil in this world? Many agnostics refuse to believe in God because of this seemingly imponderable problem. If God is love then evil and suffering must be eliminated in all its forms. What is God's answer to this human dilemma? Jesus' parable about a highway robbery gives us a helpful hint. Jesus told this dramatic story in response to a devout Jew who wanted to understand how to apply God's great commandment of love to his everyday life circumstances. In so many words this religious-minded Jew said: "I want to love God as best as I can and I want to love my neighbor as well. But how do I know that I am fulfilling my duty to love my neighbor as myself?" Jesus must have smiled when he heard this man challenge him to explain one's duty towards their neighbor. For the Jewish believer the law of love was plain and simple: "treat your neighbor as you would treat yourself." The real issue for this believer was the correct definition of who is "my neighbor". He understood "neighbor" to mean one's fellow Jew who belonged to the same covenant which God made with the people of Israel. Up to a certain point, Jesus agreed with this sincere expert but, at the same time, he challenged him to see that God's view of neighbor went far beyond his narrow definition.
Jesus told a parable to show how wide God's love and mercy is towards every fellow human being. Jesus's story of a brutal highway robbery was all too familiar to his audience. The road from Jerusalem to Jericho went through a narrow winding valley surrounded by steep rocky cliffs. Many wealthy Jews from Jerusalem had winter homes in Jerico. This narrow highway was dangerous and notorious for its robbers who could easily ambush their victim and escape into the hills. No one in his right mind would think of traveling through this dangerous highway alone. It was far safer to travel with others for protection and defense.
So why did the religious leaders refuse to give any help when they saw a half-dead victim lying by the roadside? Didn't they recognize that this victim was their neighbor? And why did a Samaritan, an outsider who was despised by the Jews, treat this victim with special care at his own expense as he would care for his own family? Who was the real neighbor who showed brotherly compassion and mercy? Jesus makes the supposed villain, the despised Samaritan, the merciful one as an example for the status conscious Jews. Why didn't the priest and Levite stop to help? The priest probably didn't want to risk the possibility of ritual impurity. His piety got in the way of charity. The Levite approached close to the victim, but stopped short of actually helping him. Perhaps he feared that bandits were using a decoy to ambush him. The Levite put personal safety ahead of saving his neighbor.
What does Jesus' story tell us about true love for one's neighbor? First, we must be willing to help even if others brought trouble on themselves through their own fault or negligence. Second, our love and concern to help others in need must be practical. Good intentions and showing pity, or emphathizing with others, are not enough. And lastly, our love for others must be as wide and as inclusive as God's love. God excludes no one from his care and concern. God's love is unconditional. So we must be ready to do good to others for their sake, just as God is good to us. Jesus not only taught God's way of love, but he showed how far God was willing to go to share in our suffering and to restore us to wholeness of life and happiness. Jesus overcame sin, suffering, and death through his victory on the cross. His death brought us freedom from slavery to sin and the promise of everlasting life with God. He willingly shared in our suffering to bring us to the source of true healing and freedom from sin and oppression. True compassion not only identifies and emphathizes with the one who is in pain, but takes that pain on oneself in order to bring freedom and restoration. Jesus truly identified with our plight, and he took the burden of our sinful condition upon himself. He showed us the depths of God's love and compassion, by sharing in our suffering and by offering his life as an atoning sacrifice for our sins upon the cross. His suffering is redemptive because it brings us healing and restoration and the fulness of eternal life. God offers us true freedom from every form of oppression, sin, and suffering. And that way is through the cross of Jesus Christ. Are you ready to embrace the cross of Christ, to suffer for his sake, and to lay down your life out of love for your neighbor?
"Lord Jesus, may your love always be the foundation of my life. Free me from every fear and selfish-concern that I may freely give myself in loving service to others, even to the point of laying my life down for their sake."
Supplementary Reading
CoNfuSED By fEAR
“The Son of Man is to be handed over to men and they will kill him”… But they did not understand. – Mark 9:31-32
“I told you three times already. It’s even written on the board. Why did you not do as you were told?” Those are my bewildered words to my students who do not follow test instructions. I ask myself why they’d do a different thing even if all the directions were clear. And then it came to me that these students were those who were never in class even if they were present. They were not interested in the subject. They thought they had better things to do than to be in my class.
I wonder why the disciples never understood Jesus’ proclamation of His death. Surely, they were interested in Jesus. If not, they wouldn’t have given up many things to be His followers.
So what was the reason for their confusion? Fear. They knew that when Jesus’ prophecy comes true they’d be a part of His suffering.
Fear does that to us. Even if the truth is everywhere, fear blocks us from it. When Jesus prophesied about His death, He always said it with great faith. He knew that in the midst of fear, faith would triumph.
I believe that the disciples learned this afterwards, which is why we have the Church today. Arun Gogna
REFLECTION:
Is your faith greater than your fear?
Jesus, In the midst of my fears I entrust myself to Your loving embrace.
For meditation/readings of the previous days/months , please click any of the following links:
http://his-ways-better-than-our-ways.blogspot.com/
http://www.mabuhayradio.com/sections/the-daily-bread.html
http://butuanglobalforum.org/cgi-bin/dboard/YaBB.pl?num=1229339492/220
GOD BLESS US ALL!
O Theos Na Mas Evlogisi!
PRAY as if everything depended on HIM. ACT as if everything depended on YOU.
http://www.tlig.org/en/messages/
Daily Mass and Gospel Meditation Broadcast (Tagalog) thru DWXI (5am Phil Time), pls click this link: http://www.eradioportal.com/index.php?p=2&aid=1&sid=62
Monday in the 27th Week in Ordinary Time
Jonah 1:1-2:2, 11
Jonah 2:3, 4, 5, 8
Luke 10:25-37 And behold, a lawyer stood up to put him to the test, saying, "Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?" 26 He said to him, "What is written in the law? How do you read?" 27 And he answered, "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength, and with all your mind; and your neighbor as yourself." 28 And he said to him, "You have answered right; do this, and you will live." 29 But he, desiring to justify himself, said to Jesus, "And who is my neighbor?" 30 Jesus replied, "A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and he fell among robbers, who stripped him and beat him, and departed, leaving him half dead. 31 Now by chance a priest was going down that road; and when he saw him he passed by on the other side. 32 So likewise a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. 33 But a Samaritan, as he journeyed, came to where he was; and when he saw him, he had compassion, 34 and went to him and bound up his wounds, pouring on oil and wine; then he set him on his own beast and brought him to an inn, and took care of him. 35 And the next day he took out two denarii and gave them to the innkeeper, saying, `Take care of him; and whatever more you spend, I will repay you when I come back.' 36 Which of these three, do you think, proved neighbor to the man who fell among the robbers?" 37 He said, "The one who showed mercy on him." And Jesus said to him, "Go and do likewise."
Meditation by Don Schwager
If God is all-loving and compassionate, then why is there so much suffering and evil in this world? Many agnostics refuse to believe in God because of this seemingly imponderable problem. If God is love then evil and suffering must be eliminated in all its forms. What is God's answer to this human dilemma? Jesus' parable about a highway robbery gives us a helpful hint. Jesus told this dramatic story in response to a devout Jew who wanted to understand how to apply God's great commandment of love to his everyday life circumstances. In so many words this religious-minded Jew said: "I want to love God as best as I can and I want to love my neighbor as well. But how do I know that I am fulfilling my duty to love my neighbor as myself?" Jesus must have smiled when he heard this man challenge him to explain one's duty towards their neighbor. For the Jewish believer the law of love was plain and simple: "treat your neighbor as you would treat yourself." The real issue for this believer was the correct definition of who is "my neighbor". He understood "neighbor" to mean one's fellow Jew who belonged to the same covenant which God made with the people of Israel. Up to a certain point, Jesus agreed with this sincere expert but, at the same time, he challenged him to see that God's view of neighbor went far beyond his narrow definition.
Jesus told a parable to show how wide God's love and mercy is towards every fellow human being. Jesus's story of a brutal highway robbery was all too familiar to his audience. The road from Jerusalem to Jericho went through a narrow winding valley surrounded by steep rocky cliffs. Many wealthy Jews from Jerusalem had winter homes in Jerico. This narrow highway was dangerous and notorious for its robbers who could easily ambush their victim and escape into the hills. No one in his right mind would think of traveling through this dangerous highway alone. It was far safer to travel with others for protection and defense.
So why did the religious leaders refuse to give any help when they saw a half-dead victim lying by the roadside? Didn't they recognize that this victim was their neighbor? And why did a Samaritan, an outsider who was despised by the Jews, treat this victim with special care at his own expense as he would care for his own family? Who was the real neighbor who showed brotherly compassion and mercy? Jesus makes the supposed villain, the despised Samaritan, the merciful one as an example for the status conscious Jews. Why didn't the priest and Levite stop to help? The priest probably didn't want to risk the possibility of ritual impurity. His piety got in the way of charity. The Levite approached close to the victim, but stopped short of actually helping him. Perhaps he feared that bandits were using a decoy to ambush him. The Levite put personal safety ahead of saving his neighbor.
What does Jesus' story tell us about true love for one's neighbor? First, we must be willing to help even if others brought trouble on themselves through their own fault or negligence. Second, our love and concern to help others in need must be practical. Good intentions and showing pity, or emphathizing with others, are not enough. And lastly, our love for others must be as wide and as inclusive as God's love. God excludes no one from his care and concern. God's love is unconditional. So we must be ready to do good to others for their sake, just as God is good to us. Jesus not only taught God's way of love, but he showed how far God was willing to go to share in our suffering and to restore us to wholeness of life and happiness. Jesus overcame sin, suffering, and death through his victory on the cross. His death brought us freedom from slavery to sin and the promise of everlasting life with God. He willingly shared in our suffering to bring us to the source of true healing and freedom from sin and oppression. True compassion not only identifies and emphathizes with the one who is in pain, but takes that pain on oneself in order to bring freedom and restoration. Jesus truly identified with our plight, and he took the burden of our sinful condition upon himself. He showed us the depths of God's love and compassion, by sharing in our suffering and by offering his life as an atoning sacrifice for our sins upon the cross. His suffering is redemptive because it brings us healing and restoration and the fulness of eternal life. God offers us true freedom from every form of oppression, sin, and suffering. And that way is through the cross of Jesus Christ. Are you ready to embrace the cross of Christ, to suffer for his sake, and to lay down your life out of love for your neighbor?
"Lord Jesus, may your love always be the foundation of my life. Free me from every fear and selfish-concern that I may freely give myself in loving service to others, even to the point of laying my life down for their sake."
Supplementary Reading
CoNfuSED By fEAR
“The Son of Man is to be handed over to men and they will kill him”… But they did not understand. – Mark 9:31-32
“I told you three times already. It’s even written on the board. Why did you not do as you were told?” Those are my bewildered words to my students who do not follow test instructions. I ask myself why they’d do a different thing even if all the directions were clear. And then it came to me that these students were those who were never in class even if they were present. They were not interested in the subject. They thought they had better things to do than to be in my class.
I wonder why the disciples never understood Jesus’ proclamation of His death. Surely, they were interested in Jesus. If not, they wouldn’t have given up many things to be His followers.
So what was the reason for their confusion? Fear. They knew that when Jesus’ prophecy comes true they’d be a part of His suffering.
Fear does that to us. Even if the truth is everywhere, fear blocks us from it. When Jesus prophesied about His death, He always said it with great faith. He knew that in the midst of fear, faith would triumph.
I believe that the disciples learned this afterwards, which is why we have the Church today. Arun Gogna
REFLECTION:
Is your faith greater than your fear?
Jesus, In the midst of my fears I entrust myself to Your loving embrace.
For meditation/readings of the previous days/months , please click any of the following links:
http://his-ways-better-than-our-ways.blogspot.com/
http://www.mabuhayradio.com/sections/the-daily-bread.html
http://butuanglobalforum.org/cgi-bin/dboard/YaBB.pl?num=1229339492/220
GOD BLESS US ALL!
O Theos Na Mas Evlogisi!
PRAY as if everything depended on HIM. ACT as if everything depended on YOU.
http://www.tlig.org/en/messages/
Daily Mass and Gospel Meditation Broadcast (Tagalog) thru DWXI (5am Phil Time), pls click this link: http://www.eradioportal.com/index.php?p=2&aid=1&sid=62
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