Daily Reflection

October 15, 2017 Sunday

28TH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME
Psalter: Week 3 / (Green)

Ps 23:1-3a, 3b-4, 5, 6
I shall live in the house of the Lord all the days of my life.

1^st Reading: Is 25:6-10a

On this mountain Yahweh Sabaoth will prepare for all peoples a feast of rich food and choice wines, meat full of marrow, fine wine strained.

On this mountain he will destroy the pall cast over all peoples, this very shroud spread over all nations, and death will be no more. The Lord Yahweh will wipe away the tears from all cheeks and eyes; he will take away the humiliation of his people all over the world:

for Yahweh has spoken.

On that day you will say: This is our God. We have waited for him to save us, let us be glad and rejoice in his salvation. For on this mountain the hand of Yahweh rests.

2^nd Reading: Phil 4:12-14, 19-20

I know what it is to be in want and what it is to have plenty. I am trained for both: to be hungry or satisfied, to have much or little. I can do all things in him who strengthens me.

However, you did right in sharing my trials.

God, himself, will provide you with everything you need, according to his riches, and show you his generosity in Christ Jesus. Glory to God, our Father, for ever and ever: Amen.

Gospel: Mt 22:1-14

Jesus continued speaking to them in parables: ”This story throws light on the kingdom of heaven: A king gave a wedding banquet for his son. He sent his servants to call the invited guests to the banquet, but the guests refused to come.

Again, he sent other servants, instructing them to say to the invited guests, ‘I have prepared a banquet, slaughtered my fattened calves and other animals, and now, everything is ready. Come to the wedding! But they paid no attention and went away, some to their farms, and some to their work. Others seized the servants of the king, insulted them and killed them.

The king was furious. He sent his troops to destroy those murderers and burn their city. Then he said to his servants, ‘The wedding banquet is prepared, but the invited guests were not worthy. Go instead to the main streets, and invite everyone you find to the wedding feast.‘

The servants went out into the streets and gathered all they found, good and bad alike, so that the hall was filled with guests.

The king came in to see the wedding guests, and he noticed a man not wearing a wedding garment. So he said to him, ‘Friend, how did you get in without the wedding clothes?‘

But the man remained silent. So the king said to his servants, ‘Bind his hands and feet and throw him into the outer darkness, where there is weeping and gnashing of teeth.‘

For many are called, but few are chosen.”

REFLECTION:

Read: Isaiah talks about the fine banquet God prepares on the mountain. Jesus elaborates on the gratuitous banquet with the imagery of a wedding reception. From his own experience, Paul assures that God provides everything that we ever need.

Reflect: The invitation to the banquet of the Kingdom is freely offered to all. Everyone is invited. However, not everyone accepts it. And those who accept must play by the rules of the Kingdom. That is why the one without the wedding garment is thrown out. Sometimes we have an erroneous understanding of God‘s mercy–that He forgives everything and therefore, anything goes. It doesn‘t.

Pray: Let us pray for all people in the world to accept the invitation to the Kingdom.

Act: Invite a fallen away Catholic to join you at the Eucharist today.

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
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October 14, 2017 Saturday

27TH WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME
Psalter: Week 2 / (Green/Red/White)
St. Callistus I, pope & martyr / Memorial of Blessed Virgin Mary

Ps 97:1-2, 5-6, 11-12
Rejoice in the Lord, you just!

1^st Reading: Jl 4:12-21

Rise up, O people, and come to the Valley of Jehoshaphat, nations. Bring a sickle for the harvest is ripe; come and tread, for the wine press is full, and the vats overflow; so great is their wickedness!

Multitudes and more multitudes in the Valley of Verdict! The day of Yahweh is near in the Valley of Verdict! The sun and the moon become dark, the stars lose their radiance. Yahweh roars from Zion and raises his voice from Jerusalem; heaven and earth are shaken. Indeed, Yahweh is a refuge for his people, a stronghold for the Israelites. You will know that I am Yahweh, your God, dwelling on Zion, my holy mountain. Jerusalem will be a holy place; and foreigners will never pass through there again.

On that day, the mountains shall drip wine and the hills flow with milk; all the streams of Judah will run with water; and a fountain will spring from the house of Yahweh, and water the valley of Shittim.

On the other hand, Egypt will be devastated; and Edom will become a deserted wasteland, because they committed violence against Judah, and shed innocent blood in their country. But Judah will be inhabited forever, and Jerusalem through all generations. And I shall avenge their blood and not leave it unpunished, for Yahweh dwells in Zion.

Gospel: Lk 11:27-28

As Jesus was speaking, a woman spoke from the crowd and said to him, ”Blessed is the one who gave you birth and nursed you!” Jesus replied, ”Truly blessed are those who hear the word of God, and keep it as well.”

REFLECTION:

When my mother was still alive, she told me many times that her friends, classmates and co-workers in the church praised her because of me being a priest. The late archbishop Legaspi many times spoke that blessed are those who have priests or nuns in the family. Indeed, it is true. When I was ordained a priest, many greeted my mother. During my silver sacerdotal anniversary, more praised her. On her death that blessedness was even more manifested when masses were celebrated in our residence everyday one after another by bishops and priests. Because of her granddaughter nun, religious sisters flock to our residence. During the funeral, hundreds of priests and bishops concelebrated with the archbishop. The entire city said, truly blessed is the family that has a priest and a nun.

Mary, the mother of Jesus is praised and considered blessed because of her son, Jesus. However, for Jesus, ”Blessed are those who hear the word of God and observe it.” More than being a biological mother, Mary is blessed among women because she listened to the word of God, pondered it and acted on it.

It is said that blood is thicker than water. For Jesus, it is not that much. ”He who does the will of my Father, is my mother, my brother, my sister” (Mk. 3:34-35)Blessedness can be attained by all.

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

October 15 (Sunday)

October 13, 2017 Friday

27TH WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME
Psalter: Week 2 / (Green)

Ps 9:2-3, 6 & 16, 8-9
The Lord will judge the world with justice.

1^st Reading: Jl 1:13-15; 2:1-2

Gird yourselves, O priests, and weep; mourn, O ministers of the altar. Come, spend the night in sackcloth, O ministers of my God! For the house of your God is deprived of grain and drink offering. Proclaim a fast, call an assembly. Summon the elders, and all who live in the land, into the house of your God, and cry out to Yahweh, ”What a dreadful day—the day of Yahweh, that draws near, and comes as ruin, from the Almighty!”

Blow the trumpet in Zion, sound the alarm on my holy mountain! Let all dwellers in the land tremble, for the day of Yahweh is coming. Yes, the day is fast approaching—a day of gloom and darkness, a day of clouds and blackness. A vast and mighty army comes, like dawn spreading over the mountain; such as has never occurred before, nor will happen again in the future.

Gospel: Lk 11:15-26

Yet some of them said, ”He drives out demons by the power of Beelzebul, the chief of the demons.” Others wanted to put him to the test, by asking him for a heavenly sign.

But Jesus knew their thoughts, and said to them, ”Every nation divided by civil war is on the road to ruin, and will fall. If Satan also is divided, his empire is coming to an end. How can you say that I drive out demons by calling upon Beelzebul? If I drive them out by Beelzebul, by whom do your sons drive out demons? They will be your judges, then.

But if I drive out demons by the finger of God; would not this mean that the kingdom of God has come upon you? As long as a man, strong and well-armed, guards his house, his goods are safe. But when a stronger man attacks and overcomes him, the challenger takes away all the weapons he relied on, and disposes of his spoils

Whoever is not with me is against me, and whoever does not gather with me, scatters.

When the evil spirit goes out of a person, it wanders through dry lands, looking for a resting place; and finding none, it says, ‘I will return to my house from which I came.‘ When it comes, it finds the house swept and everything in order. Then it goes to fetch seven other spirits, even worse than itself. They move in and settle there, so that the last state of that person is worse than the first.”

REFLECTION:

In the first reading, the prophet Joel exhorts the priests to weep and mourn and the ministers to repent because due to the swarm of locusts invading the land, causing darkness all over, threatening their livelihood. All must return to the Lord.

During the advent and Christmas seasons, the Son born unto us and given us was introduced so well and perfectly that He is the ”Son of God, Prince of Peace, Wonderful Counselor, on His shoulder dominion rests” (Is.9:6-7). All these tell us that Jesus‘ power is not from Beelzebul. All His power and wisdom come from the Father.

Jesus in the last part of our gospel today speaks of the driven out evil and his return to its house (the person from whom the evil is driven out) with stronger power. The evil ”goes to fetch seven other spirits, even worse than itself…{so that} the person is worse than the first.” This brings us to that experience when we decided to follow the Lord, temptations were so strong and concrete. When we make our commitment, the evil becomes so jealous and looks for attractive strategies so as not to lose anyone. The evil does its best to snatch one who turned his back from it. One must have a determined determination of his choice for good in order not to be carried by the evil force. Every after confession we pray: ”I firmly resolve with the help of thy grace …to do penance and to amend my life.” Let us not give the evil the chance to return to us and find ourselves a fitting dwelling place of it.

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

October 12, 2017 Thursday

27TH WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME
Psalter: Week 2 / (Green)

Ps 1:1-2, 3, 4 & 6
Blessed are they who hope in the Lord.

1^st Reading: Mal 3:13-20b

You say very harsh things about me, says Yahweh, and, yet, you say: ”What harsh things did we say against you?” You say: ”It is useless to serve God. There is no benefit in observing his commandments or in leading an austere life for his sake. Happy are the shameless!

Those who do evil succeed in everything; though they provoke God, they remain unharmed.” Those were the very words of those who fear Yahweh. Yahweh listened and heard what they said. He ordered at once, that the names of those who respect him and reverence his name be written in a record.

And he declared, ”They will be mine on the day I have already set. Then I shall care for them, as a father cares for his obedient son. And you will see the different fates of the good and the bad, those who obey God and those who disobey him.

The day already comes, flaming as a furnace. On that day, all the proud and evildoers will be burned, like straw in the fire. They will be left without branches or roots. On the other hand, the sun of justice will shine upon you who respect my name and bring health in its rays. You will come out leaping, like fattened calves.

Gospel: Lk 11:5-13

Jesus said to them, ”Suppose one of you has a friend, and goes to his house in the middle of the night and says, ‘Friend, lend me three loaves, for a friend of mine who is traveling has just arrived, and I have nothing to offer him.‘ Maybe your friend will answer from inside, ‘Don‘t bother me now; the door is locked, and my children and I are in bed, so I can‘t get up and give you anything.‘ But I tell you, even though he will not get up and attend to you because you are a friend, yet he will get up because you are a bother to him, and he will give you all you need.

And so I say to you, ‘Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For the one who asks receives, and the one who searches finds, and to him who knocks the door will be opened.

If your child asks for a fish, will you give him a snake instead? And if your child asks for an egg, will you give him a scorpion? If you sinful people know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him.”

REFLECTION:

Caused by the request of the disciple, Jesus continues to teach how to pray. He gave a model, known to us now as the ”The Lord‘s prayer.” This time Jesus points to a very important element of prayer, persistence. On persistence, two points are emphasized by Him. Persistence on the part of the one praying manifested by the traveler in the gospel today and in another passage, by the woman asking justice from the Judge. The judge rendered his decision due to the persistence of the woman.(Lk.18:1-8)

The second is the persistence of God or His determined resolve to give the need of His children from His goodness, manifested clearly from the following texts of the gospel today.

”Though He will not get up and attend to you because you are friend….and He will give you all you need.”

”It will be given. You will find. It will be opened.”

”If you sinful people know how to give good gifts to your children, how much your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him.”

Our God is all GOOD, truly concerned with us. His refusal to our requests is still an answer from His goodness. He knows not only what is good but what is best.

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

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