Daily Reflections- June 28, 2012

WHAT WISE MEN SAY   That sounds like the beginning line of an old, old song, “Wise men say, only fools rush in...” Wise men utter wise aphorisms and quotable quotes. They keep us hanging on to their lips expecting more when they talk. But one most important thing about wise men is they build on rock, not on sand. In the school where I work, there is an old building that became part of the school two years ago. The first time I saw it, I was dismayed. It was filled with trash from floor to ceiling and electrical wirings jutted out like spaghetti from everywhere. But after we cleared the place, we realized we were wrong. The building was solid. Now, a library, a conference room, five classrooms, a mini-theater and our residence are all housed in what seemed to be a crumbling building just two years ago. It was built on rock. It was built on sound architectural design. It was built by a wise man. Today is a good time to think about getting some of that wisdom for ourselves. What does one do? Where does one begin? I suggest we begin by reflecting on what it is we are building now. Years ago, when I was doing my doctorate, I came across a study done on Grade 4 kids in Manila. When asked what their ambition in life was, an overwhelming majority of the entire cohort answered: “to go abroad.” That was their ambition. We don’t have to do another survey to know what we should already know. Many of our kids now want to make it big in showbiz, as is evident in the growing number of those who join talent shows and auditions. Shows like American Idolor their local Philippine versions hog primetime TV and are assured of millions of youthful devoted viewers. Young people would now go to any lengths just to make a pitch for stardom at so many inane and dehumanizing shows. Politicians are tripping all over themselves to become entertainers, and entertainers are all making a mad dash for “public service.” Could we be building on sand, and not on rock? Fr. Chito Dimaranan, SDB REFLECTION QUESTION: What is your life built on?   Lord Jesus, help me to build my life with Your Word as the foundation.

Daily Bible Readings - June 28, 2012

1^ST READING  

 

Most of the kings of Israel were lousy leaders and even worse role models when it came to morality. We cannot do anything about the immorality of others, other than to set a good example ourselves and pray for them. Jesus did not spend His time condemning those with whom He disagreed. He let people know His mind on the pertinent issues of the time and then got on with doing what He needed to do to remain faithful to the truth.

 

2 Kings 24:8-17

8 Jehoiachin was eighteen years old when he began to reign, and he reigned three months in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Nehushta, daughter of Elnathan of Jerusalem. 9 He did evil in the sight of the Lord, just as his forebears had done. 10 At that time the officials of  Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, attacked Jerusalem, and the city came under siege. 11 Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, himself arrived at the city while his servants were besieging it. 12 Then Jehoiachin, king of Judah, together with his mother, his ministers, officers, and functionaries, surrendered to the king of Babylon, who, in the eighth year of his reign, took him captive. 13 And he carried off all the treasures of the temple of the Lord and those of the palace, and broke up all the gold utensils that Solomon, king of Israel, had provided in the temple of the Lord, as the Lord had foretold. 14 He deported all Jerusalem: all the officers and men of the army, ten thousand in number, and all the craftsmen and smiths. None were left among the people of the land except the poor. 15 He deported Jehoiachin to Babylon, and also led captive from Jerusalem to Babylon the king’s mother and wives, his functionaries, and the chief men of the land. 16 The king of Babylon also led captive to Babylon all seven thousand men of the army, and a thousand craftsmen and smiths, all of them trained soldiers. 17 In place of Jehoiachin, the king of Babylon appointed his uncle Mattaniah king, and changed his name to Zedekiah.

 

P S A L M

 

Psalm 79:1-2, 3-5, 8, 9

R: For the glory of your name, O Lord, deliver us.

1 O God, the nations have come into your inheritance; they have defiled your holy temple, they have laid Jerusalem in ruins. 2 They have given the corpses of your servants as food to the birds of heaven, the flesh of your faithful ones to the beasts of the earth. (R) 3 They have poured out their blood like water round about Jerusalem, and there is no one to bury them. 4 We have become the reproach of our neighbors, the scornand derision of those around us. 5 O Lord, how long? Will you be angry forever? Will your jealousy burn like fire? (R) 8 Remember not against us the iniquities of the past; may your compassion quickly come to us, for we are brought very low. (R) 9 Help us, O God our savior, because of the glory of your name; deliver us and pardon our sins for your name’s sake. (R)

 

GOSPEL

 

Action — that is where the Christian life is always focused. A disciple of Jesus needs to know that actions speak louder than words and that it is through the way we live that we will do the most good for the Kingdom of God. Someone who encourages us to help others is doing a good thing, but those who actually get out and put this principle into action provide a far more powerful witness to the Gospel.

 

GOSPEL ACCLAMATION

Whoever loves me will keep my word, and my Father will love him and we will come to him.

 

Matthew 7:21-29

21 Jesus said to his disciples: “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the Kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father in heaven. 22 Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name? Did we not drive out demons in your name? Did we not do mighty deeds in your name?’ 23 Then I will declare to them solemnly, ‘I never knew you. Depart from me, you evildoers.’ 24 Everyone who listens to these words of mine and acts on them will be like a wise man who built his house on rock. 25 The rain fell, the floods came, and the winds blew and buffeted the house. But it did not collapse; it had been set solidly on rock. 26 And everyone who listens to these words of mine but does not act on them will be like a fool who built his house on sand. 27 The rain fell, the floods came, and the winds blew and buffeted the house. And it collapsed and was completely ruined.” 28 When Jesus finished these words, the crowds were astonished at his teaching, 29 for he taught them as one having authority, and not as their scribes.

1st READING 2nd READING

think: It is through the way we live our lives that we will do the most good for the Kingdom of God.

 

T O D A Y’S BLESSING LIST

Thank You Lord for: ____________________________________

 

_______________________________________________________

 

God’s special verse/thought for me today________________

_________________________________________________________

 

READ THE BIBLE IN ONE YEAR 1 Chronicles 19-21

Daily Reflections- June 27, 2012

A FRUIT DOES NOT FALL FAR FROM THE TREE

 

I have been doing counseling and therapy for a while now. I was introduced to it as a young seminary formator, just fresh from ordination. Up until now, I enjoy the side task of helping people find their way, in addition to my job as administrator of a school. In family systems-oriented therapy, counselors look not only at the intra-psychic issues of individuals, but at the family systems that may help breed or worsen such issues. And this, I can confidently say: the fruit does not fall too far from the tree.

In today’s Gospel passage, the Lord more or less says the same thing with a different twist. You can tell the tree by the fruit it bears. A good tree bears good fruit and a bad tree bears bad fruit. My grandparents, parents and many of my relatives were born farmers. Most of them had a green thumb. And they knew a good tree by the fruit it bore. All they did was either taste, smell, touch or see the fruit up close. And when it was good, they would keep the seeds and propagate them, even if they knew they no longer had time to enjoy their fruits. I remember a time in my childhood when papayas got blighted. Once juicy, luscious, sweet, humongous and delicious, they turned into insipid, small, pale and tasteless fruits that were not worth selling. The farmers just cut down the papaya trees and shifted to other crops that bore healthy fruits in plenty.

I know it sounds trite now by dint of repetition, but the thought is always valid. We are like trees. And what we produce, what we do, what we accomplish, all point to how good or how rotten a tree we are. Even good, old Forrest Gump, quoting his mother liberally, understood that “stupid is as stupid does.” Handsome is as handsome does. Forrest sure had a good mother — caring, loving and wise in her own way. For all his simplicity, Forrest became the sort of fruit that did not fall far from the tree. Fr. Chito Dimaranan, SDB

 

REFLECTION QUESTIONS: What kind of fruits do you think would fall from the tree of your life? Will they be good or bad?

 

Lord Jesus, You taught us that a good fruit falls from a good tree. Help us to become good trees.

Daily Bible Readings - June 27, 2012

1^ST READING

 

There is a little left of the magnificence of the Jewish religion than the Law. The Temple has been destroyed, many of the people are in exile and there is little hope in those who have remained behind. The Law will become the defining symbol of the Jewish faith from this time on. The Temple will be rebuilt a couple more times but it is the Law and those who interpret it authoritatively who will hold sway in the Jewish faith.  

 

2 Kings 22:8-13; 23:1-3

8 The high priest Hilkiah informed the scribe Shaphan, “I have found the book of the law in the temple of the Lord.” Hilkiah gave the book to Shaphan, who read it. 9 Then the scribe Shaphan went to the king and reported, “Your servants have smelted down the metals available in the temple and have consigned them to the master workmen in the temple of the Lord.” 10 The scribe Shaphan also informed the king that the priest Hilkiah had given him a book, and then read it aloud to the king. 11 When the king had heard the contents of the book of the law, he tore his garments 12 and issued this command to Hilkiah the priest, Ahikam, son of Shaphan, Achbor, son of Micaiah, the scribe Shaphan, and the king’s servant Asaiah:13 “Go, consult the Lord for me, for the people, for all Judah, about the stipulations of this book that has been found, for the anger of the Lord has been set furiously ablaze against us, because our fathers did not obey the stipulations of this book, nor fulfill our written obligations.” 23: 1 The king then had all the elders of Judah and of Jerusalem summoned together before him. 2 The king went up to the temple of the Lord with all the men of Judah and all the inhabitants of Jerusalem: priests, prophets, and all the people, small and great. He had the entire contents of the book of the covenant that had been found in the temple of the Lord, read out to them. 3 Standing by the column, the king made a covenant before the Lord that they would follow him and observe his ordinances, statutes and decrees with their whole hearts and souls, thus reviving the terms of the covenant which were written in this book. And all the people stood as participants in the covenant.

 

P S A L M

 

Psalm 119:33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 40

R: Teach me the way of your decrees, O Lord.

33 Instruct me, O Lord, in the way of your statutes, that I may exactly observe them. (R) 34 Give me discernment, that I may observe your law and keep it with all my heart. (R) 35 Lead me in the path of your commands, for in it I delight. (R) 36 Incline my heart to your decrees and not to gain. (R) 37 Turn away my eyes from seeing what is vain: by your way give me life. (R) 40 Behold, I long for your precepts; in your justice give me life. (R)

 

GOSPEL

 

Just because somebody says it does not mean that it is right, even if the majority happens to agree. Truth is not a democratic reality – it is rooted in the reality of men and women as beings created in the image and likeness of God. The Natural Law is the truth about our humanity inscribed in our nature as beings created in the image and likeness of God. It is true for all men and women of all time. There are no exceptions to it.

 

 

GOSPEL ACCLAMATION

Remain in me, as I remain in you, says the Lord; whoever remains in me will bear much fruit.

 

Matthew 7:15-20

15 Jesus said to his disciples: “Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but underneath are ravenous wolves. 16 By their fruits you will know them. Do people pick grapes from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? 17 Just so, every good tree bears good fruit, and a rotten tree bears bad fruit. 18 A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a rotten tree bear good fruit. 19 Every tree that does not bear good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire. 20 So by their fruits you will know them.” 1st READING 2nd READING

BLESSING

LIST

think: The Natural Law is the truth about our humanity inscribed in our nature as beings created in the image and likeness of God.

 

T O D A Y’S BLESSING LIST

Thank You Lord for: ____________________________________

 

_______________________________________________________

 

God’s special verse/thought for me today________________

_________________________________________________________

 

READ THE BIBLE IN ONE YEAR 1 Chronicles 16-18

Daily Reflections- June 26, 2012

BY THE ROAD LESS TRAVELED

 

I am old enough to remember what Avenida Rizal meant to many people back then. In the 60s, it was the place to be, where so-called first-run theatres were found, where the first escalator in the Philippines was ever installed, and where the closest thing to the current-day “mall” was found. Back then, everyone would think of going to Avenida to see a movie and have a good time eating siopao and mami. Everybody who was somebody would dutifully trek to Escolta to shop at Berg’s, among the first “department stores” that did not even boast of air-conditioning.

Most people flocked to Quiapo. That was the quintessential downtown for many people. A few brave souls, however, did not join the bandwagon, and passed through the less trodden paths that led to better deals, cheaper goods and surprise discoveries, as in Quezon Boulevard, Echague or Raon. Back when I was principal at a big school in Metro Manila just after the EDSA I revolution, I noticed that the kids didn’t want to bring packed lunches anymore. During field trips or excursions, many of them would rather bring money than lug Tupperwares filled with home-cooked meals. The road more traveled by all is always the popular choice, the “in” thing to do, the way of doing things like all the rest do. You veer off the beaten track and you are an odd ball. Do things differently from what the rest of the world expects, and you are ostracized. The world now pressures us to conform, not to be too different from others, to follow what is fashionable and chic. The culture of our times almost makes it impossible to individuate or to “differentiate” oneself.

But time and again, one gets to see individuals who go by the road less traveled. They are raras aves, rare birds who dare to be different, like John the Baptist. And this is what the Lord reminds us of today. He counsels us not to go by the well-beaten tracks of whatever is faddish or popular. He tells us basically that being a good Christian and a good follower of Christ entails taking the road less traveled by many. Fr. Chito Dimaranan, SDB

 

REFLECTION QUESTIONS: Do you easily conform to the ways of the majority? Or do you stand by your values and take the less popular road?

 

Lord Jesus, You called us to follow You. May nothing, not even the best enticements of the world and of relationships, distract me from following You.

 

Daily Bible Readings - June 26, 2012

1^ST READING

 

Isaiah prophesies the protection of Jerusalem against the might of the all-conquering Assyrian army. This prophecy flies in the face of conventional wisdom and yet Isaiah says otherwise and is vindicated. God is not beholden to the wisdom and power of men. God always acts according to His will. From this we should learn to seek the wisdom of God, first and foremost, when deciding on issues in our lives.

 

2 Kings 19:9-11, 14-21, 31-35, 36

9 Sennacherib, king of Assyria, sent envoys to Hezekiah with this message: 10 “Thus shall you say to Hezekiah, king of Judah: ‘Do not let your God on whom you rely deceive you by saying that Jerusalem will not be handed over to the king of Assyria. 11 You have heard what the kings of Assyria have done to all other countries: they doomed them! Will you, then, be saved?’” 14 Hezekiah took the letter from the hand of the messengers and read it; then he went up to the temple of the Lord, and spreading it out before him, 15 he prayed in the Lord’s presence: “O Lord, God of Israel, enthroned upon the cherubim! You alone are God over all the kingdoms of the earth. You have made the heavens and the earth. 16 Incline your ear, O Lord, and listen! Open your eyes, O Lord, and see! Hear the words of Sennacherib which he sent to taunt the living God. 17 Truly, O Lord, the kings of Assyria have laid waste the nations and their lands, 18 and cast their Gods into the fire; they destroyed them because they were not Gods, but the work of human hands, wood and stone. 19 Therefore, O Lord, our God, save us from the power of this man, that all the kingdoms of the earth may know that you alone, O Lord, are God.” 20 Then Isaiah, son of Amoz, sent this message to Hezekiah: “Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel, in answer to your prayer for help against Sennacherib, king of Assyria: I have listened! 21 This is the word the Lord has spoken concerning him: ” “She despises you, laughs you to scorn, the virgin daughter Zion! Behind you she wags her head, daughter Jerusalem. 31 For out of Jerusalem shall come a remnant, and from Mount Zion, survivors. The zeal of the Lord of hosts shall do this.’ 32 Therefore, thus says the Lord concerning the king of Assyria: ‘He shall not reach this city, nor shoot an arrow at it, nor come before it with a shield, nor cast up siege-works against it. 33 He shall return by the same way he came, without entering the city, says the Lord. 34 I will shield and save this city for my own sake, and for the sake of my servant David.’ ” 35 That night the angel of the Lord went forth and struck down one hundred and eighty-five thousand men in the Assyrian camp. 36 So Sennacherib, the king of Assyria, broke camp, and went back home to Nineveh.

 

P S A L M

 

Psalm 48:2-3, 3-4, 10-11

R: God upholds his city for ever.

1 [2] Great is the Lord and wholly to be praised in the city of our God. His holy mountain, 2 [3] fairest of heights, is the joy of all the earth. (R) Mount Zion, “the recesses of the North,” is the city of the great King. 3 [4] God is with her castles; renowned is he as a stronghold. (R) 9 [10] O God, we ponder your mercy within your temple. 10 [11] As your name, O God, so also your praise reaches to the ends of the earth. Of justice your right hand is full. (R)

 

GOSPEL

 

Young people today need to be given a challenge, to make a difference in their lives and to take up that challenge. No one learns anything by always choosing the easy path in life. The Church needs young people willing to take up the reins of battle and fight the good fight to the end. They will not be alone. The Church will be right behind them, helping them out with its wisdom and grace.

 

GOSPEL ACCLAMATION

I am the light of the world, says the Lord; whoever follows me will have the light of life.

 

Matthew 7:6, 12-14

6 Jesus said to his disciples: “Do not give what is holy to dogs, or throw your pearls before swine, lest they trample them underfoot, and turn and tear you to pieces. 12 “Do to others whatever you would have them do to you. This is the law and the prophets. 13 “Enter through the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the road broad that leads to destruction, and those who enter through it are many. 14 How narrow the gate and constricted the road that leads to life. And those who find it are few.”

READING 2nd READING

GOSPEL PSALM

think: We should learn to seek the wisdom of God, first and foremost, when deciding on issues in our lives.

 

T O D A Y’S BLESSING LIST

Thank You Lord for: ____________________________________

 

_______________________________________________________

 

God’s special verse/thought for me today________________

_________________________________________________________

 

READ THE BIBLE IN ONE YEAR 1 Chronicles 13-15

Daily Reflections- June 25, 2012

BELIEVING AND BELONGING

 

I know I have written a reflection on these twin words either in this publication or in one of my blogs. I alluded to it in passing in yesterday’s entry. Today, I’d like to throw in a few more thoughts on the issue. I start by stating what seems obvious in the First Reading. God is displeased, humanly speaking, on account of what the people did. Simply put, they betrayed Him, the true God. They experimented with other gods their tormentor neighbors worshiped. They stopped believing, and their belonging to the true fold was compromised.

We live in a pluralistic world. We move in a world filled with a multiplicity of choices. We are surrounded by so many disparate groupings. Even the legislative branch of government is populated by cause-oriented groups who have been given seats by the Constitution. Each one of those groupings espouses and pushes their own agenda. Nowhere is this fragmentation and polarization made more visible than in last year’s debacle with regard to the superficially sanitized issue on reproductive health.

The issue has definitely divided the nation, at times even bitterly. Years of soft liberal “Catholic” education have watered down doctrine, and has effectively muffled the voice of a living, teaching Church, the only institution left in all the world that really stands for the total good and inviolable dignity of the human person, born or unborn.

It is all too easy for us now who live in a world of infinite choices to choose also what to believe and where to belong. But faith in God entails faith and credence in the Church that is Christ’s mystical body. One cannot call on God as Father unless he or she has the Church as mother. One cannot claim he or she believes and yet at the same time not belong — fully, truly, sincerely. Faith cannot be reduced to shallow oceanic feelings that make no demands whatsoever in our personal and societal lives. We need to have both sound personal and social ethics. We need to be attuned to the same teachings and attached to the same teaching Church. Fr. Chito Dimaranan, SDB

 

REFLECTION QUESTIONS: Do you believe and belong to the Catholic fold? Or do you believe but do not belong?

 

Lord Jesus, grant me the grace to accept and submit to the teachings of the Catholic Church so that I may truly belong to Your Body.

 

Daily Bible Readings - June 25, 2012

1^ST READING

 

Religious life in Israel was a shambles. It had degenerated into a multitude of differing practices that resembled little system of religion or belief. It started with Solomon’s practice of welcoming the worship of the deities of his many wives to the point that virtually anything and everything was acceptable to one degree or another. A similar argument could be made of Western pluralism today. Where do we stand in the midst of the competing value systems of today?

 

2 Kings 17:5-8, 13-15, 18

5 Shalmaneser, the king of Assyria, occupied the whole land and attacked Samaria, which he besieged for three years. 6 In the ninth year of Hoshea, king of Israel the king of Assyria took Samaria, and deported the children of Israel to Assyria, settling them in Halah, at the Habor, a river of Gozan, and the cities of the Medes. 7 This came about because the children of Israel sinned against the Lord, their God, who had brought them up from the land of Egypt, from under the domination of Pharaoh, king of Egypt, and because they venerated other Gods. 8 They followed the rites of the nations whom the Lord had cleared out of the way of the children of Israel and the kings of Israel whom they set up. 13 And though the Lord warned Israel and Judah by every prophet and seer, “Give up your evil ways and keep my commandments and statutes, in accordance with the entire law which I enjoined on your fathers and which I sent you by my servants the prophets,” 14 they did not listen, but were as stiff-necked as their fathers, who had not believed in the Lord, their God. 15 They rejected his statutes,

the covenant which he had made with their fathers, and the warnings which he had given them, 18 till, in his great anger against Israel, the Lord put them away out of his sight. Only the tribe of Judah was left.

 

P S A L M

 

Psalm 60:3, 4-5, 12-13

R: Help us with your right hand, O Lord, and answer us.

1 [3] O God, you have rejected us and broken our defenses; you have been angry; rally us! (R) 2 [4] You have rocked the country and split it open; repair the cracks in it, for it is tottering. 3 [5] You have made your people feel hardships; you have given us stupefying wine. (R) 10 [12] Have not you, O God, rejected us, so that you go not forth, O God, with our armies? 11 [13] Give us aid against the foe, for worthless is the help of men. (R)

 

GOSPEL

 

Sin has a way of clouding our judgment. We have all probably experienced this. It is easier to do a sin a second time than the first if both were at least somewhat reflected  decisions. Let us not allow our minds and hearts to be clouded by our own sins and the sins of the world. This is why we need to submit to the guidance of the Church on faith and morals and allow our consciences to be formed by the teaching of the Church’s Magisterium.

 

GOSPEL ACCLAMATION

The word of God is living and effective, able to discern reflections and thoughts of the heart.

 

Matthew 7:1-5

1 Jesus said to his disciples: “Stop judging, that you may not be judged. 2 For as you judge, so will you be judged, and the measure with which you measure will be measured out to you. 3 Why do you notice the splinter in your brother’s eye, but do not perceive the wooden beam in your own eye? 4 How can you say to your brother, ‘Let me remove that splinter from your eye,’ while the wooden beam is in your eye? 5 You hypocrite, remove the wooden beam from your eye first; then you will see clearly to remove the splinter from your brother’s eye.”

 

think: Let us not allow our minds and hearts to be clouded by our own sins and the sins of the world.

 

T O D A Y’S BLESSING LIST

Thank You Lord for: ____________________________________

 

_______________________________________________________

 

God’s special verse/thought for me today________________

_________________________________________________________

 

READ THE BIBLE IN ONE YEAR 1 Chronicles 10-12

Daily Reflections- June 24, 2012

Solemnity of the Nativity of John the Baptist

 

FAITH MORE VALUABLE THAN GOLD

 

John the Baptist clearly had nothing much in terms of earthly possessions. Neither did he have much to eat. No, dieting had nothing to do with it, the kind we pampered postmoderns are wont to do. It was all about doing and behaving as one thought and believed. It had to do with “doing” that followed “being,” as one “appointed before he was born to be prophet to the nations.” The issue of divorce was a big issue last year. So was the divorce between sex and the call to life, and responsibility for unborn life. But there is one more insidious underlying divorce that I want to reflect on today – the divorce between faith and life, the seeping tendency to separate being from doing.

John the Baptist was great, first and foremost, for being the forerunner of the Messiah. He was called and sent to prepare the way of the Lord. But his greatness was heightened and affirmed by a lifestyle and behaviour that befitted his lofty mission. As precursor in the way of the Messiah, he knew whereof he spoke. Leveling roads and filling in potholes were not just figures of speech, good for publications like this. He walked his talk. And how!

This puts preachers like me to shame — the call to consistency, the so-called “unity of life” where faith and life meet at the crossroads of daily existence. But so are the rest of us who claim to be Catholics. One cannot lay claim to belong to the Church if one does not lay claim, too, to believing in the one faith, one Lord, one Baptism, one Church, and one God and Father of all!

The great divorce in our times has led to many disturbing consequences. Cafeteria Catholicism is one of them, or the tendency to choose what one wants to believe, or what one wants to follow and obey. John the Baptist has a lot to teach us today and every day of our lives. He talks about not only the way to follow — he shows us how. And he does so by living what he preached — living simply and frugally, for he deemed his faith more valuable than gold! Fr. Chito Dimaranan, SDB

 

REFLECTION QUESTION: Is there a divorce between what you believe in and how you live your life? Bridge that gap now.

 

Lord Jesus, grant me the courage and audacity of John the Baptist. Let me be not afraid, despite contradictions from the world, to live my faith as I should.

Daily Bible Readings - June 24, 2012

1^ST READING

 

Isaiah knows the power of the word. When the spoken word is a word of truth, it has a power beyond our understanding. Isaiah knows this and he is working at making his words even more powerful. We have the Gospel at our disposal, which is something far more powerful than what God gives Isaiah.

 

Isaiah 49:1-6

1 Hear me, O coastlands, listen, O distant peoples. The Lord called me from birth, from my mother’s womb he gave me my name. 2 He made of me a sharp-edged sword and concealed me in the shadow of his arm. He made me a polished arrow, in his quiver he hid me. 3 You are my servant, he said to me, Israel, through whom I show my glory. 4 Though I thought I had toiled in vain, and for nothing, uselessly, spent my strength, yet my reward is with the Lord, my recompense is with my God. 5 For now the Lord has spoken who formed me as his servant from the womb, that Jacob may be brought back to him and Israel gathered to him; and I am made glorious in the sight of the Lord, and my God is now my strength! 6 It is too little, he says, for you to be my servant, to raise up the tribes of Jacob, and restore the survivors of Israel; I will make you a light to the nations, that my salvation may reach to the ends of the earth.

 

P S A L M

 

Psalm 139:1-3, 13-14, 14-15

R: I praise you for I am wonderfully made.

1 O Lord, you have probed me and you know me: 2 you know when I sit and when I stand; you understand my thoughts from afar. 3 My journeys and my rest you scrutinize, with all my ways you are familiar. (R) 13 Truly you have formed my inmost being; you knit me in my mother’s womb. 14 I give you thanks that I am fearfully, wonderfully made; wonderful are your works. (R) My soul also you knew full well; 15 nor was my frame unknown to you when I was made in secret, when I was fashioned in the depths of the earth. (R)

 

2^ND READING

 

John the Baptist is also very aware of the power of the truth. In almost all the texts that deal with John the Baptist and Jesus, we find that John always sticks to the truth that Jesus is greater than he is and that we need to focus on what Jesus has to say. Let us carefully examine all the things Jesus has to say in the Gospels to try and discern what we should focus on to be faithful in proclaiming the Gospel to the ends of the earth.

 

Acts 13:22-26

22 In those days, Paul said: “God raised up David as their king; of him he testified, ‘I have found David, son of Jesse, a man after my own heart; he will carry out my every wish.’ 23 From this man’s descendants God, according to his promise, has brought to Israel a savior, Jesus. 24 John heralded his coming by proclaiming a baptism of repentance to all the people of Israel; 25 and as John was completing his course, he would say, ‘What do you suppose that I am? I am not he. Behold, one is coming after me; I am not worthy to unfasten the sandals of his feet.’ 26 My brothers, children of the family of Abraham, and those others among you who are God-fearing, to us this word of salvation has been sent.”

 

GOSPEL

 

Zechariah obediently names his son John. This shift from tradition is something that should catch our attention, and thus, we should look at the person of John a little more closely than we would have otherwise. John becomes the forerunner of Jesus and prepares the way for the proclamation and ministry of the Gospel. John preceded Jesus; we follow him. Let us pray we do as well as John did.

 

GOSPEL ACCLAMATION

You, child, will be called prophet of the Most High, for you will go before the Lord to prepare his way.

 

Luke 1:57-66, 80

57 When the time arrived for Elizabeth to have her child she gave birth to a son. 58 Her neighbors and relatives heard that the Lord had shown his great mercy toward her, and they rejoiced with her. 59 When they came on the eighth day to circumcise the child, they were going to call him Zechariah after his father, 60 but his mother said in reply, “No. He will be called John.” 61 But they answered her, “There is no one among your relatives who has this name.” 62 So they made signs, asking his father what he wished him to be called. 63 He asked for a tablet and wrote, “John is his name,” and all were amazed. 64 Immediately his mouth was opened, his tongue freed, and he spoke blessing God. 65 Then fear came upon all their neighbors, and all these matters were discussed throughout the hill country of Judea. 66 All who heard these things took them to heart, saying, “What, then, will this child be?” For surely the hand of the Lord was with him. 80 The child grew and became strong in spirit, and he was in the desert until the day of his manifestation to Israel. 1st READING 2nd READING

GOSPEL PSALM

TODAY’S

BLESSING

LIST

think: John preceded Jesus; we follow him. Let us pray we do as well as John did.

T O D A Y’S BLESSING LIST

Thank You Lord for: ____________________________________

 

_______________________________________________________

 

God’s special verse/thought for me today________________

_________________________________________________________

 

READ THE BIBLE IN ONE YEAR 1 Chronicles 7-9

                                                                                                 SABBATH PAUSE

My weekly time with God

THANK YOU LIST

Things to be grateful for from the past week

________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________

SPECIAL NEEDS

Things to ask God for in the coming week

________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________

HIDDEN TREASURE

Most important word God told me this week

________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________ 

 

 

Daily Reflections- June 23, 2012

SEEK FIRST THE KINGDOM OF GOD

 

Today’s Gospel reminds us to seek first the kingdom of God and to trust that everything else, in its own time, will follow. What does this really mean?

For me, it is a call to know and act upon what is important in my life, and there is nothing more important than my relationship with God. It is my relationship with God that helps me to know where I should place my priorities in life. The Gospel clearly states that this is working towards the gift of eternal life. This makes a lot of sense as it is difficult to see how there could be anything more important than eternity. Sure, there are things in this life that can seem very important, and indeed are so, but even these must be sought within the context of eternal life.

It can be helpful to reflect on the lives of saints as they stand as models of integrity and faith. Perhaps St. Maximilian Kolbe is the best example of a saint that depicts the tension between the good things of this world and those of the next. He chooses to offer his life in place of another prisoner picked out for execution because the latter had a wife and children and had more to live for in this life than he, a priest, who had no other real responsibilities of this kind. The miracle is that not only did the other prisoner survive detention in the concentration camp — he was reunited with his family and lived long enough to be present at the beatification, as well as the canonization of Maximilian Kolbe.

Kolbe is an extraordinary response to the call to place our focus on the Kingdom of God over and above everything else in the world. He literally demonstrates and imitates the words of Jesus, that there is no greater love than for a person to lay down one’s life for another (John 15). Kolbe had made the decision that the most important value for him was his relationship with God, and hence, the promise of eternity with God in heaven. Everything else, including life here on earth, paled in significance to this promise. Fr. Steve Tynan, MGL

 

REFLECTION QUESTION: How strongly do you allow the promise of eternal life to be the guide of the choices you make in this life?

 

Holy Spirit, help me to believe and trust in the promises of God. Help me to build my life and the choices I make within the context of these promises.

 

Daily Bible Readings - June 23, 2012

1^ST READING

 

I was watching a TV series the other day and one of the protagonists stated that all wars are criminal actions. When we look at all the things that go on in wars — executions, the death of non-combatants, etc. — we can see where such a sentiment is coming from. We may have been able to sustain a just war doctrine when wars were conducted with swords and bows and arrows. This is

not the case today. How does a modern state defend itself? Perhaps it is time to take human rights seriously and not just give it lip service.

 

2 Chronicles 24:17-25

17 After the death of Jehoiada, the princes of Judah came and paid homage to the King Joash, and the king then listened to them. 18 They forsook the temple of the Lord, the God of their fathers, and began to serve the sacred poles and the idols; and because of this crime of theirs, wrath came upon Judah and Jerusalem. 19 Although prophets were sent to them to convert them to the Lord, the people would not listen to their warnings. 20 Then the spirit of God possessed Zechariah, son of Jehoiada the priest. He took his stand above the people and said to them: “God says, ‘Why are you transgressing the Lord’S commands, so that you cannot prosper? Because you have abandoned the Lord, he has abandoned you.’ ” 21 But they conspired against him, and at the king’s order they stoned him to death in the court of the Lord’s temple. 22 Thus King Joash was unmindful of the devotion shown him by Jehoiada, Zechariah’s father, and slew his son. And as Zechariah was dying, he said, “May the Lord see and avenge.” 23 At the turn of the year a force of Arameans came up against Joash. They invaded Judah and Jerusalem, did away with all the princes of the people, and sent all their spoil to the king of Damascus. 24 Though the Aramean force came with few men, the Lord surrendered a very large force into their power, because Judah had abandoned the Lord, the God of their fathers. So punishment was meted out to Joash. 25 After the Arameans had departed from him, leaving him in grievous suffering, his servants conspired against him because of the murder of the son of Jehoiada the priest. He was buried in the City of David, but not in the tombs of the kings.

 

P S A L M

 

Psalm 89:4-5, 29-30, 31-32, 33-34

R: Forever I will maintain my love for my servant.

3 [4] “I have made a covenant with my chosen one, I have sworn to David my servant: 4 [5] Forever will I confirm your posterity and establish your throne for all generations.” (R) 28 [29] “Forever I will maintain my kindness toward him, and my covenant with him stands firm. 29 [30] I will make his posterity endure forever and his throne as the days of heaven.” (R) 30 [31] “If his sons forsake my law and walk not according to my ordinances, 31 [32] if they violate my statutes and keep not my commands.” (R) 32 [33] I will punish their crime with a rod and their guilt with stripes. 33 [34] Yet my mercy I will not take from him, nor will I belie my faithfulness.” (R)

 

GOSPEL

 

Serving God or serving money is a choice we all have to make at certain times in our lives. Sometimes we have to ensure our material future because without doing this we will waste away and die. We cannot serve God here on earth if we are dead. The text is really referring to an over-focus on the pursuit of money and wealth. It is passing away and we will not need any of it when we get to heaven.

 

GOSPEL ACCLAMATION

Jesus Christ became poor although He was rich, so that by His poverty you might become rich.

 

Matthew 6:24-34

24 Jesus said to his disciples: “No one can serve two masters. He will either hate one and love the other, or be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon. 25 “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink, or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing? 26 Look at the birds in the sky; they do not sow or reap, they gather nothing into barns, yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are not you more important than they? 27 Can any of you by worrying add a single moment to your life-span? 28 Why are you anxious about clothes? Learn from the way the wild flowers grow. They do not work or spin. 29 But I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was clothed like one of them. 30 If God so clothes the grass of the field, which grows today and is thrown into the oven tomorrow, will he not much more provide for you, O you of little faith? 31 So do not worry and say, ‘What are we to eat?’ or ‘What are we to drink?’ or ‘What are we to wear?’ 32 All these things the pagans seek. Your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. 33 But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be given you besides. 34 Do not worry about tomorrow; tomorrow will take care of itself. Sufficient for a day is its own evil.”

1st READING 2nd READING

GOSPEL PSALM

think: Serving God or serving money is a choice we all have to make at certain times in our lives.

 

T O D A Y’S BLESSING LIST

Thank You Lord for: ____________________________________

 

_______________________________________________________

 

God’s special verse/thought for me today________________

_________________________________________________________

 

READ THE BIBLE IN ONE YEAR 1 Chronicles 4-6