Monday, October 03, 2005
MEMORIAL, ST. FRANCIS OF ASSISI
OCTOBER 4, 2005
MEMORIAL, ST. FRANCIS OF ASSISI
TUESDAY 27TH WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME - YEAR I
JONAH 3:1-10
Then the word of the LORD came to Jonah a second time: "Go to the great
city of Nineveh and proclaim to it the message I give you." Jonah
obeyed the word of the LORD and went to Nineveh. Now Nineveh was a very
important city--a visit required three days. On the first day, Jonah
started into the city. He proclaimed: "Forty more days and Nineveh will
be overturned." The Ninevites believed God. They declared a fast, and
all of them, from the greatest to the least, put on sackcloth. When the
news reached the king of Nineveh, he rose from his throne, took off his
royal robes, covered himself with sackcloth and sat down in the dust.
Then he issued a proclamation in Nineveh: "By the decree of the king
and his nobles: Do not let any man or beast, herd or flock, taste
anything; do not let them eat or drink. But let man and beast be
covered with sackcloth. Let everyone call urgently on God. Let them
give up their evil ways and their violence. Who knows? God may yet
relent and with compassion turn from his fierce anger so that we will
not perish." When God saw what they did and how they turned from their
evil ways, he had compassion and did not bring upon them the
destruction he had threatened.
LUKE 10:38-42
As Jesus and his disciples were on their way, he came to a village
where a woman named Martha opened her home to him. She had a sister
called Mary, who sat at the Lord's feet listening to what he said. But
Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made. She
came to him and asked, "Lord, don't you care that my sister has left me
to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me!" "Martha, Martha," the
Lord answered, "you are worried and upset about many
things, but only one thing is needed. Mary has chosen what is better,
and it will not be taken away from her."
REFLECTION
Nineveh, the capital of the powerful Assyrian Empire and a city
considered as one of the largest in the Middle East, hears Jonah's
warning and declares a citywide fasting and penitence. Even the king
and his noblemen take the warning seriously and order everyone to turn
away from evil and ask for God's mercy.
Perhaps it was difficult for Jonah to believe that the king and his
entire city took his warning seriously because he is a Jew. More so,
God spares the city and its inhabitants after He sees the penitent ways
of the Assyrians. We could imagine the joy and celebration when the
Assyrians realized that they were spared.
God spared the Assyrians because they chose to listen and ask for His
mercy. These two actions alone gave God the reason to abort His plan
to destroy Nineveh.
If the Assyrians, a civilization that had gods of their own and a
reputation of ruthless invasion, could be spared because they listened
and humbled themselves to God, what more for us? Perhaps God will look
on merciful to us if we too shelve our pride and humble ourselves.
In our daily struggles and distractions, it's easy to lose touch with
our spiritual lives and ignore God. However, we need to remember that
it only takes a few minutes to discover that quiet moment and to tune
ourselves to Him.
When we listen to God, feel His presence, and humble ourselves before
Him, we can look forward to experiencing God's compassion and His
forgiveness. Perhaps it may not seem as amazing as seeing a city being
spared, but we will feel the same sense of joy and happiness.
PRAYER
"Lord, to be in your presence is life and joy for me. Free me from
needless concerns and preoccupations that I may give you my undivided
love and attention."
PRAYER REQUESTS
We pray ...
- for a deep and profound respect for life, especially for the
unborn.
- for the speedy recovery of Annika Nadine Uy.
- for the speedy recovery and well-being of Vanessa Nicole Lee Lim.
- for the well-being of Grace Morales.
- for the speedy recovery of Alice.
- for the speedy recovery of Conchita P. Tan.
- for all the prayer intentions in the MTQ Dailyprayer Diary.
- Prayer Intention: Bernie & Aida Villanueva
- Wedding Anniversary: Carlos & Brenda Siy
- for good health of my wife Mona and our baby inside her.
- for the special intentions of Raymond & Chorel de Veas
- for Gladys who will undergo a major surgery on 7th October
- for world peace and reconciliation.
Finally, we pray for one another, for those who have asked our
prayers and for those who need our prayers the most.
Have a good day!
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