18TH WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME
Blessed Virgin Mary
St. Clare, virgin
Psalter: Week 2 / (White)
Ps 9:8-9, 10-11, 12-13
You forsake not those who seek you, O Lord.
1st Reading: Hab 1:12—2:4
But you, are you not Yahweh from past ages? You, my holy God, you cannot die. You have set these people to serve your justice and you have made them firm as a rock, to fulfill your punishment.
I don’t look with favor on the one who gives way; the upright, on the other hand, will live by his faithfulness.”
Gospel: Mt 17:14-20
When they came to the crowd, a man approached Jesus, knelt before him and said, “Sir, have pity on my son, who is an epileptic and suffers terribly. He has often fallen into the fire, and at other times into the water. I brought him to your disciples but they could not heal him.”
Jesus replied, “O you people, faithless and misled! How long must I be with you? How long must I put up with you? Bring him here to me.” And Jesus commanded the evil spirit to leave the boy, and the boy was immediately healed.
Later, the disciples approached Jesus and asked him privately, “Why couldn’t we drive out the spirit?” Jesus said to them, “Because you have little faith. I say to you: if only you had faith the size of a mustard seed, you could tell that mountain to move from here to there, and the mountain would obey. Nothing would be impossible for you.
Reflections
You have little faith
Faith is our response to God’s revelation in Jesus Christ. It is not belief in the magical powers of a certain novena or devotion. It is not belief that if I pass on a certain prayer to others I will avoid tragedy or will receive a vast fortune miraculously.
Since God reveals himself in Jesus Christ, faith is the response and commitment of our entire personhood to the person of Jesus, which involves our heart, mind, will and way of life. Faith then is manifested in our commitment to and obedience to God and imitation of Jesus.
Daily Reflection 2018
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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
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