Daily Reflection | Gospel Reading | RVA

2ND WEEK OF EASTER
St. Martin I, pope & martyr
Psalter: Week 2 / (White)

Ps 27:1, 4, 13-14
One thing I seek:
to dwell in the house of the Lord.

1^st Reading: Acts 5:34-42*

But one of them, a Pharisee named Gamaliel, a teacher of the law highly respected by the people, stood up in the Sanhedrin. He ordered the men to be taken outside for a few minutes and then he spoke to the assembly.

“Fellow Israelites, consider well what you intend to do to these men. For some time ago, Theudas came forward, claiming to be somebody, and about four hundred men joined him. But he was killed and all his followers were dispersed or disappeared. (…) So, in this present case, I advise you to have nothing to do with these men. Leave them alone. If their project or activity is of human origin, it will destroy itself. If, on the other hand, it is from God, you will not be able to destroy it; and you might, indeed, find yourselves fighting against God.” (…)

Gospel: Jn 6:1-15*

 (…) Now the Passover, the feast of the Jews, was at hand. Then lifting up his eyes, Jesus saw the crowds that were coming to him, and said to Philip, “Where shall we buy bread so that these people may eat?” He said this to test Philip, for he himself knew what he was going to do. Philip answered him, “Two hundred silver coins would not buy enough bread for each of them to have a piece.”

Then one of Jesus’ disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, said, “There is a boy here who has five barley loaves and two fish; but what good are these for so many?”

Jesus said, “Make the people sit down.” There was plenty of grass there, so the people, about five thousand men, sat down. Jesus then took the loaves, gave thanks, and distributed them to those who were seated. He did the same with the fish, and gave them as much as they wanted. And when they had eaten enough, he told his disciples, “Gather up the pieces left over, that nothing may be lost.” So they gathered them up and filled twelve baskets with bread, that is, with pieces of the five barley loaves left over by those who had eaten. When the people saw the miracle which Jesus had performed, they said, “This is really the Prophet, the one who is to come into the world.” Jesus realized that they would come and take him by force to make him king; so he fled to the hills by himself.

Reflections

IF THEIR ACTIVITY IS OF HUMAN ORIGIN, IT WILLDESTROY ITSELF. IF IT IS FROM GOD,YOU WILL NOT BE ABLE TO DESTROY IT.

Sometimes we are confronted with a situation where we are not sure whether to judge the situation positively or negatively. In this biblical incident Gamaliel, a member of the Sanhedrin, faced the dilemma of whether to condemn or not to condemn the disciples of Jesus in their preachings, made this truly wise decision. He himself was not sure about them since their leader was executed by the state. But he might have seen that they were doing a lot of good healing people, etc. So he said leave them alone because if truly they are not of God their activities will stop but if they are of God, stopping them would mean stopping the good works of God. This is truly a guideline that can help us when confronted by the same situation. When people of other faiths preach their beliefs that is different from ours, we should not right away condemn them. We should, as Gamaliel did, let them be because if they are not from God, their activities will not prosper. But if they are from God, why should we stop them? I believe that God is so full of blessings and He is free to distribute these to anyone and work through anyone.

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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2ND WEEK OF EASTER
Psalter: Week 2 / (White)

Ps 34:2 & 9, 17-18, 19-20
The Lord hears the cry of the poor.

1^st Reading: Acts 5:27-33

So they brought them in and made them stand before the Council; and the High Priest questioned them, “We gave you strict orders not to preach such a Savior; but you have filled Jerusalem with your teaching; and you intend charging us with the killing of this man.” To this, Peter and the apostles replied, “Better for us to obey God, rather than any human authority!

“The God of our ancestors raised Jesus, whom you killed by hanging him on a wooden post. God set him at his right hand, as Leader and Savior, to grant repentance and forgiveness of sins to Israel. We are witnesses to all these things, as well as the Holy Spirit, whom God has given to those who obey him.”

When the Council heard this, they became very angry and wanted to kill them.

Gospel: Jn 3:31-36

 He who comes from above is above all; he who comes from the earth belongs to the earth, and his words belong to the earth. He who comes from heaven speaks of the things he has seen and heard; he bears witness to these things, but no one accepts his testimony. Whoever does receive his testimony acknowledges the truthfulness of God.

The one sent by God speaks God’s words, and gives the Spirit unstintingly. The Father loves the Son and has entrusted everything into his hands. Whoever believes in the Son lives with eternal life; but he who will not believe in the Son will never know life, and always faces the justice of God.”

Reflections

BETTER FOR US TO OBEY GOD, RATHER THAN ANY HUMAN AUTHORITY

Laws are made by human beings to facilitate life in a community. However, there is a tendency for people in power to use law for their own advantage and even to oppress people. That is why not everything legal is moral. In the Philippines, Martial Law was legal but it certainly was immoral. I remember as Dean of College, I had to answer a professor who was questioning my critique of Martial Law and even disobeying its ordinances by openly going to rallies, etc. And my answer was exactly this: Not everything legal is moral. And as people of conscience we have to fight what is immoral even if by doing so we violate a law and therefore we must take the consequence of our actions. That is why during Martial law there were thousands and thousands of political detainees. A legal system is not always a justice system as we see from the unfair practices in our courts where big criminals are acquitted and innocent people are convicted.“ That is why this scriptural passage is so important. It really is better for us to obey God rather than human authority.

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

2ND WEEK OF EASTER
St. Stanislaus, bishop & martyr
Psalter: Week 2 / (White/Red)

Ps 34:2-3, 4-5, 6-7, 8-9
The Lord hears the cry of the poor.

1^st Reading: Acts 5:17-26

The High Priest and all his supporters, that is, the party of the Sadducees, became very jealous of the apostles; so they arrested them and had them thrown into the public jail. But an angel of the Lord opened the door of the prison during the night, brought them out, and said to them, “Go and stand in the temple court and tell the people the whole of this living message.” Accordingly, they entered the temple at dawn and resumed their teaching.

When the High Priest and his supporters arrived, they called together the Sanhedrin, that is the full Council of the elders of Israel. They sent word to the jail to have the prisoners brought in. But when the temple guards arrived at the jail, they did not find them inside; so they returned with the news, “We found the prison securely locked, and the prison guards at their post outside the gate; but when we opened the gate, we found no one inside.”

Upon hearing these words, the captain of the temple guard and the high priests were baffled, wondering where all of this would end. Just then, someone arrived with the report, “Look, those men whom you put in prison are standing in the temple, teaching the people.” Then the captain went off with the guards and brought them back, but without any show of force, for fear of being stoned by the people.

Gospel: Jn 3:16-21

 Yes, God so loved the world that he gave his only Son that whoever believes in him may not be lost, but may have eternal life. God did not send the Son into the world to condemn the world; instead, through him the world is to be saved. Whoever believes in him will not be condemned. He who does not believe is already condemned, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God.

This is how Judgment is made: Light has come into the world, and people loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. For whoever does wrong hates the light, and doesn’t come to the light, for fear that his deeds will be seen as evil. But whoever lives according to the truth comes into the light, so that it can be clearly seen that his works have been done in God.”

Reflections

WHOEVER LIVES ACCORDING
TO THE TRUTH COMES
INTO THE LIGHT

The sentence before this says: “Whoever does wrong hates the light and doesn’t come into the light for fear that his deeds will be seen as evil” Darkness and wrongdoing come together. When people begin telling a lie, they go deeper and deeper into darkness and after sometime they no longer know what is truth and what are lies in their lives. We see this many times in the lives of politicians who have to cover up their misdeeds until they live under layers and layers of light. But as soon as someone experiences true conversion, the first thing s/he does is to come out of darkness and emerge into light. I saw this when we put Jun Lozada, the NBN-ZTE whistleblower, in our sanctuary. I witnessed his move from darkness into light and became a champion of truth-telling. He said once, ”It is relatively easy to tell the truth in one grand moment like appearing before the Senate blue ribbon committee hearing. What is difficult is to continue living in TRUTH to be living always in the light where one’s every action can be scrutinized and judged.” But the freedom of spirit, the joy of life that come with the commitment to truth and to live in the light is infinitely more worthwhile than living in darkness.

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

2ND WEEK OF EASTER
Psalter: Week 2 / (White)

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

1^st Reading: Acts 4:32-37

The whole community of believers was one in heart and mind. No one claimed private ownership of any possessions; but rather, they shared all things in common. With great power, the apostles bore witness to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, for all of them were living in an exceptional time of grace.

There was no needy person among them, for those who owned land or houses sold them and brought the proceeds of the sale. And they laid it at the feet of the apostles, who distributed it, according to each one’s need. This is what a certain Joseph did. He was a Levite from Cyprus, whom the apostles called Barnabas, meaning: “The encouraging one.” He sold a field which he owned and handed the money to the apostles.

Gospel: Jn 3:7b-15

 Because of this, don’t be surprised when I say, ‘You must be born again from above.’ The wind blows where it pleases and you hear its sound, but you don’t know where it comes from or where it is going. It is like that with everyone who is born of the Spirit.” Nicodemus asked again, “How can this be?” And Jesus answered, “You are a teacher in Israel, and you don’t know these things!

Truly, I say to you, we speak of what we know and we witness to the things we have seen, but you don’t accept our testimony. If you don’t believe when I speak of earthly things, what then, when I speak to you of heavenly things? No one has ever gone up to heaven except the one who came from heaven, the Son of Man. As Moses lifted up the serpent in the desert, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, so that whoever believes in him may have eternal life.

Reflections

 THE WIND BLOWS WHERE IT PLEASES AND YOU HEAR ITS SOUND BUT YOU DON’T KNOW WHERE IT COMES FROM OR WHERE IT IS GOING. IT IS LIKE THAT WITH EVERYONE WHO IS BORN OF THE SPIRIT.

The mystery of the Blessed Trinity is the most sublime of the mysteries of Christianity. It could not have been invented by any human being. And of the three persons of the Trinity, the Holy Spirit is the one who is most unknown, most mysterious and most intriguing. It is the aspect of the Divinity that expresses its being truly MYSTERIUM TREMENDUM. And yet it is the one that gives so much hope. Because we humans tend to create God to our own image and likeness making an idol that will justify what we want to do. But that is exactly where the Holy Spirit cannot be placed: in one’s pocket. Like the wind, She blows where She wills. One cannot predict Her. One cannot manipulate Her to fit one’s mind set. The Holy Spirit can intervene in any hopeless situation. When there seems to be no way out, no solution, the Holy Spirit can surprise us and lead us out of this hopeless situation. SEND FORTH THY SPIRT, AND THEY SHALL BE CREATED AND THOU SHALT RENEW THE FACE OF THE EARTH!

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