Daily Reflection | Gospel Reading | RVA

FEAST OF STS. PHILIP AND JAMES, APOSTLES
Psalter: Proper / (Red)

Ps 19:2-3, 4-5
Their message goes out through all the earth.

1^st Reading: 1 Cor 15:1-8

Let me remind you, brothers and sisters, of the Good News that I preached to you, and which you received, and on which, you stand firm. By that Gospel, you are saved, provided that you hold to it, as I preached it. Otherwise, you will have believed in vain.

In the first place, I have passed on to you what I, myself, received: that Christ died for our sins, as Scripture says; that he was buried; that he was raised on the third day, according to the Scriptures; that he appeared to Cephas and then to the Twelve. Afterward, he appeared to more than five hundred brothers and sisters together; most of them are still alive, although some have already gone to rest. Then he appeared to James, and after that, to all the apostles. And last of all, he appeared to the most despicable of them, this is, to me.

Gospel: Jn 14:6-14

Jesus said, ”I am the way, the truth and the life; no one comes to the Father but through me. If you know me, you will know the Father also; indeed you know him, and you have seen him.”

 Philip asked him, ”Lord, show us the Father, and that is enough.” Jesus said to him, ”What! I have been with you so long and you still do not know me Philip? Whoever sees me sees the Father; how can you say, ‘Show us the Father‘? Do you not believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me?

”All that I say to you, I do not say of myself. The Father who dwells in me is doing his own work. Believe me when I say that I am in the Father and the Father is in me; at least believe it on the evidence of these works that I do.

”Truly, I say to you, the one who believes in me will do the same works that I do; and he will even do greater than these, for I am going to the Father. Everything you ask in my name, I will do, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. Indeed, anything you ask, calling upon my name, I will do it.”

REFLECTION:

The mystery of our unity is deeper than that which separates us to one another because this is founded on the unity of God who created us. Jesus is united to Father in a level so deep that we are in front of a mystery. We comprehend a portion of it but the greater part is still to be discovered. That is why we only have partial understanding. We could not fault Philip who stumbles and falls in making out the unity of the Father to the Son. He still asked to see the Father while in front of Him is the human face of the Father in the person of Jesus. This kind of knowledge grows with time. Philip was not yet strong in faith to have this deep knowledge of the unity of the Father and the Son. His journey ahead is still long. Let us not therefore lose patience in our own journey of faith. There are realities so big that even a journey of one life time is not enough to contain it.

Daily Reflection

Daily Gospel ® is a product 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

 

DAILY GOSPEL ® 2017
Readings and Reflections
Copyright © 2O16
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
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Web: www.claretianph.com

3RD WEEK OF EASTER
Psalter: Week 3 / (White)
St. Athanasius, bishop & doctor

Ps 31:3cd-4, 6 & 7b & 8a, 17 & 21ab
Into your hands, O Lord, I commend my spirit.

1^st Reading: Acts 7:51—8:1a

But you are a stubborn people. You hardened your hearts and closed your ears. You have always resisted the Holy Spirit, just as your fathers did. Was there a prophet whom your ancestors did not persecute? They killed those who announced the coming of the Just One, whom you have now betrayed and murdered; you, who, received the law through the angels but did not fulfill it.”

When they heard this reproach, they were enraged; and they gnashed their teeth against Stephen. But he, full of the Holy Spirit, fixed his eyes on heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus at God‘s right hand; so he declared: ”I see the heavens open, and the Son of Man at the right hand of God.”

 But they shouted and covered their ears with their hands, and rushed together upon him. They brought him out of the city and stoned him; and the witnesses laid down their cloaks at the feet of a young man named Saul. As they were stoning him, Stephen prayed saying: ”Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.” Then he knelt down and said in a loud voice: ”Lord, do not hold this sin against them.” And when he had said this, he died.

Saul was there, approving his murder. This was the beginning of a great persecution against the Church in Jerusalem. All, except the apostles, were scattered throughout the region of Judea and Samaria.

Gospel: Jn 6:30-35

The crowd said to Jesus, ”Show us miraculous signs, that we may see and believe you. What sign do you perform? Our ancestors ate manna in the desert; as Scripture says: They were given bread from heaven to eat.”

Jesus then said to them, ”Truly, I say to you, it was not Moses who gave you the bread from heaven. My Father gives you the true bread from heaven. The bread God gives is the One who comes from heaven and gives life to the world.” And they said to him, ”Give us this bread always.”

Jesus said to them, ”I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall never be hungry, and whoever believes in me shall never be thirsty.

REFLECTION:

Bread symbolizes life since it has the capacity to sustain biological life. Used in the spiritual sense, it is God‘s providential love who assures His people‘s life by giving them sustenance they need. Bread is a tangible sign of God‘s commitment to uphold Israel‘s well-being especially in the harsh conditions of the desert. Thus the manna in the desert experience of Israel has deep religious and spiritual impact in the life of the Jews of that time.

No wonder then that they ask Jesus for a tangible sign. If He comes from God as Moses did, He must perform for them a miraculous sign. The funny thing is, the sign sought by the Jews is already in front of them. Jesus was the heavenly bread that came down from heaven, more potent than the manna in the desert. Those who ate it died, but those who would listen to Jesus‘ words will have life eternal. And so He has to introduce Himself to them. ”I am the bread of life…” Silence, then utter disbelief followed. Others were dismayed. Others were perplexed. Some made a jump to an act of faith. That day when Jesus disclosed who He is, the individuals who made a choice choose their future fate.

Daily Reflection

Daily Reflection

Daily Gospel ® is a product 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

 

DAILY GOSPEL ® 2017
Readings and Reflections
Copyright © 2O16
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

FEAST OF ST. JOSEPH THE WORKER
Psalter: Proper / (White)

Ps 119:23-24, 26-27, 29-30
Blessed are they who follow the law of the Lord!

1^st Reading: Gen 1:26–2:3 (or Col 3:14-15, 17, 23-24)

God said, ”Let us make man in our image, to our likeness. Let them rule over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, over the cattle, over the wild animals, and over all creeping things that crawl along the ground.” So God created man in his image; in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them. God blessed them and said to them, ”Be fruitful and increase in number, fill the earth and subdue it, rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the sky, over every living creature that moves on the ground.”

God said, ”I have given you every seed-bearing plant which is on the face of all the earth, and every tree that bears fruit with seed. It will be for your food. To every wild animal, to every bird of the sky, to everything that creeps along the ground, to everything that has the breath of life, I give every green plant for food.” So it was.

God saw all that he had made, and it was very good. There was evening and there was morning: the sixth day

That was the way the sky and earth were created and all their vast array. By the seventh day the work God had done was completed, and he rested on the seventh day from all the work he had done.

Gospel: Mt 13:54-58 (or Jn 6:22-29)

Jesus went to his hometown and taught the people in their synagogue. They were amazed and said, ”Where did he get this wisdom and these special powers? Isn‘t he the carpenter‘s son? Isn‘t Mary his mother and aren‘t James, Joseph, Simon and Judas his brothers? Aren‘t all his sisters living here? Where did he get all these things?” And so they took offense at him.

Jesus said to them, ”The only place where prophets are not welcome is his hometown and in his own family.” And he did not perform many miracles there because of their lack of faith.

REFLECTION:

We cannot underestimate the importance of biological needs. Just look at the motives that drove the people to search for Jesus, they expend a lot of time and effort in finding Him not because of His life-giving word but because they eat bread and were satisfied. Thus mission must not only be upward looking but must also be mindful of the realities on the ground.

But Jesus without relativizing human biological needs that must be attended to invites the people to a deeper and wholesome form of satisfaction. He invites them to look beyond personal needs and respond to the deeper need of the human spirit. That there is more to life than material satisfaction and comfort. And He called it work. The people should work for food that do not perish. The work is too easy and hard at the same time. They need to believe in Him who was sent by the Father. Thus it is not physical bodily works that assures food that lasts forever but the works of the spirit.

Daily Reflection

Daily Reflection

Daily Reflection

Daily Gospel ® is a product 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

 

DAILY GOSPEL ® 2017
Readings and Reflections
Copyright © 2O16
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

3RD SUNDAY OF EASTER
Psalter: Week 3 / (White)

Ps 16:1-2, 5, 7-8, 9-10, 11
Lord, you will show us the path of life.

1^st Reading: Acts 2:14, 22-33

Then Peter stood up with the Eleven and, with a loud voice, addressed them, “Fellow Jews and all foreigners now staying in Jerusalem, listen to what I have to say.

Fellow Israelites, listen to what I am going to tell you about Jesus of Nazareth. God accredited him and through him did powerful deeds and wonders and signs in your midst, as you well know. You delivered him to sinners to be crucified and killed, and, in this way, the purpose of God, from all times, was fulfilled. But God raised him to life and released him from the pain of death; because it was impossible for him to be held in the power of death. David spoke of him when he said: I saw the Lord before me at all times; he is by my side, that I may not be shaken. Therefore, my heart was glad and my tongue rejoiced; my body, too, will live in hope. Because you will not forsake me in the abode of the dead, nor allow your Holy One to experience corruption. You have made known to me the paths of life, and your presence will fill me with joy.

Friends, I don’t need to prove that the patriarch David died and was buried; his tomb is with us to this day. But he knew, that God had sworn to him, that one of his descendants would sit upon his throne and, as he was a prophet, he foresaw and spoke of the resurrection of the Messiah. So he said, that he would not be left in the region of the dead, nor would his body experience corruption.

2^nd Reading: 1 Pt 1:17-21

You call upon a Father who makes no distinction between persons, but judges, according to each one’s deeds; take seriously, then, these years which you spend in a strange land. Remember, that you were freed from the useless way of life of your ancestors, not with gold and silver, but with the precious blood of the Lamb without spot or blemish. God, who has known Christ before the world began, revealed him to you in the last days. Through him, you have faith in God, who raised him from the dead, and glorified him, in order that you might put all your faith and hope in God.

Gospel: Lk 24:13-35

That same day, two followers of Jesus were going to Emmaus, a village seven miles from Jerusalem, and they were talking to each other about all the things that had happened. While they were talking and debating these things, Jesus himself approached and began to accompany them, but their eyes were not able to recognize him.

He asked, “What is it you are talking about?” The two stood still, looking sad. Then the one named Cleophas answered, “Why, it seems you are the only traveler to Jerusalem who doesn’t know what has happened there these past few days.” And he asked, “What is it?”

They replied, “It is about Jesus of Nazareth. He was a prophet, you know, mighty in word and deed before God and the people. But the chief priests and our rulers sentenced him to death. They handed him over to be crucified. We had hoped that he would redeem Israel.

It is now the third day since all this took place. It is also true that some women of our group have disturbed us. When they went to the tomb at dawn, they did not find his body; and they came and told us that they had had a vision of angels, who said that Jesus was alive. Some of our people went to the tomb and found everything just as the women had said, but they did not find a body in the tomb.”

He said to them, “How dull you are, how slow of understanding! Is the message of the prophets too difficult for you to understand? Is it not written that the Christ should suffer all this, and then enter his glory?” Then starting with Moses, and going through the prophets, he explained to them everything in the Scriptures concerning himself.

As they drew near the village they were heading for, Jesus made as if to go farther. But they prevailed upon him, “Stay with us, for night comes quickly. The day is now almost over.” So he went in to stay with them. When they were at table, he took the bread, said a blessing, broke it, and gave each a piece.

Then their eyes were opened, and they recognized him; but he vanished out of their sight. And they said to one another, “Were not our hearts burning within us when he was talking to us on the road and explaining the Scriptures?”

They immediately set out and returned to Jerusalem. There, they found the Eleven and their companions gathered together. They were greeted by these words: “Yes, it is true, the Lord is risen! He has appeared to Simon!” Then the two told what had happened on the road to Emmaus, and how Jesus had made himself known, when he broke bread with them.

REFLECTION:

Read: Peter invites his audience to see the hand of God at work in everything that happened–in the life of Jesus as well as in their own lives. Jesus teaches the disciples on the road to Emmaus how to interpret life’s events from the perspective of God and keep faith.

Reflect: It is only human to feel discou­raged and depressed when things go south in our lives. Why does it happen to me and where is God in all these, we wonder. In bitterness we begin to walk away from the center of faith (Jerusalem). But those are the very moments we need to trust the design of God and turn to him in the breaking of bread for deeper understanding of life’s mysteries.

Pray: Invite Christ to stay with you in the dark nights of your life.

Act: Do the Empty Chair exercise in the pew of a Church or the privacy of your room. Keep a chair beside yours, imagine Jesus seated on it, and unburden your heart to him. Take turns to talk and listen to him.

Daily Reflection

Daily Reflection

Daily Reflection

Daily Reflection

Daily Gospel ® is a product 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

 

DAILY GOSPEL ® 2017
Readings and Reflections
Copyright © 2O16
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