Daily Reflection

October 2, 2018 Tuesday

26TH WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME
The Guardian Angels
Psalter: Week 2 / (White)

Ps 88:2-3, 4-5, 6, 7-8
Let my prayer come before you, Lord.

1st Reading: Job 3:1-3, 11-17, 20-23
At length it was Job who spoke, cursing the day of his birth. This is what he said:
Cursed be the day I was born, and the night which whispered: A boy has been conceived.
Why didn’t I die at birth, or come from the womb without breath?
Why the knees that received me, why the breasts that suckled me?
For then I should have lain down asleep and been at rest with kings and rulers of the earth who built for themselves lonely tombs; or with princes who had gold to spare and houses stuffed with silver.
Why was I not stillborn, like others who did not see the light of morn?
There, the trouble of the wicked ceases, there, the weary find repose.

Gospel: Mt 18:1-5, 10

At that time, the disciples came to Jesus and asked him, “Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?” Then Jesus called a little child, set the child in the midst of the disciples, and said, “I assure you that, unless you change, and become like little children, you cannot enter the kingdom of heaven. Whoever becomes humble, like this child, is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven, and whoever receives such a child, in my name, receives me.

“See that you do not despise any of these little ones; for I tell you, their angels in heaven continually see the face of my heavenly Father.“

Reflections

Who is the greatest in the Kingdom and, by implication, in the Christian community, which is a sign of the Kingdom? Jesus answers the question very simply by putting a child in front of his disciples. To become the greatest is to become a small child. Why? They are totally open to learning. They are free to play and love. It is this quality that we need to enter the Reign of God. To be totally open and free to love are keys to listening to God. It is to see with open eyes and with open hearts. It is to receive everything that God wants us to have and to become everything God wants us to become. Furthermore, to welcome a person who has these qualities in Jesus‘ name is to welcome Christ himself.

The gospel moves from children to the ‘little ones‘. These little ones are not just children but the weaker ones in the community and they may be adults. But they are the ones who can be very easily manipulated and exploited by the powerful and dominant. The imperative is to care for the little ones and share with them the call to justice and compassion.

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

October 1, 2018 Monday

26TH WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME
St. Therese of Lisieux
Psalter: Week 2 / (White)

Ps 17:1bcd, 2-3, 6-7
Incline your ear to me and hear my word.

1^st Reading: Job 1:6-22*

One day the heavenly beings came to present themselves before Yahweh, and Satan came with them. Yahweh asked Satan, “Where have you been?” (…) Satan answered, “Going up and down the earth, roaming about.”

Yahweh asked again, “Have you noticed my servant Job? No one on earth is as blameless and upright as he, a man who fears God and avoids evil.”

But Satan returned the question, “Does Job fear God for nothing? Have you not built a protective wall around him and his family and all his possessions? You have blessed and prospered him, with his livestock all over the land. But stretch out your hand and strike where his riches are, and I bet he will curse you to your face.”

Yahweh said to Satan, “Very well, all that he has is in your power. But do not lay a finger upon the man himself.” So Satan left the presence of Yahweh.

One day, while his sons and daughters were feasting in the house of their eldest brother, a messenger came to Job and said, “Your oxen were plowing, and your donkeys were grazing nearby when the Sabaeans came and carried them off. (…)

He was still speaking when another messenger came and said to Job, “Your sons and daughters were eating and drinking in the house of their eldest brother when suddenly a great wind blew across the desert and struck the house. It collapsed on the young people and they all died. I alone have escaped to tell you.”

In grief Job tore his clothes and shaved his head. Then he fell to the ground and worshiped, saying, (…) Yahweh gave, Yahweh has taken away.

Blessed be his name!” In spite of this calamity, Job did not sin by blaspheming God.

Gospel: Lk 9:46-50

One day, the disciples were arguing about which of them was the most important. But Jesus knew their thoughts, so he took a little child and stood him by his side. Then he said to them, “Whoever welcomes this little child in my name, welcomes me; and whoever welcomes me, welcomes the one who sent me. And listen: the one who is found to be the least among you all, is the one who is the greatest.”

Then John spoke up, “Master, we saw someone who drives out demons by calling upon your name, and we tried to forbid him, because he doesn’t follow you with us.” But Jesus said, “Don’t forbid him. He who is not against you is for you.”

Reflections

He took a little child and stood him by his side

It is interesting that the greatness is to be seen in the child rather than in the one who knows and controls everything. The child represents all who are vulnerable and weak and powerless. To welcome such persons is to treat them with the utmost dignity and respect and to accept them and be like them In Jesus‘ eyes, these persons are truly great because, to those who have eyes to see, they are the ones in whom we can especially see the liberating character of Jesus‘ words and deeds. St. Francis of Assisi, who kissed the leper (a gesture of mercy), or Mother Teresa, tenderly picking up a decaying, barely living body off the street, knew this well. To find Jesus in such a person is to encounter God within them. God reveals himself in weakness and not in powerful means. Jesus himself shows the greatness of his love for us when he hangs dying and helpless on the cross. This is the lesson the disciples will learn to see and accept in time. We have to keep working on it, too, because it does not come easily to any of us who prefer cheap grace and love.

Daily Reflection 2018

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

September 30, 2018 Sunday

26TH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME
Psalter: Week 2 / (Green)

Ps 19:8, 10, 12-13, 14
The precepts of the Lord give joy to the heart.

1^st Reading: Num 11:25-29

Yahweh came down in the cloud and spoke to him. He took some of the spirit that was upon him and put it on the seventy elders. Now when the spirit rested upon them, they prophesied. But this they did not do again.

Two men had remained in the camp; the name of one was Eldad, the name of the other Medad. However, the spirit came on them for they were among those who were registered though they had not gone out to the Tent. As they prophesied inside the camp, a young man ran and told Moses, “Eldad and Medad are prophesying in the camp.” Joshua, the son of Nun, who ministered to Moses from his youth said, “My lord Moses, stop them!”

But Moses said to him, “Are you jealous on my behalf? Would that all Yahweh’s people were prophets and that Yahweh would send his spirit upon them!”

2^nd Reading: Jas 5:1-6

So, now, for what concerns the rich, cry and weep, for the misfortunes that are coming upon you. Your riches are rotting, and your clothes, eaten up by the moths. Your silver and gold have rusted, and their rust grows into a witness against you. It will consume your flesh, like fire, for having piled up riches, in these, the last days.

You deceived the workers who harvested your fields, but, now, their wages cry out to the heavens. The reapers’ complaints have reached the ears of the Lord of hosts. You lived in luxury and pleasure in this world, thus, fattening yourselves for the day of slaughter. You have easily condemned, and killed the innocent since they offered no resistance.

Gospel: Mk 9:38-43, 45, 47-48

John said to him, “Master, we saw someone who drove out demons by calling upon your name, and we tried to forbid him, because he does not belong to our group.” Jesus answered, “Do not forbid him, for no one who works a miracle in my name can soon after speak evil of me. For whoever is not against us is for us.

If anyone gives you a drink of water because you belong to Christ and bear his name, truly, I say to you, he will not go without reward.

If anyone should cause one of these little ones who believe in me to stumble and sin, it would be better for him to be thrown into the sea with a great millstone around his neck. If your hand makes you fall into sin, cut it off! It is better for you to enter life without a hand, than with two hands to go to hell, to the fire that never goes out.

And if your foot makes you fall into sin, cut it off! It is better for you to enter life without a foot, than with both feet to be thrown into hell.

And if your eye makes you fall into sin, tear it out! It is better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye, than, keeping both eyes, to be thrown into hell, where the worms that eat them never die, and the fire never goes out. The fire itself will preserve them.

Lectio Divina

Read: Look at the differences in reaction of Joshua and Moses towards those who were prophesying outside their group. See the same difference in reaction of John and Jesus towards the one ministering outside their group. It is the kind of attitude displayed by Joshua and John that perpetuates poverty, hatred, and misery in today’s world as well.

Reflect: If religion has a bad name today and people walk away in disgust, it is because we have used religion to build walls and fences based on presumed differences, and not bridges and roads linking people up. As Mahatma Gandhi once observed, there is enough religion to hate, but not enough religion to love. The tendency to see the world in binaries of in-group and out-group creates hatred, envy, and violence. We shall learn to see the world and others through the example of Moses and Jesus who desire everyone to receive every good and be one people under one God.

Pray: Pray for unity among peoples.

Act: Read the holy scriptures of a religion other than yours and discover common ground.

Daily Reflection 2018

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

September 29, 2018 Saturday

FEAST OF STS. MICHAEL,GABRIEL, RAPHAEL, ARCHANGELS
Psalter: Proper / (White)

Ps 138:1-2ab, 2cde-3, 4-5
In the sight of the angels I will sing your praises, Lord.

1^st Reading: Dn 7:9-10, 13-14 (or Rev 12:7-12a)

So know that Yahweh, your God, is the true and faithful God. He keeps his covenant, and his love reaches to the thousandth generation for those who love him and fulfill his commandments, but he punishes in their own persons those who hate him and he repays them without delay.

He will love you, bless you and multiply you. He will bless you with many children and abundant harvests: wheat, wine and oil; he will multiply the young of your cattle and of your sheep in the land that he promised your fathers he would give you. You shall be more favored than all the peoples; there will be no sterile male or female among your people or in your livestock.

Gospel: Jn 1:47-51

When Jesus saw Nathanael coming, he said of him, “Here comes an Israelite, a true one; there is nothing false in him.” Nathanael asked him, “How do you know me?” And Jesus said to him, “Before Philip called you, you were under the fig tree, and I saw you.”

Nathanael answered, “Master, you are the Son of God! You are the king of Israel!” But Jesus replied, “You believe because I said, ‘I saw you under the fig tree.’ But you will see greater things than that.

Truly, I say to you, you will see the heavens opened, and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of Man.”

Reflections

Many times we don't recognize people we've met before. Maybe the reason is the sinking feeling that we are just not aware enough of our surroundings in general and in particular not mindful enough of the people we meet. They come and go without much thoughtfulness. For most human failings, there is a biblical character to provide company for our misery. In the gospel, it's Nathanael. Jesus already knows him. As Nathanael walks toward Jesus, Jesus describes him: "Here is truly an Israelite in whom there is no deceit!" (1:47) It seems like a straightforward description based on his knowledge of Nathanael. Nathanael says, in effect, "I don't believe we've met." Where did you get to know me? He is so moved by Jesus' prior knowledge of him that he makes a confession of faith. In our lives, every time we approach Jesus, it is in the context of his prior knowledge about us. Jesus already knows us, even if we have no recollection of many of our prior encounters with him, even if we do not name or recognize his presence and efforts at the depths of our lives. Every time we recognize his presence in ourselves and others, in events and moments, it is because we have moved from the sinking feeling of non-awareness to greater awareness of God’s presence in our lives.

Daily Reflection 2018

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 Reflection | Gospel Reading | RVA

October 2, 2018 Tuesday

Daily Reflection 2018

October 1, 2018 Monday

Daily Reflection 2018

Daily Reflection 2018

September 30, 2018 Sunday

Daily Reflection 2018

Daily Reflection 2018

Daily Reflection 2018

September 29, 2018 Saturday

Daily Reflection 2018

Daily Reflection 2018

Daily Reflection 2018

Daily Reflection 2018

More Articles ...

RVA Mass