Daily Reflection | Gospel Reading | RVA

6TH WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME
Psalter: Week 2 / (Green)

Ps 102:16-18, 19-21, 29 & 22-23
From heaven the Lord looks down on the earth.

1^st Reading: Gen 9:1-13

God blessed Noah and his sons and he said to them, “Be fruitful, multiply and fill the earth. Fear and dread of you will be in all the animals of the earth and in all the birds of the air, upon everything that creeps on the ground and all the fish of the sea. They are given to you. Everything that moves and lives shall be food for you; as I gave you the green plants, I have now given you everything. Only you shall not eat flesh with its life, that is its blood.

But I will also demand a reckoning for your lifeblood. I will demand it from every animal; and from man, too, I will demand a reckoning for the life of his fellow man.

He who sheds the blood of man shall have his blood shed by man; for in the image of God has God made man.

As for you, be fruitful and increase. Abound on the earth and be master of it.“

God spoke to Noah and his sons, “See I am making a Covenant with you and with your descendants after you; also with every living animal with you: birds, cattle, that is, with every living creature of the earth that came out of the ark. I establish my Covenant with you. Never again will all life be cut off by the waters of a flood, and never again will there be a flood to destroy the earth.“

God said, “This is the sign of the Covenant I make between me and you, and every animal living with you for all future generations. I set my bow in the clouds and it will be a sign of the Covenant between me and the earth.

Gospel: Mk 8:27-33

Jesus set out with his disciples for the villages around Caesarea Philippi; and on the way he asked them, “Who do people say I am?“ And they told him, “Some say, you are John the Baptist; others say, you are Elijah or one of the prophets.“

Then Jesus asked them, “But you, who do you say I am?“ Peter answered, “You are the Messiah.“ And he ordered them not to tell anyone about him.

Jesus then began to teach them that the Son of Man had to suffer many things and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests and the teachers of the law. He would be killed, and after three days rise again. Jesus said all this quite openly, so that Peter took him aside and began to protest strongly. But Jesus, turning around, and looking at his disciples, rebuked Peter, saying, “Get behind me, Satan! You are thinking not as God does, but as people do.“

REFLECTION:

God gives us our food

 After the flood, God renews the blessing for man and creation and issues a “new food law.“ Whereas before the fall of man God had ordained a “vegetarian diet“ for man, after the fall of man, God now allows even a “meat diet“ for man!

 But there is a caveat to God’s new food law. Man could not eat the meat with its blood! God gives a reason, namely: inasmuch as life is in the blood and all life is sacred, God ordained abstinence from blood so that man may be reminded to respect all life! In the New Testament this food law will cease to have its binding legal force, like other similar ritual laws of the Jews (purification laws and dietary laws–see Mark 7).

 Whether we follow a vegetarian diet or we prefer a meat diet, however, is not the issue. At the core of this food law we see that we have a God who provides our food. In our prayer before and after meals we recognize that we receive all from the bountiful goodness of God. Yes, we give thanks to the Lord for his providence of food for us!

Daily Reflection

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

6TH WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME
Psalter: Week 2 / (Green)

Ps 116:12-13, 14-15, 18-19
To you, Lord, I will offer a sacrifice of praise.

1^st Reading: Gen 8:6-13, 20-22

At the end of the forty days Noah opened the window of the ark that he had built and let the raven out. This went off and kept flying to and fro until the waters had dried up from the earth.

Then Noah let out the dove to see if the waters were receding from the earth. But the dove could not find a place to set its foot and flew back to him in the ark for the waters still covered the surface of the whole earth. So Noah stretched out his hand, took hold of it and brought it back to himself in the ark. He waited some more days and again sent the dove out from the ark. This time the dove came back to him in the evening with a fresh olive branch in its beak.

Then Noah knew the waters had receded from the earth. He waited seven more days and let the dove loose, but it did not return to him anymore.

 In the year six hundred and one, in the first month, on the first day of the month, the waters dried up from the earth. Noah then removed the covering from the ark and looked out and saw that the surface of the earth was dry.

 Noah built an altar to Yahweh and, taking some of all the clean animals and all the clean birds, he offered burnt offerings on it. Yahweh smelled the pleasing aroma and said to himself: “Never again will I curse the earth because of man, even though his heart is set on evil from childhood; never again will I strike down every living creature as I have done.

As long as the earth lasts, seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, day and night, shall not cease to be.“

Gospel: Mk 8:22-26

When they came to Bethsaida, Jesus was asked to touch a blind man who was brought to him. He took the blind man by the hand and led him outside the village. When he had put spittle on his eyes and laid his hands upon him, he asked, “Can you see anything?“ The man, who was beginning to see, replied, “I see people! They look like trees, but they move around.“ Then Jesus laid his hands on his eyes again and the man could see perfectly. His sight was restored and he could see everything clearly.

Then Jesus sent him home, saying, “Do not return to the village.“

REFLECTION:

Our God of Peace

We are blessed with a Pope who has consistently taught us the fundamental character of our God, namely: Our God is first and foremost a God who forgives, a God who always takes the initiative in restoring order, in giving us Peace! Such is the key message of our first reading today. Noah is given the good news that God would understand human weakness and will henceforth be merciful to man. This reminds us of the first prayer of Jesus on the cross “Father, forgive them for they do not know what they are doing.“

The dove of peace with the olive branch, the universal symbol of peace, brings to the broken world of man the good news we are reminded at Christmastime through the song of the cherubim “Glory to God in the Highest and Peace to men of good will!“ Our God is a God of peace who is always ready to extend his hands (even on the cross) so that there could be peace.

We are called today then, to extend our hands and offer peace to our brothers and sisters. It is not always easy to extend the hand of peace to one who has hurt us. But our God has shown us the way. Christ, our peace, invites us to be merciful for we all are in need of God’s mercy. Brothers and sisters, who is the one person you need to give an olive branch to today?

Daily Reflection

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

6TH WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME
Psalter: Week 2 / (White)
Sts. Cyril & Methodius

Ps 29:1a & 2, 3ac-4, 3b & 9c-10
The Lord will bless his people with peace.

1^st Reading: Gen 6:5-8; 7:1-5, 10

Yahweh saw how great was the wickedness of man on the earth and that evil was always the only thought of his heart. Yahweh regretted having created man on the earth and his heart grieved. He said, “I will destroy man whom I created and blot him out from the face of the earth, as well as the beasts, creeping creatures and birds, for I am sorry I made them.“ But Noah was pleasing to God.

Yahweh said to Noah, “Go into the ark, you and all your household, for I see that you are just in this generation. Of all the clean animals, you are to take with you seven of each kind, male and female, and a pair of unclean animals, a male and a female.

In the same way for the birds of the air, take seven and seven, male and female, to keep their kind alive over all the earth, for in seven days I will send rain on the earth for forty days and forty nights. I will blot out from the face of the earth all the living creatures I have created.“

Noah did all as Yahweh had commanded.

And after seven days the waters of the flood were over the earth.

Gospel: Mk 8:14-21

The disciples had forgotten to bring more bread, and had only one loaf with them in the boat. Then Jesus warned them, “Keep your eyes open, and beware of the yeast of the Pharisees and the yeast of Herod.“ And they said to one another, “He saw that we have no bread.“

Aware of this, Jesus asked them, “Why are you talking about the loaves you are short of? Do you not see or understand? Are your minds closed? Have you eyes that don’t see and ears that don’t hear? And do you not remember when I broke the five loaves among five thousand? How many baskets full of leftovers did you collect?“ They answered, “Twelve.“ “And having distributed seven loaves to the four thousand, how many wicker baskets of leftovers did you collect?“ They answered, “Seven.“ Then Jesus said to them, “Do you still not understand?“

REFLECTION:

“Our God Saves“

The story of the flood tells us that the wickedness of man had become so widespread that God, who at creation saw that all that he had created “was very good“ had now become so corrupted as a result of the sin of man. Now Scripture tells us that God was so displeased that he was ready to destroy all of creation!

Once again, as in yesterday’s reading, God’s justice is immediately tempered by his mercy as He finds Noah and instructs him to build an ark so as to save all creation (the symbolic number 7) for a new order. Even as God punishes he also makes plans for restoration! Our God is a God who Saves, indeed! His mercy always shines out.

As we wish “Happy Valentine“ our loved ones today, it is good to remember that to say “I love you“ is also to say “I forgive you!“ Our God is a God of love!

Daily Reflection

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

6TH WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME
Psalter: Week 2 / (Green)

Ps 50:1 & 8, 16bc-17, 20-21
Offer to God a sacrifice of praise.

1^st Reading: Gen 4:1-15, 25

Adam had intercourse with Eve his wife; she became pregnant and gave birth to a child. She named him Cain, for she said, “I have got a man with help from Yahweh.“ She later gave birth to Abel, his brother. Abel was a shepherd and kept flocks, and Cain tilled the soil.

It happened after a time that Cain brought fruits of the soil as an offering to Yahweh. Abel for his part brought the firstborn of his flock, and some fat as well. Now Yahweh was well pleased with Abel and his offering, but towards Cain and his offering he showed no pleasure. This made Cain very angry and downcast.

Then Yahweh said to Cain, “Why are you angry and downcast? If you do right, why do you not look up? But if you are not doing what is right, sin is lurking at the door. It is striving to get you, but you must control it.“

Cain said to his brother Abel, “Let’s go to the fields.“ Once there, Cain turned on his brother Abel and killed him. Yahweh said to Cain, “Where is your brother, Abel?“ He answered, “I don’t know; am I my brother’s keeper?“

Yahweh asked, “What have you done? Your brother’s blood cries out to me from the ground. Now be cursed and driven from the ground that has opened its mouth to receive your brother’s blood that your hand has shed. When you till the soil, it will no longer yield you its produce. You will be a fugitive wandering on the earth.“

Cain said to Yahweh, “My punishment is greater than I can bear. See! Today you drive me from this land. I must hide from you and be a wanderer and a fugitive on the earth, and it will so happen that whoever meets me will kill me.“ Yahweh said to him, “Well then, whoever kills Cain, will suffer vengeance seven times.“ And Yahweh put a mark on Cain to prevent anyone who met him from killing him.

Adam again had intercourse with his wife and she gave birth to a son and named him Seth; for she said, “Yahweh has given me another child in place of Abel since Cain killed him.“ To Seth also a son was born and he called him Enosh. At that time people began to call on the name of Yahweh.

Gospel: Mk 8:11-13

The Pharisees came and started to argue with Jesus. Hoping to embarrass him, they asked for some heavenly sign. Then his spirit was moved. He gave a deep sigh and said, “Why do the people of this present time ask for a sign? Truly, I say to you, no sign shall be given to this people.“ Then he left them, got into the boat again, and went to the other side of the lake.

REFLECTION:

“The Justice of God“

The story of Cain and Abel reveal to us the great mystery of God’s justice. When Cain kills his brother Abel, God confronts Cain with his sin. The gravity of the sin of Cain has cosmic repercussions. Even the earth rebels against the deed! Sin, all sin, cry for Divine retribution! No one can hide sin from the all-knowing God!

As Yahweh pronounces the punishment due to Cain–a fugitive–Cain cries out for mercy. He begs that his miserable life may not be taken by others. God, the most just, is also the most merciful and so decreed that He would avenge Cain should he be killed! Divine justice condemns sin; Divine justice punishes the sinner; Divine justice prohibits human vengeance. “Vengeance is mine, I will repay“ says the Lord! (Rom 12:19)

This revelation of the “justice of God“ should be our guide also in our administration of justice. In particular we can see in this biblical narrative God’s original penal code: No to “capital punishment.“ It often happens that cries for justice easily turn out to be cries for vengeance. How easily an angry man can arrogate to himself the Divine prerogative and thus commit the same crime he condemns!

Daily Reflection

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