Daily Reflection | Gospel Reading | RVA

Gospel: Matthew 7:21, 24-27
Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord! Lord!’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my heavenly Father.
“Therefore, anyone who hears these words of mine, and acts according to them, is like a wise man, who built his house on rock. The rain poured down, the rivers flooded, and the wind blew and struck that house. But it did not collapse, because it was built on rock. But anyone who hears these words of mine, and does not act accordingly, is like a fool who built his house on sand. The rain poured, the rivers flooded, and the wind blew and struck that house; it collapsed, and what a terrible collapse that was!”

Reflections
“It is not those who says to me ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven…”
This proclamation is some­thing ironic. If this is the case, something might be wrong or lacking in my devotions and prayers. Faith without good works is dead, as Saint James would tell us (James 2:17). The good works that we could al­ways do every day is to do the will of the Father, to listen to his words and act on them reli­giously. The Father’s will is that we be filled with the spirit of the Kingdom and work to make that Kingdom a reality in our world.
Act of charity is the heart and foundation of our faith in God. Charity hinges our faith in God and the actions we make to our neighbors. Our pious devotions ought to be accompanied al­ways with corporal and spiritual works of mercy, out of love, out of charity. If we are able to do that, then we are like a strong city, a nation of firm purpose that is kept in peace, a house built upon a solid rock, so that whatever calamity would strike it, it would stand still until the end of time.

© Copyright Bible Diary 2019

Gospel: Matthew 15:29-37
From there, Jesus went to the shore of Lake Galilee, and then went up into the hills, where he sat down. Great crowds came to him, bringing the dumb, the blind, the lame, the crippled, and many with other infirmities. People carried them to the feet of Jesus, and he healed them. All were astonished when they saw the dumb speaking, the lame walking, the crippled healed, and the blind able to see; and they glorified the God of Israel.
Jesus called his disciples and said to them, “I am filled with compassion for these people; they have already followed me for three days and now have nothing to eat. I do not want to send them away fasting, or they may faint on the way.” His disciples said to him, “And where shall we find enough bread in this wilderness to feed such a crowd?” Jesus said to them, “How many loaves do you have?” They answered, “Seven, and a few small fish.”
Jesus ordered the people to sit on the ground. Then, he took the seven loaves and the small fi h, and gave thanks to God. He broke them and gave them to his disciples, who distributed them to the people. They all ate and were satisfied, and the leftover pieces filled seven wicker baskets.

Reflections
“I am filled with compassion for these people."
This is the Good News for us all today: God is generous, super abundant in mercy and compas­sion.
With much gusto, Jesus healed them all and the crowds were amazed at these miracles. We could see and feel a glimpse of the Lord’s interiority, his inner life, his heart: full of compassion and de­ sire to heed the needs of the poor. Prophet Isaiah is truly cor­rect in his prophesy in the first reading. God would provide for all peoples a feast, a banquet of rich food and choicest wines. He would destroy death forever and wipe away the tears from all fac­ es forever. Indeed, how good it is to live in the house of the Lord all the days of my life (Ps 23)!
Jesus did not distribute the food himself, but the disciples. Now, as a disciple of the Lord, am I generous enough in distribu­ting or sharing the good things that the Lord has lavished on me? Or have I become selfish in sha­ring whatever is abundant in me? Christmas is a time of giving and sharing. Christ came to give us the good things that God wanted to share with us. Am I ready to accept him and share him to others?

© Copyright Bible Diary 2019

Gospel: Luke 10:21-24
At that time, Jesus was filled with the joy of the Holy Spirit, and said, “I praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, for you have hidden these things from the wise and learned, and made them known to little ones. Yes, Father, such has been your gracious will. I have been given all things by my Father, so that no one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son, and he to whom the Son chooses to reveal him.”
Then Jesus turned to his disciples and said to them privately, “Fortunate are you to see what you see, for I tell you, that many prophets and kings would have liked to see what you see, but did not see it; and to hear what you hear, but did not hear it.”

Reflections
“Happy the eyes that see what you see.”
The readings remind us of the great privilege we have through our encounter with Jesus – that is, eternal happiness!
The joy of being a true disciple is born out of an encounter with the Lord, the way, the truth and the life. We could only find mea­ning and happiness in everything we do if we truly encounter Jesus in our lives. There is a sense of fulfillment and meaning in every missionary work if we are filled with the presence of Jesus, if we are with Jesus.
What more could we ask if we are able to see him, to hear him? So that in seeing and hearing him, we may come to believe and do what he wants from us.
This is the challenge for us now: with our knowledge of Je­sus comes the responsibility of sharing it with others, of bringing others to him and letting them experience the gift of blessed­ness and solitude with Jesus.

© Copyright Bible Diary 2019

Gospel: Matthew 8:5-11
When Jesus entered Capernaum, an army captain approached him, to ask his help, “Sir, my servant lies sick at home. He is paralyzed and suffers terribly.” Jesus said to him, “I will come and heal him.”
The captain answered, “I am not worthy to have you under my roof. Just give an order and my boy will be healed. For I myself, a junior officer, give orders to my soldiers. And if I say to one, ‘Go!’ he goes; and if I say to another, ‘Come!’ he comes; and if I say to my servant, ‘Do this!’ he does it.”
When Jesus heard this, he was astonished; and said to those who were following him, “I tell you, I have not found such faith in Israel. I say to you, many will come from east and west and sit down with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob at the feast in the kingdom of heaven;

Reflections
“Lord, I am not worthy to have you under my roof; only say the word and my servant will be healed.”
Jesus was amazed at this cen­turion’s faith. How could such a Gentile reach that unexpected level of faith? He was able to confess man’s limitation and the recognition of his need for God.
Indeed, who among us is truly worthy to have Jesus under our roof, to live with us in the little­ness of our hearts and homes? The centurion recognized his limitations and confessed it to the Lord with profound humility, politeness and faith.
As we await the advent of Christ, it is good to reflect today our own preparations for this wonderful event, Jesus’ birth. Af­ter all, the kingdom of God, the reign of this expected new­born king is for all people everywhere. Jesus comes to us as a “Prince of Peace” and not as a mighty con­queror. He comes to live among us in all things, except sin, to offer us God’s bountiful blessings, the forgiveness of sins and a chance to experience how it is to live in the reign of God’s kingdom.
Miracles do happen if we have faith like that of the centurion, even if we are sinners and if we are humble enough to offer to the Lord our limitations, confess our need for divine providence, and welcome Jesus in our lives.

© Copyright Bible Diary 2019