Daily Reflection | Gospel Reading | RVA

     “No one sews a piece of new cloth on an old coat, because the new patch will shrink and tear away from the old cloth, making a worse tear. And no one puts new wine into old wine skins, for the wine would burst the skins, and then both the wine and the skins would be lost. But new wine, new skins!”

Reflections
NEW WINE IN NEW WINE SKINS 
      These words of Jesus express the dynamism of his teachings.
    It is so much in contrast with the historical maldevelopment of our faith when what became important and normative was dogmatism and static teaching. But anything that is alive has to change, has to be renewed. Every age has its characteristics and its challenges, its perspectives and its context. And if the Gospel is frozen to a specific age it will lose its vitality. I think that is why Pope Francis is showing us how we can live the Gospels in our times, answering the needs of the people today, healing their particular woundedness and inspiring us to face the challenges of our age. That is why many are coming back to the Church. Those who were disillusioned, those who felt they did not belong and those who felt condemned and excluded are finding hope that the Church is indeed their home and it is in her womb that they will grow and develop to their full humanity.

       Andrew, the brother of Simon Peter, was one of the two who heard what John had said, and followed Jesus. Early the next morning, he found his brother Simon and said to him, “We have found the Messiah” (which means the Christ), and he brought Simon to Jesus. Jesus looked at him and said, “You are Simon, son of John, but you shall be called Cephas” (which means Rock).

Lectio Divina
Read: Eli helps Samuel to discern God’s call and respond. Paul reminds Corinthians and us that all of us are called to be temples of the Holy Spirit. John presents the call of the first disciples of Jesus.
Reflect: Call and Response is the theme for this Sunday. Samuel is called; first disciples are called; Paul reminds us of our call. In all these, there is a “third person” who helps the ones called to discern the call and respond – Eli, John the Baptist, Andrew, Paul. Not every call comes from God. It takes an experienced elder — someone who has gone and seen where God lives — to help us discern the voice of God in the din of everyday life. Do you have such a third person in your life, who can help you discern God’s little whispers? If yes, you are blessed. If no, do not wait longer. Go and find one. And if you have gone and seen, be one to someone else.
Pray: Lord, help me come and see where you live and, in turn, guide others to do the same.
Act: Talk to your spiritual director today. If you do not have one, begin your search today.

But Pharisees, men educated in the law, when they saw Jesus eating with sinners and tax collectors, said to his disciples, “Why does your master eat and drink with tax collectors and sinners?” Jesus heard them, and answered, “Healthy people don’t need a doctor, but sick people do. I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners.”

Reflections
I DID NOT COME TO CALL THE RIGHTEOUS, BUT SINNERS
      This is such a consoling statement of Jesus. It shows God’s infinite compassion on the weak. Sometimes holiness is identified with perfection — as if we can, by our own strength, attain sanctity. This view of holiness also encourages perfectionism which does not lead to holiness but to self-righteousness. Have you ever lived with perfectionist self-righteous people? My goodness, they correct every one as if they were a universal novice mistress. They are also very judgmental and condemnatory. It is as if they have the monopoly of the truth. When I was Prioress, I used to go on visitation and one day while on such a visit, an elderly Sister came to me and said ”Mother, I think my community does not like me.” “Why do you say that?” I asked.“ Because just now when I went to the refectory, they all went out. “Why, what did you do?” She said “ Well when I came in they were all talking so I told them: Ssssshh!” “Well no wonder, they left the room”. I said. She said self-righteously, “But am I not right? We are not supposed to be talking in the refectory. It is a place of silence.!” I said: “Yes, Sister, you are right. In fact you are almost always right. And that is what is wrong with you!” God of Compassion, help us also to be compassionate to our neighbors.

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

 

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      Now, some teachers of the law, who were sitting there, won¬dered within themselves, “How can he speak like this, insulting God? Who can forgive sins except God?”
       At once, Jesus knew in his spirit what they were thinking, and asked, “Why do you wonder? Is it easier to say to this paralyzed man, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Rise, take up your mat and walk?’ But now you shall know, that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins.”
       And he said to the paralytic, “Stand up, take up your mat and go home.” The man rose and, in the sight of all those people, he took up his mat and went out. All of them were astonished and praised God, saying, “Never have we seen anything like this!”

Reflections
BE CAREFUL WHAT YOU ASK FOR, YOU MIGHT GET IT!
      The story of Samuel in the epistle about the people asking for a king reminds me of that saying: Be careful what you ask for, you might get it. We often think that what we ask for is always good for us. But experience tells us it may not be so. I know of a religious who wanted to be principal of a school in a province in the South. She prayed and prayed for it and even actually volunteered for that position. It turned out during her term that her autocratic ways did not sit well with the school staff nor with the parents. They actually rallied against her and sent a formal letter to the provincial to have her transferred. In a similar but reverse manner, sometimes we are assigned something that we felt negatively about and turned out to be positive. When I was a very young sister, I was enjoying my Manila assignment teaching in High School. Then I got a transfer card assigning me to in the province. My first reaction was: Oh my goodness, I am being sent to the boondocks! Being a religious, of course I obeyed. Looking back it was where I started to bloom. I learned so many things and had so many positive experiences with the students, my community and with the parents. I look upon it as one of the best things that happened in my life. God really looks after us and has plans that are better for us than our highest dreams for ourselves.

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