Daily Reflection | Gospel Reading | RVA

FEAST OF ST. LUKE, EVANGELIST
Psalter: Proper / (Red)

Ps 145:10-11, 12-13, 17-18
Your friends make known, O Lord, the glorious splendor of your Kingdom.

1^st Reading: 2 Tim 4:10-17b

You must know, that Demas has deserted me, for the love of this world: he returned to Thessalonica. Crescens has gone to Galatia and Titus to Dalmatia. Only Luke remains with me. Get Mark and bring him with you, for he is a useful helper in my work. I sent Tychicus to Ephesus.

Bring with you the cloak I left at Troas, in Carpos’ house, and also the scrolls, especially the parchments. Alexander, the metalworker, has caused me great harm. The Lord will repay him for what he has done. Distrust him, for he has been very much opposed to our preaching.

At my first hearing in court, no one supported me; all deserted me. May the Lord not hold it against them. But the Lord was at my side, giving me strength, to proclaim the word fully, and let all the pagans hear it. So I was rescued from the lion’s mouth.

Gospel: Lk 10:1-9

 After this, the Lord appointed seventy-two other disciples, and sent them, two by two, ahead of him, to every town and place, where he himself was to go. And he said to them, “The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. So you must ask the Lord of the harvest to send workers to his harvest. Courage! I am sending you like lambs among wolves. Set off without purse or bag or sandals; and do not stop at the homes of those you know.

 “Whatever house you enter, first bless them, saying, ‘Peace to this house!’ If a friend of peace lives there, the peace shall rest upon that person. But if not, the blessing will return to you. Stay in that house, eating and drinking at their table, for the worker deserves to be paid. Do not move from house to house.

“When they welcome you to any town, eat what they offer you. Heal the sick who are there, and say to them: ‘The kingdom of God has drawn near to you.’“

Reflections

What is the significance of Jesus appointing seventy disciples to the ministry of the word? Seventy was a significant number in biblical times. Moses chose seventy elders to help him in the task of leading the people through the wilderness. The Jewish Sanhedrin, the governing council for the nation of Israel, was composed of seventy members. In Jesus‘ times seventy was held to be the number of nations throughout the world. Jesus commissioned the seventy to continue the mission of proclaiming the Reign of God. Jesus gave them instructions on how they were to carry out their ministry. They must go and serve as men guided by charity and peace, and lead a simple lifestyle. They must give their full attention to the proclamation of God‘s kingdom and not be diverted by other lesser things. They must travel light — only take what was essential and leave behind whatever would distract them — in order to concentrate on the task of speaking the word of God and heal those who are sick. They must do their work, not for what they can get out of it, but for what they can give freely to others, without expecting special privileges or reward. Simplicity of heart and having limited material resources help them to be less concerned about greed and possessions and make ample room for God‘s providence. The Lord wants his disciples to be dependent on him and not on themselves. Jesus ends his instructions with a warning: If people reject God‘s invitation and refuse his word, then they bring condemnation on themselves. When God gives us his word there comes with it the great responsibility to respond. Indifference will not do. We are either for or against God in how we respond to his word. God gives us his word that we may have life in him. He wills to work through and in each of us for his mission. God shares the word with us and he commissions us to speak it boldly and simply to others. Do you witness the truth and joy of the gospel by word and example to those around you?

Daily Reflection 2018

Bible Diary ® is a product of Claretian Publications, a division of Claretian Communications Foundation, Inc. (CCFI) which is a pastoral endeavor of the Claretian Missionaries in the Philippines that brings the Word of God to people from all walks of life. CCFI aims to promote integral evangelization and renewed spirituality that is geared towards empowerment and total liberation in response to the needs and challenges of the Church today.

CCFI is a member of Claret Publishing Group, a consortium of the publishing houses of the Claretian Missionaries all over the world: Bangalore, Barcelona, Buenos Aires, Chennai, Colombo, Dar es Salaam, Lagos, Madrid, Macao, Manila, Owerry, São Paolo, Varsaw , Yaoundé.

Biblical Texts are taken from Christian Community Bible, Catholic Pastoral Edition (57^th 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

 

Bible Diary ® 2018
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Claretian Communications Foundation, Inc.
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Tel.: (63-2) 921-3984
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28TH WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME
St. Ignatius of Antioch, bishop & martyr
Psalter: Week 4 / (Red)

Ps 1:1-2, 3, 4 & 6
Those who follow you, Lord, will have the light of life.

1^st Reading: Gal 5:18-25

But when you are led by the Spirit you are not under the law.

You know what comes from the flesh: fornication, impurity and shamelessness, idol worship and sorcery, hatred, jealousy and violence, anger, ambition, division, factions, and envy, drunkenness, orgies and the like. I again say to you what I have already said: those who do these things shall not inherit the kingdom of God.

But the fruit of the Spirit is charity, joy and peace, patience, understanding of others, kindness and fidelity, gentleness and self-control. For such things there is no law or punishment. Those who belong to Christ have crucified the flesh with its vices and desires.

If we live by the Spirit, let us live in a spiritual way.

Gospel: Lk 11:42-46

 “A curse is on you, Pharisees! To the temple you give a tenth of all, including mint and rue and other herbs, but you neglect justice and the love of God. These ought to be practiced, without neglecting the other obligations. A curse is on you, Pharisees, for you love the best seats in the synagogues and to be greeted in the marketplace. A curse is on you, for you are like tombstones of the dead which can hardly be seen; people don’t notice them, and make themselves unclean by stepping on them.”

Then a teacher of the law spoke up and said, “Master, when you speak like this, you insult us, too.” And Jesus answered, “A curse is on you also, teachers of the law. For you prepare unbearable burdens and load them on the people, while you yourselves do not move a finger to help them.“

Reflections

Jesus criticizes the attitudes of the Pharisees for their scrupulous the observance of even the tiniest of regulations and forgetting what is truly essential - the justice and love of God. He reminds them that their attention is focused on seeking status than service. They expect people to look up to them and give them special honors because of their supposed higher level of religious observance. They expect to be given front seats in the synagogue and for people to greet them deferentially in the streets. People coming in contact with them are not aware that under the facade of piety inside they are really bearers of hypocrisy and greed. Religious authorities may find themselves guilty of the same sins. Pope Francis was clear about this temptation when he mentioned the “terrorism of gossip“ and the “pathology of power“ that afflict those who seek to enhance themselves above all else, and the “spiritual Alzheimer‘s“ that has made leaders of the Catholic church forget they are supposed to be joyful. But the clergy have no monopoly on this. Parents, too, can be guilty when they follow double standards, making one rule for themselves and another for their children… “Do as I say; don‘t do as I do.“ Pharisaism is alive and well in the Church and in our society but the first person I need to ask is whether I am guilty too, of, the same behavior.

Daily Reflection 2018

Bible Diary ® is a product of Claretian Publications, a division of Claretian Communications Foundation, Inc. (CCFI) which is a pastoral endeavor of the Claretian Missionaries in the Philippines that brings the Word of God to people from all walks of life. CCFI aims to promote integral evangelization and renewed spirituality that is geared towards empowerment and total liberation in response to the needs and challenges of the Church today.

CCFI is a member of Claret Publishing Group, a consortium of the publishing houses of the Claretian Missionaries all over the world: Bangalore, Barcelona, Buenos Aires, Chennai, Colombo, Dar es Salaam, Lagos, Madrid, Macao, Manila, Owerry, São Paolo, Varsaw , Yaoundé.

Biblical Texts are taken from Christian Community Bible, Catholic Pastoral Edition (57^th 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

 

Bible Diary ® 2018
Copyright © 2O17 
Claretian Communications Foundation, Inc.
U.P. P.O. Box 4, Diliman,
1101 Quezon City, Philippines
Tel.: (63-2) 921-3984
Fax: (6352) 921-7429
Email: ccfi@claretianpublicationscom
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Web: www.claretianph.com

28TH WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME
St. Hedwig, religious /
St. Margaret Mary Alacoque, virgin
Psalter: Week 4 / (Green/White)

Ps 119:41, 43, 44, 45, 47, 48
Let your mercy come to me, O Lord.

1^st Reading: Gal 5:1-6

Christ freed us, to make us really free. So remain firm, and do not submit, again, to the yoke of slavery. I, Paul, say this to you: if you receive circumcision, Christ can no longer help you. Once more, I say, to whoever receives circumcision: you are now bound to keep the whole law. All you, who pretend to become righteous through the observance of the law, have separated yourselves from Christ, and have fallen away from grace.

As for us, through the Spirit and faith, we eagerly wait for the hope of righteousness. In Christ Jesus, it is irrelevant, whether we be circumcised or not; what matters is, faith, working through love.

Gospel: Lk 11:37-41

 As Jesus was speaking, a Pharisee asked him to have a meal with him. So he went and sat at table. The Pharisee then wondered why Jesus did not first wash his hands before dinner. But the Lord said to him, “So then, you Pharisees, you clean the outside of the cup and the dish, but inside yourselves you are full of greed and evil. Fools! He who made the outside, also made the inside. But according to you, by the mere giving of alms everything is made clean.“

Reflections

He is invited to dinner by a Pharisee. Jesus apparently went straight into the dining area and reclined at the table prepared to eat. The Pharisee was quite shocked because Jesus had not first washed his hands before eating. Of course, we are strongly recommended to wash our hands before sitting down to eat. But here we are not dealing with a question of hygiene but of ritual washing. Jesus is deliberately making a more essential matter. A person‘s character is not to be judged by his performance or non-performance of an external rite. The host, a Pharisee was more interested in what is outside the cup while inside it is full of all kinds of selfish and evil intentions. God is as much, if not much more, concerned about the inner motivation than the external ones. Jesus suggests that they give alms to the poor and, when the inside is clean, there is no need to worry about the outside. Charitable acts are concrete gestures of kindness to another person; these are acts of love and mercy. Charity driven by mercy replaces the greed and envy in our hearts. It is not, like the washing of hands, a purely empty ritual which says little and is almost totally self-serving

Daily Reflection 2018

Bible Diary ® is a product of Claretian Publications, a division of Claretian Communications Foundation, Inc. (CCFI) which is a pastoral endeavor of the Claretian Missionaries in the Philippines that brings the Word of God to people from all walks of life. CCFI aims to promote integral evangelization and renewed spirituality that is geared towards empowerment and total liberation in response to the needs and challenges of the Church today.

CCFI is a member of Claret Publishing Group, a consortium of the publishing houses of the Claretian Missionaries all over the world: Bangalore, Barcelona, Buenos Aires, Chennai, Colombo, Dar es Salaam, Lagos, Madrid, Macao, Manila, Owerry, São Paolo, Varsaw , Yaoundé.

Biblical Texts are taken from Christian Community Bible, Catholic Pastoral Edition (57^th 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

 

Bible Diary ® 2018
Copyright © 2O17 
Claretian Communications Foundation, Inc.
U.P. P.O. Box 4, Diliman,
1101 Quezon City, Philippines
Tel.: (63-2) 921-3984
Fax: (6352) 921-7429
Email: ccfi@claretianpublicationscom
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Web: www.claretianph.com

28TH WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME
St. Teresa of Avila, virgin & doctor
Psalter: Week 4 / (White)

Ps 113:1b-2, 3-4, 5a & 6-7
Blessed be the name of the Lord forever.

1^st Reading: Gal 4:22-24, 26-27, 31—5:1

It says, that Abraham had two sons, one by a slave woman, the other by the free woman, his wife. The son of the slave woman was born in the ordinary way; but the son of the free woman was born in fulfillment of God’s promise. Here we have an allegory and the figures of two Covenants. The first is the one from Mount Sinai, represented through Hagar: her children have slavery for their lot.

But the Jerusalem above, who is our mother, is free. And Scripture says of her: Rejoice, barren woman without children, break forth in shouts of joy, you who do not know the pains of childbirth, for many shall be the children of the forsaken mother, more than of the married woman.

Brethren, we are not children of the slave woman, but of the free woman.

Christ freed us, to make us really free. So remain firm, and do not submit, again, to the yoke of slavery.

Gospel: Lk 11:29-32

 As the crowd increased, Jesus spoke the following words: “People of the present time are troubled people. They ask for a sign, but no sign will be given to them except the sign of Jonah. As Jonah became a sign for the people of Nineveh, so will the Son of Man be a sign for this generation. The Queen of the South will rise up on Judgment Day with the people of these times and accuse them, for she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon; and here, there is greater than Solomon. The people of Nineveh will rise up on Judgment Day with the people of these times and accuse them, for Jonah’s preaching made them turn from their sins, and here, there is greater than Jonah.“

Reflections

They ask for a sign, but no sign will be given to them

People are eager and curious to see signs and wonders from Jesus. They want proofs before any real commitment to following Jesus. Jesus refers them to the sign of Jonah. Jonah‘s being taken in the belly of a whale is a metaphor of inward journey, a necessary step to personal conversion. Jesus, like Jonah, is a call to repentance and radical conversion. And Jesus implies that many of his listeners are not ready or willing to hear that call. They want cheap grace and not arduous task of inner change. In fact, they don‘t need any signs; Jesus has been giving them an abundance of signs through his teaching and healing work. God doesn‘t accept superficial adherence to him. If adherence to him rests on the need for signs of wonder and power, then one‘s faith is shallow. True faith requires conversion. Following Jesus is a radical change of mind and heart.

Daily Reflection 2018

Bible Diary ® is a product of Claretian Publications, a division of Claretian Communications Foundation, Inc. (CCFI) which is a pastoral endeavor of the Claretian Missionaries in the Philippines that brings the Word of God to people from all walks of life. CCFI aims to promote integral evangelization and renewed spirituality that is geared towards empowerment and total liberation in response to the needs and challenges of the Church today.

CCFI is a member of Claret Publishing Group, a consortium of the publishing houses of the Claretian Missionaries all over the world: Bangalore, Barcelona, Buenos Aires, Chennai, Colombo, Dar es Salaam, Lagos, Madrid, Macao, Manila, Owerry, São Paolo, Varsaw , Yaoundé.

Biblical Texts are taken from Christian Community Bible, Catholic Pastoral Edition (57^th 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

 

Bible Diary ® 2018
Copyright © 2O17 
Claretian Communications Foundation, Inc.
U.P. P.O. Box 4, Diliman,
1101 Quezon City, Philippines
Tel.: (63-2) 921-3984
Fax: (6352) 921-7429
Email: ccfi@claretianpublicationscom
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Web: www.claretianph.com