2ND WEEK OF ADVENT
St. Damasus I, pope
Psalter: Week 2 / (Violet/White)

Ps 96:1-2, 3 & 10ac, 11-12, 13
The Lord our God comes with power.

1st Reading: Is 40:1-11

Be comforted, my people, be strengthened, says your God.Speak to the heart of Jerusalem, proclaim to her that her time of bondage is at an end, that her guilt has been paid for, that from the hand of Yahweh she has received double punishment for all her iniquity.

A voice cries, ”In the wilderness prepare the way for Yahweh. Make straight in the desert a highway for our God. Every valley will be raised up; every mountain and hill will be laid low. The stumbling blocks shall become level and the rugged places smooth. The glory of Yahweh will be revealed, and all mortals together will see it; for the mouth of Yahweh has spoken.”

A voice says, ”Cry.” and I say, ”What shall I cry?” ”All flesh is grass, and all its beauty as the flower of the field. The grass withers, the flower wilts, when the breath of Yahweh blows upon it. The grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of our God will forever stand.” Go up onto the high mountain, messenger of good news to Zion, lift up your voice with strength, fear not to cry aloud when you tell Jerusalem and announce to the cities of Judah: Here is your God!

Here comes Yahweh Sabaoth with might; his strong arm rules for him; his reward is with him, and here before him is his booty. Like a shepherd he tends his flock: he gathers the lambs in his arms, he carries them in his bosom, gently leading those that are with young.

 

Gospel: Mt 18:12-14

 What do you think of this? If someone has a hundred sheep and one of them strays, won‘t he leave the ninety-nine on the hillside, and go to look for the stray one? And I tell you, when he finally finds it, he is more pleased about it than about the ninety-nine that did not go astray. It is the same with your Father in heaven. Your Father in heaven doesn‘t want even one of these little ones to perish.

 

Reflections

The discourse deals with va­rious issues involving relationships in the Christian community, and especially when those relationships break down.The ‘little ones‘ are not just children but those who are weak and immature in their Christian faith. They can easily be misled and abused. They may find themselves lost and alienated in the process. It is at this point that Jesus speaks the parable of the shepherd. A shepherd who has lost just one sheep out of one hundred. He leaves all the ‘good‘ ones and goes in search of the stray. And, when he finds it and brings it back, he is happier over this lost sheep than he is over the ninety-nine who never wandered away. A significant point is being made here: God loves us unconditionally and is not only ready to have us back in the fold but rejoices in having somebody who is left behind being again part of the community.This parable can be applied both to those ‘little ones‘ who were led astray or those who did the terrible thing of lea­ding them astray. Both will be welcomed back with equal joy. What matters is having an inclusive faith and not an exclusive mindset. It is important to reflect on how we look on those who have gone astray morally or on those who may have been instrumental in causing scandal or damaging a relationship. How judgmental are we or how exclusive are we? How welcoming are we to receive back the wrongdoer not just ­grudgingly but with forgiveness and joy? Let the words of Jesus be deeply etched on our hearts at this time: ”It is never the will of your Father in heaven that one of these little ones should be lost.”

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 (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

 

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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Daily Reflection 2018

2ND WEEK OF ADVENT
Psalter: Week 2 / (Violet)

Ps 85:9ab & 10, 11-12, 13-14
Our God will come to save us!

1st Reading: Is 35:1-10*

Let the wilderness and the arid land rejoice, the desert be glad and blossom.

Covered with flowers, it sings and shouts with joy, adorned with the splendor of Lebanon, the magnificence of Carmel and Sharon. (…)

Say to those who are afraid: ”Have courage, do not fear. See, your God comes, demanding justice. He is the God who rewards, the God who comes to save you.” Then will the eyes of the blind be opened and the ears of the deaf unsealed. Then will the lame leap as a hart and the tongue of the dumb sing and shout. For water will break out in the wilderness and streams gush forth from the desert.

The thirsty ground will become a pool, the arid land springs of water. (…) There will be a highway which will be called The Way of Holiness; no one unclean will pass over it nor any wicked fool stray there. (…)

For the ransomed of Yahweh will return: with everlasting joy upon their heads, they will come to Zion singing, gladness and joy marching with them, while sorrow and sighing flee away.

 

Gospel: Lk 5:17-26

 One day, Jesus was teaching, and many Pharisees and teachers of the law had come from every part of Galilee and Judea, and even from Jerusalem. They were sitting there, while the power of the Lord was at work to heal the sick. Then some men brought a paralyzed man who lay on his mat. They tried to enter the house to place him before Jesus, but they couldn‘t find a way through the crowd. So they went up on the roof, and, removing the tiles, they lowered him on his mat into the middle of the crowd, in front of Jesus.

When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the man, ”My friend, your sins are forgiven.” At once the teachers of the law and the Pharisees began to wonder, ”This man insults God! Who can forgive sins, but God alone?”

But Jesus knew their thoughts and asked them, ”Why are you reacting like this? Which is easier to say: ‘Your sins are forgiven‘ or ‘Get up and walk‘? Now you shall know, that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins.” And Jesus said to the paralyzed man, ”Get up, take your mat and go home.” At once, the man stood before them. He took up the mat he had been lying on, and went home praising God.

Amazement seized the people and they praised God. They were filled with a holy fear, and said, ”What wonderful things we have seen today!”

 

Reflections

Jesus shows that physical and spiritual restoration are connected. Though many come to Jesus seeking only physical deliverance, he knows that many of the problems they face actually require a recognition of a God who is merciful and not a God of reward and punishment. Sickness and sin are many times considered as cause and effect of one‘s condition. One is sick because it is a manifestation of punishment from sin. In announcing forgiveness, and then healing the man, Jesus was showing that his mission was to remove the religious barriers that separate faith and human well-being. Through his life and ministry, He would do away with the primacy of rules and regulations as a means of approaching God. Through Jesus, people can approach God‘s mercy and experience his forgiveness without condition. The religious leaders of the day, the Pharisees and teachers of the law saw the matter differently. They make the accusation that Jesus speaks blasphemies for ”Who can forgive sins but God alone?” Jesus was preaching a different God than them and they saw fit to accuse him of not speaking of the right doctrine. Pope Francis, in his Bull of Indiction of the Extraordinary Jubilee of Mercy says: Mercy is a key word that indicates God‘s action towards us. He does not limit himself merely to affirming his love, but makes it visible and tangible. Love, after all, can never be just an abstraction. By its very nature, it indicates something concrete: intentions, attitudes and behaviours that are shown in daily living. The mercy of God is his loving concern for each one of us. He feels responsible; that is, he desires our well-being and he wants to see us happy, full of joy, and peaceful. This is the path which the merciful love of Christians must also travel. As the Father loves, so do his children. Just as he is merciful, so we are called to be merciful to each other.

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 (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

 

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
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Web: www.claretianph.com
Daily Reflection 2018

2ND SUNDAY OF ADVENT
Psalter: Week 2 / (Violet)

Ps 126:1-2, 2-3, 4-5, 6
The Lord has done great things for us; we are filled with joy.

1st Reading: Bar 5:1-9

Jerusalem, put off your garment of mourning and unhappiness, put on the splendor and glory of God forever.

Wrap yourself in the mantle of holiness that comes from God, put on your head the crown of glory of the Eternal One.

For God will show your splendor to every being under heaven.

He will call your name forever ”peace in justice” and ”glory in the fear of the Lord.”

Rise up, Jerusalem, stand on the heights. Look towards the east and see your children gathered together from the setting of the sun to its rising, by the voice of the Holy One, rejoicing because God has remembered them.

They left you on foot, taken away by the enemy. God will lead them back, carried gloriously like royal princes.

For God has resolved to bring low every high mountain and the everlasting hills, to fill up the valleys and level out the ground, in order that Israel may walk in safety under the glory of God.

Even the forests and the fragrant trees will give shade to Israel at God‘s command. For God will lead Israel with joy by the light of his glory, escorting them with his mercy and justice.

 

2nd Reading: Phil 1:4-6, 8-11

And when I pray for you, I pray with joy. I cannot forget all you shared with me in the service of the gospel, from the first day, until now. Since God began such a good work in you, I am certain that he will complete it in the day of Christ Jesus.

God knows that I love you dearly, with the love of Christ Jesus, and in my prayers, I ask that your love may lead you, each day, to a deeper knowledge and clearer discernment, that you may have good criteria for everything. So you may be pure of heart and come, blameless, to the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of holiness, that comes through Christ Jesus, for the glory and praise of God.

 

Gospel: Lk 3:1-6

 It was the fifteenth year of the rule of the Emperor Tiberius: Pontius Pilate was governor of Judea; Herod ruled over Galilee, his brother Philip ruled over the country of Iturea and Trachonitis; and Lysanias ruled over Abilene. Annas and Caiaphas were the High Priests at the time when the word of God came to John, the son of Zechariah, in the desert.

John proclaimed a baptism for repentant people to obtain forgiveness of sins; and he went through the whole country bordering the Jordan River. It was just as is written in the book of the prophet Isaiah: Listen to this voice crying out in the desert, ‘Prepare the way of the Lord, make his path straight! The valleys will be filled and the mountains and hills made low. Everything crooked will be made straight and the rough paths smooth; and every human being will see the salvation of God!‘

 

Lectio Divina

Read: Baruch prophesizes the return of God‘s people to a day of glory and honor, thanks to the hand of God. God who initiates the good work in every soul will bring it to completion, unless of course, we block his path by our unwillingness to collaborate with God.

Reflect: Every human being will see the salvation of God, we are told. But will every human being choose the same? What good is receiving a gift if the recipient refuses to use it? The old adage of ”you can take the horse to the water, but you cannot make it drink” is worth recalling. It is one thing for God to offer us his salvation, but the onus is on us to prepare ourselves to receive the same and profit from it. John‘s invitation to people is not to miss the amazing advent of God‘s salvation, but to prepare themselves assiduously to receive the same with maximal effect.

Pray: Ask God for the gift of true repentance.

Act: Do the sacrament of reconciliation this week.

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 (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

 

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
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Web: www.claretianph.com
Daily Reflection 2018

SOLEMNITY OF THE IMMACULATE CONCEPTION
OF THE BLESSED VIRGIN MARY
Psalter: Proper / (White)

Ps 98:1, 2-3ab, 3cd-4
Sing to the Lord a new song, for he has done marvelous deeds.

1st Reading: Gen 3:9-15, 20

Yahweh God called the man saying to him, ”Where are you?” He said, ”I heard your voice in the garden and I was afraid because I was naked, so I hid.” God said, ”Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten of the tree I ordered you not to eat?” The man answered, ”The woman you put with me gave me fruit from the tree and I ate it.” God said to the woman, ”What have you done?” The woman said, ”The serpent deceived me and I ate.”

Yahweh God said to the serpent, ”Since you have done that, be cursed among all the cattle and wild beasts! You will crawl on your belly and eat dust all the days of your life. I will make you enemies, you and the woman, your offspring and her offspring. He will crush your head and you will strike his heel.”

The man called his wife by the name of Eve, because she was the mother of all the living.

2nd Reading: Eph 1:3-6, 11-12*

Blessed be God, the Father of Christ Jesus our Lord who, in Christ has blessed us from heaven with every spiritual blessing. God chose us, in Christ, before the creation of the world, to be holy and without sin in his presence. (…)

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

As a young woman, Mary is quite taken aback by the Angel Gabriel‘s words: ”Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you.” Luke says that Mary was greatly troubled. Gabriel counters with the words ”Do not be afraid, Mary,” to assure that her call comes with the assurance of God‘s presence. Was Mary afraid? The answer is yes like anyone who hears a different call and a new disruptive plan in one‘s life. Her initial fear gave way to trust in God‘s initiative of being a partner of a new humanity. Mary models to us a faith that is rooted in trust and confidence in a new covenant with God. The question is whether like her, we move with faith or are paralyzed by fear. Many often live in fear of death, fear of a spouse leaving, fear of sickness, fear of rejection and even imagined fears. When fear lives in us, as opposed to being a momentary reaction to something new, we are paralyzed by it and end up doing nothing. We respond to situations out of fear rather than out of faith and make pretty poor disciples. We are controlled by our fears and fail to see God‘s presence and action in our lives. We see that Mary accepted the angel‘s ”Fear not” with trust and carried by her faith to say ”I am the handmaid of the Lord, let it be done to me as you have said.” Mary affirms the bedrock truth that undergirds discipleship: ”Let you will be done.” After we have explored all the possibilities, we still must decide: Do I follow the call of God or do I follow my own desires and plans?

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 (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

 

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
Daily Reflection 2018