Daily Reflection

May 11, 2017 Thursday

4TH WEEK OF EASTER
Psalter: Week 4 / (White)

Ps 89:2-3, 21-22, 25 & 27
For ever I will sing the goodness of the Lord.

1^st Reading: Acts 13:13-25

From Paphos, Paul and his companions set sail and came to Perga in Pamphylia. There, John left them and returned to Jerusalem, while they went on from Perga and came to Antioch in Pisidia. On the Sabbath day they entered the synagogue and sat down. After the reading of the law and the prophets, the officials of the synagogue sent this message to them, ”Brothers, if you have any word of encouragement for the assembly, please speak up.”

So Paul arose, motioned to them for silence and began, ”Fellow Israelites and, also, all you who fear God, listen. The God of our people Israel chose our ancestors; and after he had made them increase during their stay in Egypt, he led them out by powerful deeds. For forty years he fed them in the desert; and after he had destroyed seven nations in the land of Canaan, he gave them their land as an inheritance. All this took four hundred and fifty years. After that, he gave them Judges, until Samuel the prophet. Then they asked for a king; and God gave them Saul, son of Kish, of the tribe of Benjamin; and he was king for forty years. After that time, God removed him and raised up David as king, to whom he bore witness saying: I have found David, the son of Jesse, a man after my own heart, who will do all I want him to do.

It is from the descendants of David that God has now raised up the promised Savior of Israel, Jesus. Before he appeared, John proclaimed a baptism of repentance for all the people of Israel. As John was ending his life‘s work, he said: ‘I am not what you think I am, for, after me, another one is coming, whose sandal I am not worthy to untie.‘

Gospel: Jn 13:16-20

When Jesus had washed the disciples‘ feet, he said to them: ”Truly, I say to you, the servant is not greater than his master, nor is the messenger greater than he who sent him. Understand this, and blessed are you, if you put it into practice.

”I am not speaking of you all, because I know the ones I have chosen, and the Scripture has to be fulfilled which says: The one who shares my table will rise up against me. I tell you this now before it happens, so that when it does happen, you may know that I am He.

”Truly, I say to you, whoever welcomes the one I send, welcomes me; and whoever welcomes me, welcomes the One who sent me.”

REFLECTION:

To know one‘s proper place in the scheme of things saves one from a lot of trouble. There would be no confusion of roles. One can align one‘s energies and efforts in a proper way that facilitates seamless completion of the task. Thus Jesus reminds us today of our servanthood. That we are but executors the Master‘s will. If Judas only took this to heart, he would have thought twice in betraying his Master. He could not effect what he wills by forcing the hands of Jesus.

And so Jesus calls us to the blessedness of the wise and faithful servant. The long years spent with Him is no guarantee that the spirit of servanthood will be acquired. It demands more than mere nearness with Him. The heart must be disposed as well.

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

May 10, 2017 Wednesday

4TH WEEK OF EASTER
Psalter: Week 4 / (White)
St. Damien Joseph de Veuster, priest

Ps 67:2-3, 5, 6 & 8
O God, let all the nations praise you!

1^st Reading: Acts 12:24—13:5a

Meanwhile the word of God was increasing and spreading. Barnabas and Saul carried out their mission and then came back to Jerusalem, taking with them John, also called Mark.

There were at Antioch—in the Church which was there—prophets and teachers: Barnabas, Symeon known as Niger, Lucius of Cyrene, Manaen who had been brought up with Herod, and Saul. On one occasion, while they were celebrating the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said to them, ”Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul to do the work for which I have called them.” So, after fasting and praying, they laid their hands on them and sent them off.

These then, sent by the Holy Spirit, went down to the port of Seleucia and from there sailed to Cyprus. Upon their arrival in Salamis they proclaimed the word of God in the Jewish synagogue; John was with them as an assistant.

Gospel: Jn 12:44-50

Yet Jesus had said, and even cried out, ”Whoever believes in me, believes not in me, but in him who sent me. And whoever sees me, sees him who sent me. I have come into the world as light, so that whoever believes in me may not remain in darkness.

”If anyone hears my words and does not keep them, I am not the one to condemn him; for I have come, not to condemn the world, but to save the world. The one who rejects me, and does not receive my words, already has a judge: the very words I have spoken will condemn him on the last day.

”For I have not spoken on my own authority; the Father, who sent me, has instructed me what to say and how to speak. I know that his commandment is eternal life, and that is why the message I give, I give as the Father instructed me.”

REFLECTION:

To see is to believe, but it is only when one hears that a more solid response could be made. For what one sees is explained by what one hears. It is therefore a task to tune our ears to hear in a listening attitude.

But we notice that sometimes, sounds just enter our ear. They are not understood because the attention is to somewhere else. There is no conscious effort to process what is heard. This becomes noticeable when you have too many things in your head already. You become out of focus. And this is the situation that Jesus‘ word find reception. So no matter how many times the Lord talks to us, we can only hear sounds but cannot understand. There is nothing to keep. The word of Jesus was never received anyway. It is because of this that we are condemned. Since the word of Jesus is light and life, then not having it leaves us in darkness and living a life not in fullness. Jesus doesn‘t need to do anything to condemn us. Our inattention has made us the condemned.

Daily Reflection

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

May 9, 2017 Tuesday

4TH WEEK OF EASTER
Psalter: Week 4 / (White)

Ps 87:1b-3, 4-5, 6-7
All you nations, praise the Lord.

1^st Reading: Acts 11:19-26

Those who had been scattered, because of the persecution over Stephen, traveled as far as Phoenicia, Cyprus and Antioch, proclaiming the message, but only to the Jews. But there were some natives of Cyprus and Cyrene among them who, on coming into Antioch, spoke also to the Greeks, giving them the good news of the Lord Jesus. The hand of the Lord was with them so that a great number believed and turned to the Lord.

News of this reached the ears of the Church in Jerusalem, so they sent Barnabas to Antioch. When he arrived and saw the manifest signs of God‘s favor, he rejoiced and urged them all to remain firmly faithful to the Lord; for he, himself, was a good man, filled with the Holy Spirit and faith. Thus large crowds came to know the Lord.

Then Barnabas went off to Tarsus, to look for Saul; and when he found him, he brought him to Antioch. For a whole year, they had meetings with the Church and instructed many people. It was in Antioch that the disciples were first called Christians.

Gospel: Jn 10:22-30

The time came for the feast of the Dedication. It was winter, and Jesus walked back and forth in the portico of Solomon. The Jews then gathered around him and said to him, ”How long will you keep us in doubt? If you are the Messiah, tell us plainly.” Jesus answered, ”I have already told you, but you do not believe. The works I do in my Father‘s name proclaim who I am, but you don‘t believe because, as I said, you are not my sheep.

”My sheep hear my voice and I know them; they follow me and I give them eternal life. They shall never perish, and no one will ever steal them from me. What my Father has given me, is greater than all things else. To snatch it out of the Father‘s hand, no one is able! I and the Father are One.”

REFLECTION:

There are people who find it hard to understand until it is clearly spelled out to them. This becomes even more glaring when the people in question do not share our horizon. Talking with them becomes a heavy task.

Jesus had His share of these kind of encounters. People press Him for a clear articulation of His Person so that their mind would be at ease. They are too lazy to unravel the mystery of who He is. They want to know not for the sake of faith but to have an information that would put them at ease. Thus Jesus pointed to them His works. These are the clearest proofs of who He is but still they could not understand. They do not have the disposition of a follower to grasp the meaning of Jesus‘ work. It is because of this that He will not tell them who He is. It is useless. They will probably ask for more explanations rather than believe.

Daily Reflection

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

May 8, 2017 Monday

4TH WEEK OF EASTER
Psalter: Week 4 / (White)

Ps 42:2-3; 43:3-4
Athirst is my soul for the living God.

1^st Reading: Acts 11:1-18

News came to the apostles and the brothers and sisters in Judea that even foreigners had received the word of God. So, when Peter went up to Jerusalem, these Jewish believers began to argue with him, “You went to the home of uncircumcised people and ate with them!

So Peter began to give them the facts as they had happened, ”I was at prayer in the city of Joppa when, in a trance, I saw a vision. Something like a large sheet came down from the sky and drew near to me, landing on the ground by its four corners. As I stared at it, I saw four-legged creatures of the earth, wild beasts and reptiles, and birds of the sky. Then I heard a voice saying to me: ‘Get up, Peter, kill and eat!‘ I replied, ‘Certainly not, Lord! No common or unclean creature has ever entered my mouth.‘ A second time the voice from the heavens spoke, ‘What God has made clean, you must not call unclean.’ This happened three times, and then it was all drawn up into the sky. At that moment, three men, who had been sent to me from Caesarea, arrived at the house where we were staying. The Spirit instructed me to go with them without hesitation; so these six brothers came along with me and we entered into the man‘s house. He told us how he had seen an angel standing in his house and telling him: ‘Send someone to Joppa and fetch Simon, also known as Peter. He will bring you a message by which you and all your household will be saved.’

I had begun to address them when suddenly the Holy Spirit came upon them, just as it had come upon us at the beginning. Then I remembered what the Lord had said: ‘John baptized with water, but you shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit.‘ If, then, God had given them the same gift that he had given us when we believed in the Lord Jesus Christ, who was I to resist God?”

When they heard this they set their minds at rest and praised God saying, ”Then God has granted life-giving repentance to the pagan nations as well.”

Gospel: Jn 10:11-18

Jesus said: ”I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd gives his life for the sheep. Not so the hired hand, or any other person who is not the shepherd, and to whom the sheep do not belong. They abandon the sheep as soon as they see the wolf coming; then the wolf snatches and scatters the sheep. This is because the hired hand works for pay and cares nothing for the sheep.

”I am the good shepherd. I know my own and my own know me, as the Father knows me and I know the Father. Because of this, I give my life for my sheep.

”I have other sheep which are not of this fold. These I have to lead as well, and they shall listen to my voice. Then there will be one flock, since there is one shepherd.

”The Father loves me, because I lay down my life in order to take it up again. No one takes it from me, but I lay it down freely. It is mine to lay down and to take up again: this mission I received from my Father.”

REFLECTION:

A good shepherd is a powerful symbol of how Jesus cares for His own. It brings forth the sense of fierce tenderness, of worries and concern that goes beyond the idea of mere possession of that which one protects. It brings to fore the kind of self-investment whose foundation is love. It is no wonder that Jesus could give His life freely and without regret for His sheep.

This is a hard vocation to follow. How many of us is generous enough to remove the ”self” as the center of our life and put ”others” instead? It takes a highly evolved consciousness and spiritual strength to have the capacity to do this. Hence we need to learn from Jesus. We need to sit at His feet and progress towards selfless love. And so the Good Shepherd can multiply Himself only in those whose hearts are ready and brave.

Daily Reflection

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

May 11, 2017 Thursday

Daily Reflection

May 10, 2017 Wednesday

Daily Reflection

May 9, 2017 Tuesday

Daily Reflection

May 8, 2017 Monday

Daily Reflection

More Articles ...

Daily Reflection

RVA Mass