Daily Reflection | Gospel Reading | RVA

SOLEMNITY OF OUR LORD JESUS,
CHRIST THE KING
Psalter: Proper / (White)

Ps 93:1, 1-2, 5
The Lord is king; he is robed in majesty.

1^st Reading: Dn 7:13-14

I continued watching the nocturnal vision: One like a son of man came on the clouds of heaven. He faced the One of Great Age and was brought into his presence. Dominion, honor and kingship were given him, and all the peoples and nations of every language served him. His dominion is eternal and shall never pass away; his kingdom will never be destroyed.

2^nd Reading: Rev 1:5-8

And from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the firstborn of the dead, the ruler of the kings of the earth. To him who loves us, and has washed away our sins with his own blood, making us a kingdom, and priests for God, his Father, to him, be the glory and power, for ever and ever. Amen.

See, he comes with the clouds, and everyone will see him, even those who pierced him; on his account, all the nations of the earth will beat their breast. Yes. It will be so.

“I am the Alpha and the Omega,” says the Lord God, “the one who is, and who was, and who is to come: the Master of the universe.”

Gospel: Jn 18:33b-37

 Pilate then entered the court again, summoned Jesus and asked him, “Are you the King of the Jews?” Jesus replied, “Are you saying this on your own initiative; or have others told you about me?”

Pilate answered, “Am I a Jew? Your own nation and the chief priests have handed you over to me. What have you done?” Jesus answered, “My kingship does not come from this world. If I were a king, like those of this world, my servants would have fought to save me from being handed over to the Jews. But my kingship is not of this world.”

Pilate asked him, “So you are a king?” And Jesus answered, “Just as you say, I am a king. For this I was born and for this I have come into the world, to bear witness to the truth. Everyone who is on the side of truth hears my voice.”

Lectio Divina

Read: Jesus Christ is the King of the universe, the King of all peoples and all ages. But his kingship is unlike any other kingship we have ever witnessed or known about. He is the Alpha and the Omega, the One who is and who is to come.

Reflect: If we can truly believe in the Kingship of Christ, that his Kingdom shall never end or be overcome, nothing shall prevent us from declaring our allegiance to him and work for his Kingdom, even when it feels like darkness is filling up all around us and the world seems to have cast away the Gospel. At the end of it all, Christ and his Gospel triumphs. Our task is to put our head down and work for our King, no matter what.

Pray: Lord, may your Kingdom come!

Act: Make an act of personal surrender to Christ, the King.

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
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33RD WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME
Blessed Virgin Mary / St. Andrew
Dung-Lac, priest & Companions, martyrs
Psalter: Week 1 / (Red/White)

Ps 144:1b, 2, 9-10
Blessed be the Lord, my Rock!

1^st Reading: Rev 11:4-12*

These are the two olive trees, and the two lamps, which are before the Lord of the earth. If anyone intends to harm them, fire will come out of their mouths to devour their enemies: this is how whoever intends to harm them will perish. They have the power to close the sky and hold back the rain during the time of their prophetic mission; they also have the power to change water into blood, and punish the earth, with a thousand plagues, any time they wish.

But when my witnesses have fulfilled their mission, the beast that comes up from the abyss will make war upon them and will conquer and kill them. Their dead bodies will lie in the square of the great city, which the believers figuratively call Sodom, or Egypt, where their Lord was crucified. (…) Then, the inhabitants of the earth will rejoice, congratulate one another and exchange gifts among themselves, because these two prophets were a torment to them.

But after those three and a half days, a spirit of life, coming from God, entered them. They, then, stood up, and those who looked at them were seized with great fear. A loud voice from heaven called them, “Come up here.” So they went up to heaven, in the midst of the clouds, in the sight of their enemies.

Gospel: Lk 20:27-40

 Then some Sadducees arrived. These people claim that there is no resurrection, and they asked Jesus this question, “Master, in the law Moses told us, ‘If anyone dies leaving a wife but no children, his brother must take the wife, and any child born to them will be regarded as the child of the deceased.’ Now, there were seven brothers: the first married, but died without children. The second married the woman, but also died childless. And then the third married her, and in this same way all seven died, leaving no children. Last of all the woman died. On the day of the resurrection, to which of them will the woman be a wife? For all seven had her as a wife.”

And Jesus replied, “Taking a husband or a wife is proper to people of this world, but for those who are considered worthy of the world to come, and of resurrection from the dead, there is no more marriage. Besides, they cannot die, for they are like the angels. They are sons and daughters of God, because they are born of the resurrection.

Yes, the dead will be raised, as Moses revealed at the burning bush, when he called the Lord the God of Abraham and the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob. For God is God of the living, and not of the dead, for to him everyone is alive.”

Some teachers of the law then agreed with Jesus, “Master, you have spoken well.” They didn’t dare ask him anything else.

Reflections

Jesus argues with Sadducees. They are anti-resurrection. They understood this world to be the only world in which God would act and share his blessings and promises. For them it is a case of either-or. They approach Jesus with a case meant to make resur­rection look ridiculous. Jesus brushes them off by saying that with afterlife, God does not use our neat categories about marriage but freedom from all kinds of human-made barriers and conditions. In the next scene, some scribes (presumably Pharisees, surely believers in both justice and resurrection) appear and warmly approve of Jesus’ wisdom, and with that, all questioning ends. Life after death is a completely different realm. We simply do not have the ability to envision it. It is far beyond us. It definitely will not be like this world. However, if we live our life in a loving and whole-hearted way, we need not be worried about what is waiting for us on “the other side.” What matters is life before death. We can begin to live fully, justly and harmoniously our relationships here and now. Acts of charity and mercy are our utmost concerns and by doing so, we live the power of the resurrection in the present life.

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

33RD WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME
St. Clement I, pope & martyr / St. Columban, abbot / Bl Miguel Augustín Pro, priest & martyr
Psalter: Week 1 / (Green/Red/White)

Ps 119:14, 24, 72, 103, 111, 131
How sweet to my taste is your promise!

1^st Reading: Rev 10:8-11

And the voice I had heard from heaven spoke again, saying to me, “Go near the angel who stands on the sea and on the land, and take the small open book in his hand.” So, I approached the angel and asked him for the small book; he said to me, “Take it and eat; although it be sweet as honey in your mouth, it will be bitter to your stomach.”

I took the small book from the hand of the angel and ate it. It was sweet as honey in my mouth, but when I had eaten it, it turned bitter in my stomach. Then, I was told, “You must, again, proclaim God’s words about many peoples, nations, tongues and kings.”

Gospel: Lk 19:45-48

 Then Jesus entered the temple area and began to drive out the merchants. And he said to them, “God says in the Scriptures, My house shall be a house of prayer, but you have turned it into a den of robbers!”

Jesus was teaching every day in the temple. The chief priests and teachers of the law wanted to kill him, and the elders of the Jews as well, but they were unable to do anything, for all the people were listening to him and hanging on his words.

Reflections

Jesus drove out the merchants outside the temple. He had no problem with those coming to the Temple to buy animals for the sacrifices needed and to change their Roman coins into acceptable Jewish currency (shekels) to make their contributions to the Temple. What he objected to was that this business was being carried out inside God’s house when it could just as well have been done outside. What made the transaction dubious was the priests’ connivance with the business practices and, hence, they would certainly have profited from it. Not surprisingly, the chief priests and the scribes – especially those who might have been involved in what must have been a lucrative business – were plotting how to get rid of Jesus who was upstaging their authority and accusing them of hypocrisy, greed and corruption. The chief priests, as members of the ruling Jewish council, the Sanhedrin, wielded great authority. But it was not going to be easy as the ordinary people continued to flock to Jesus. Jesus is an example of the true prophet. He speaks as a messenger of God and is indeed God’s own Son. He stands as a counter-witness to all that is against truth, love and justice and as such inevitably incurs the anger and hostility of those who have power based on self-interest and corruption. The Church is called on to continue that mission of witness to God’s reign. Her only concern must be always to speak the truth in love. God will take care of the rest.

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

33RD WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME
 St. Cecilia, virgin & martyr
Thanksgiving Day (U.S.)
Psalter: Week 1 / (Red)

Ps 149:1b-2, 3-4, 5-6a & 9b
The Lamb has made us a kingdom of priests.

1^st Reading: Rev 5:1-10

Then, I saw in the right hand of him who was seated on the throne, a scroll, written on both sides, sealed with seven seals. A mighty angel exclaimed in a loud voice, “Who is worthy to open this and break the seals?”

But no one in heaven or on earth or in the netherworld was found able to open the book and read it. I wept much, when I saw that no one was found worthy to open the book and read it. Then, one of the elders said to me, “Do not weep. Look, the lion of the tribe of Judah, the descendant of David, has conquered; he will open the book of the seven seals.”

And I saw next to the throne, with its four living creatures and the twenty-four elders, a Lamb, standing, although it had been slain. I saw him with seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven spirits of God, sent out to all the earth.

The Lamb moved forward, and took the book from the right hand of him who was seated on the throne. When he took it, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders bowed before the Lamb. They all held in their hands harps and golden cups full of incense, which are the prayers of the holy ones.

This is the new song they sang: You are worthy to take the book and open its seals, for you were slain, and by your blood you purchased, for God, people of every race, language and nation; and you made them a kingdom and priests for our God, and they shall reign over the land.

Gospel: Lk 19:41-44

 When Jesus had come in sight of the city, he wept over it and said, “If only today you knew the ways of peace! But now they are hidden from your eyes. Yet days will come upon you, when your enemies will surround you with barricades and shut you in, and press on you from every side. And they will dash you to the ground and your children with you, and not leave stone upon stone within you, for you did not recognize the time and the visitation of your God.

Reflections

Jesus is now on the last stage of his mission. He approaches Jerusalem, which will be the scene for the last great act of his life – his passion, death and resurrection. From here, too, will rise up the new community founded in his name, commissioned to continue the work he had started. As he approaches the city, he weeps over its tragic end. He implies that, if the city had received him as Lord and King, it might not have met the fate that was in store for it. “If only you had known the path to peace this day; but you have completely lost it from view.” Many failed to recognize him as God’s visible presence coming to visit them. Probably those who rejected Jesus did so because they believed that they had perfectly good reasons to do so, drawn from what they saw as their religious fidelity to Israel. They were blinded by the power of the religious and cultural system. They gave their allegiance to their own rules and beliefs rather than to Jesus who was offering a different image of God – not a judgmental God but a God of compassion and mercy. Jesus had called for a change of heart, a whole change of mindset from the familiar to the uncertain. Such a movement is not easy; it requires the need to pursue the inner journey, to listen to the inner restlessness, to become familiar with the deepest desires of the heart, to be deliberately open to the gentle breath of the Spirit. Only in that way can we recognise the time of God’s intervention on our behalf. We miss his active presence in our lives when we are more caught by our own cultural, ideological and religious blindness.

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