Daily Reflection | Gospel Reading | RVA

ANNUNCIATION OF THE LORD
Psalter: Proper / (White)

Ps 40:7-8a, 8b-9, 10, 11
Here am I, Lord; I come to do your will.

1^st Reading: Is 7:10-14; 8:10

Once again Yahweh addressed Ahaz, “Ask for a sign from Yahweh your God, let it come either from the deepest depths or from the heights of heaven.” But Ahaz answered, “I will not ask, I will not put Yahweh to the test.”

Then Isaiah said, “Now listen, descendants of David. Have you not been satisfied trying the patience of people, that you also try the patience of my God? Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The Virgin is with child and bears a son and calls his name Immanuel.

Devise a plan and it will be thwarted, make a resolve and it will not stand, for God-is-with-us.

2^nd Reading: Heb 10:4-10*

And never, will the blood of bulls and goats take away these sins. This is why, on entering the world, Christ says: You did not desire sacrifice and offering; you were not pleased with burnt offerings and sin offerings. Then I said: “Here I am. It was written of me in the scroll. I will do your will, O God.” (…)

Gospel: Lk 1:26-38

 In the sixth month, the angel Gabriel was sent from God, to a town of Galilee called Nazareth. He was sent to a virgin, who was betrothed to a man named Joseph, of the family of David; and the virgin’s name was Mary.

The angel came to her and said, “Rejoice, full of grace, the Lord is with you!” Mary was troubled at these words, wondering what this greeting could mean.

But the angel said, “Do not fear, Mary, for God has looked kindly on you. You shall conceive and bear a son; and you shall call him Jesus. He will be great, and shall rightly be called Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the kingdom of David, his ancestor; he will rule over the people of Jacob forever; and his reign shall have no end.”

Then Mary said to the angel, “How can this be, since I am a virgin?” And the angel said to her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore, the holy child to be born of you shall be called Son of God. Even your relative, Elizabeth, is expecting a son in her old age, although she was unable to have a child; and she is now in her sixth month. With God nothing is impossible.”

Then Mary said, “I am the handmaid of the Lord, let it be done to me as you have said.” And the angel left her.

Reflections

BE IT DONE UNTO ME ACCORDING TO YOUR WORD.

If we reflect on the context of these words of Mary, we are astounded how a young girl of about 15 or 16 could utter these words of total surrender and to what? To become an unwed mother. If now, there is so much shame felt by young teenage girls who find themselves in such a situation. What more in the time of Mary. Just to be a mother at 16 is a great burden, how much more if one would be judged to be an unwed mother. She could not even open up to Joseph. Joseph had to learn it from a dream. This total surrender of Mary at such a young age will be her permanent and constant attitude in the years to come. As we will see in the following years, she would experience things she could not understand – all related to her son and we read like a refrain: AND SHE KEPT ALL THESE IN HER HEART. So her whole life was a FIAT — BE IT DONE UNTO ME ACCORDING TO YOUR WORD. Mother Mary, pray that we, too, may be able to follow your example and say FIAT to the things that happen and will happen in our lives.

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
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2ND SUNDAY OF EASTER (Divine Mercy Sunday)
Psalter: Week 2 / (White)

Ps 118:2-4, 13-15, 22-24
Give thanks to the Lord for he is good,
his love is everlasting.

1^st Reading: Acts 4:32-35

The whole community of believers was one in heart and mind. No one claimed private ownership of any possessions; but rather, they shared all things in common. With great power, the apostles bore witness to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, for all of them were living in an exceptional time of grace.

There was no needy person among them, for those who owned land or houses sold them and brought the proceeds of the sale. And they laid it at the feet of the apostles, who distributed it, according to each one’s need.

2^nd Reading: 1 Jn 5:1-6

All those who believe that Jesus is the Anointed are born of God; whoever loves the Father, loves the Son. How may we know, that we love the children of God? If we love God and fulfill his commands, for God’s love requires us to keep his commands. In fact, his commandments are not a burden because all those born of God overcome the world. And the victory, which overcomes the world, is our faith. Who has overcome the world? The one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God.

Jesus Christ was acknowledged through water, but also through blood. Not only water, but water and blood. And the Spirit, too, witnesses to him, for the Spirit is truth.

Gospel: Jn 20:19-31

 On the evening of that day, the first day after the Sabbath, the doors were locked where the disciples were, because of their fear of the Jews. But Jesus came, and stood among them, and said to them, “Peace be with you!” Then he showed them his hands and his side. The disciples, seeing the Lord, were full of joy.

Again Jesus said to them, “Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, so I send you.” After saying this, he breathed on them, and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit! Those whose sins you forgive, they are forgiven; those whose sins you retain, they are retained.”

Thomas, the Twin, one of the Twelve, was not with them when Jesus came. The other disciples told him, “We have seen the Lord.” But he replied, “Until I have seen in his hands the print of the nails, and put my finger in the mark of the nails and my hand in his side, I will not believe.”

Eight days later, the disciples were again inside the house and Thomas was with them. Although the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood in their midst and said, “Peace be with you!” Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here, and see my hands; stretch out your hand, and put it into my side. Do not continue in your unbelief, but believe!”

Thomas said, “You are my Lord and my God.” Jesus replied, “You believe because you see me, don’t you? Happy are those who have not seen and yet have come to believe.”

There were many other signs that Jesus gave in the presence of his disciples, but they are not recorded in this book. These are recorded, so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God. Believe, and you will have life through his name!

Lectio Divina

Read: The Acts describe the “exceptional time of grace” among the first Christian community where everyone cared for everyone else. Tough act, but for those born of God, His commandments are not burdensome, but are spontaneous response to the gratuitous life Christ offers. The Risen Christ breathes the Holy Spirit on the apostles, and Thomas wins a personal favor from him.

Reflect: There is something about touch that the human beings long for. In the Garden of Eden, when the snake asked for details of God’s prohibitions, Eve responded: “You shall not eat of the fruit of the tree in the middle of the garden; nor shall you touch it [emphasis added], or you shall die” (Gen 3:3). The prohibition of touch was not in God’s original words (cf. Gen 2:17), but was an inventive amplification of Eve’s desire. Jesus fully well responds to this deep desire to touch, and invites Thomas to touch him intimately and know who he is. How he, the desire of the nations, responds to the deepest and secret desires of ours! What exceptional time of Grace!

Pray: Make a prayer expressing the deepest desire of your heart. He will respond.

Act: Today, express your desire and allow yourself to be acted upon by God.

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

OCTAVE EASTER, SATURDAY
Psalter: Proper / (White)

Ps 118:1 & 14-15ab, 16-18, 19-21
I will give thanks to you,
for you have answered me.

1^st Reading: Acts 4:13-21

They were astonished at the boldness of Peter and John, considering that they were uneducated and untrained men. They recognized, also, that they had been with Jesus, but, as the man who had been cured stood beside them, they could make no reply.

So they ordered them to leave the council room while they consulted with one another. They asked, “What shall we do with these men? Everyone who lives in Jerusalem knows, that a remarkable sign has been given through them, and we cannot deny it. But to stop this from spreading any further among the people, let us warn them never again to speak to anyone in the name of Jesus.” So they called them back and charged them not to speak, or teach at all, in the name of Jesus.

But Peter and John answered them, “Judge for yourselves, whether it is right in God’s eyes, for us to obey you, rather than God. We cannot stop speaking about what we have seen and heard.” Then the council threatened them once more and let them go. They could find no way of punishing them because of the people, who glorified God for what had happened.

Gospel: Mk 16:9-15

 After Jesus rose early on the first day of the week, he appeared first to Mary of Magdala, from whom he had driven out seven demons. She went and reported the news to his followers, who were now mourning and weeping. But when they heard that he lived, and had been seen by her, they would not believe it.

After this he showed himself in another form to two of them, as they were walking into the country.

These men also went back and told the others, but they did not believe them. Later Jesus showed himself to the Eleven while they were at table. He reproached them for their unbelief, and hardness of heart, in refusing to believe those who had seen him after he had risen. Then he told them, “Go out to the whole world and proclaim the Good News to all creation.

Reflections

WE CANNOT STOP SPEAKING ABOUT WHAT WE HAVE SEEN AND HEARD

This statement of the apostles after they were forbidden to speak or to preach by the Jewish religious authorities shows how much taken up they are in their message, how convinced they are of the truth they are preaching that no power on earth could keep their mouths shut. Jesus himself said: “ Even the very stones would speak…..” So powerful is the message that was entrusted to them that they were filled with zeal to share it with everyone even at the cost of being arrested, jailed or even put to death. In our ordinary lives, when we experience something extraordinary that does not happen to us ordinarily, we cannot stop speaking about it. I remember while I was sitting in our farm, all of a sudden a swarm of small yellow butterflies filled the whole garden like yellow snow flakes and I could not stop talking about that incident months afterwards. When we meet a person who deeply impressed us, we also want to talk about him or her to anyone who would listen. What the apostles saw was Jesus himself and what they heard were his words of life and love. Can we blame them if they cannot stop speaking about what they have seen and heard?

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

OCTAVE EASTER, FRIDAY
Psalter: Proper / (White)

Ps 118:1-2 & 4, 22-24, 25-27a
The stone rejected by the builders
has become the cornerstone.

1^st Reading: Acts 4:1-12

Gospel: Jn 21:1-14

 After this, Jesus revealed himself to the disciples by the Lake of Tiberias. He appeared to them in this way: Simon Peter, Thomas who was called the Twin, Nathanael of Cana in Galilee, the sons of Zebedee and two other disciples were together; and Simon Peter said to them, “I’m going fishing.” They replied, “We will come with you.” And they went out and got into the boat, but that night they caught nothing.

When the sun came up, Jesus was standing on the shore, but the disciples did not know that it was Jesus. Jesus called out, “Friends, have you anything to eat?” They answered, “Nothing.” Then he said to them, “Throw the net on the right side of the boat and you will find something.” When they had lowered the net, they were not able to pull it in because of the great number of fish.

Then the disciple Jesus loved said to Peter, “It’s the Lord!” At these words, “It’s the Lord!” Simon Peter put on his clothes, for he was stripped for work, and jumped into the water. The other disciples came in the boat, dragging the net full of fish; they were not far from land, about a hundred meters.

 When they landed, they saw a charcoal fire with fish on it, and some bread. Jesus said to them, “Bring some of the fish you’ve just caught.” So Simon Peter climbed into the boat and pulled the net to shore. It was full of big fish — one hundred and fifty-three but, in spite of this, the net was not torn.

Jesus said to them, “Come and have breakfast.” And not one of the disciples dared to ask him, “Who are you?” for they knew it was the Lord. Jesus came and took the bread and gave it to them, and he did the same with the fish.

This was the third time that Jesus revealed himself to his disciples after rising from the dead.

Reflections

THE STONE WHICH THE BUILDERS REJECTED HAS BECOME THE CORNERSTONE.

Peter, filled by the Holy Spirit, uttered these words to the Jews to show to them that Jesus, whom they have rejected after thousands of years waiting for him, is indeed the Messiah as proven by the curing of the cripple in his name. Sometimes there are students who seemed quite ordinary in school but later on became very successful in their career or became heroes or models of excellence. They were not given any honors, they graduated without any “laude” and their teachers perhaps never thought anything special will happen to them. I am thinking here for example of Clarissa Ocampo. She was a very quiet girl, not at all an activist type, or champion of any cause. And yet decades later, she showed a singular courage when she witnessed in the impeachment trial of a former President which led to his conviction. Who would have thought that that quiet girl would somehow change the course of history. She suffered personally from that courageous act ending her marriage, her career as a banker, and having her children undergo counselling, aside from having threats to her life. But she rose to the moment. And all her mentors felt it was worthwhile — all their effort to inculcate social responsibility in their students.

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