6TH WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME
Psalter: Week 2 / (Green)
Ps 116:12-13, 14-15, 18-19
To you, Lord, I will offer a sacrifice of praise.
1st Reading: Gen 8:6-13, 20-22
At the end of the forty days Noah opened the window of the ark that he had built and let the raven out. This went off and kept flying to and fro until the waters had dried up from the earth.
Then Noah let out the dove to see if the waters were receding from the earth. But the dove could not find a place to set its foot and flew back to him in the ark for the waters still covered the surface of the whole earth. So Noah stretched out his hand, took hold of it and brought it back to himself in the ark. He waited some more days and again sent the dove out from the ark. This time the dove came back to him in the evening with a fresh olive branch in its beak.
Then Noah knew the waters had receded from the earth. He waited seven more days and let the dove loose, but it did not return to him anymore.
In the year six hundred and one, in the first month, on the first day of the month, the waters dried up from the earth. Noah then removed the covering from the ark and looked out and saw that the surface of the earth was dry.
Noah built an altar to Yahweh and, taking some of all the clean animals and all the clean birds, he offered burnt offerings on it. Yahweh smelled the pleasing aroma and said to himself: “Never again will I curse the earth because of man, even though his heart is set on evil from childhood; never again will I strike down every living creature as I have done.
As long as the earth lasts, seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, day and night, shall not cease to be.“
Gospel: Mk 8:22-26
When they came to Bethsaida, Jesus was asked to touch a blind man who was brought to him. He took the blind man by the hand and led him outside the village. When he had put spittle on his eyes and laid his hands upon him, he asked, “Can you see anything?“ The man, who was beginning to see, replied, “I see people! They look like trees, but they move around.“ Then Jesus laid his hands on his eyes again and the man could see perfectly. His sight was restored and he could see everything clearly.
Then Jesus sent him home, saying, “Do not return to the village.“
REFLECTION:
Our God of Peace
We are blessed with a Pope who has consistently taught us the fundamental character of our God, namely: Our God is first and foremost a God who forgives, a God who always takes the initiative in restoring order, in giving us Peace! Such is the key message of our first reading today. Noah is given the good news that God would understand human weakness and will henceforth be merciful to man. This reminds us of the first prayer of Jesus on the cross “Father, forgive them for they do not know what they are doing.“
The dove of peace with the olive branch, the universal symbol of peace, brings to the broken world of man the good news we are reminded at Christmastime through the song of the cherubim “Glory to God in the Highest and Peace to men of good will!“ Our God is a God of peace who is always ready to extend his hands (even on the cross) so that there could be peace.
We are called today then, to extend our hands and offer peace to our brothers and sisters. It is not always easy to extend the hand of peace to one who has hurt us. But our God has shown us the way. Christ, our peace, invites us to be merciful for we all are in need of God’s mercy. Brothers and sisters, who is the one person you need to give an olive branch to today?
Daily Reflection
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Biblical Texts are taken from Christian Community Bible, Catholic Pastoral Edition (57th Edition) The New English Translation for the ROMAN MISSAL
With permission from the EPISCOPAL COMMISION ON LITURGY of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines
Readings and Reflections
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