Wednesday, May 17, 2006
Thursday 5th Week of Easter
May 18, 2006
Thursday 5th Week of Easter - Yr II
ACTS 15:7-21
After much debate had taken place, Peter got up and said to the
Apostles and the presbyters, "My brothers, you are well aware that from
early days God made his choice among you that through my mouth the
Gentiles would hear the word of the Gospel and believe. And God, who
knows the heart, bore witness by granting them the Holy Spirit just as
he did us. He made no distinction between us and them, for by faith he
purified their hearts. Why, then, are you now putting God to the test
by placing on the shoulders of the disciples a yoke that neither our
ancestors nor we have been able to bear? On the contrary, we believe
that we are saved through the grace of the Lord Jesus, in the same way
as they." The whole assembly fell silent, and they listened while Paul
and Barnabas described the signs and wonders God had worked among the
Gentiles through them. After they had fallen silent, James responded,
"My brothers, listen to me. Symeon has described how God first
concerned himself with acquiring from among the Gentiles a people for
his name. The words of the prophets agree with this, as is written:
After this I shall return and rebuild the fallen hut of David; from its
ruins I shall rebuild it and raise it up again, so that the rest of
humanity may seek out the Lord, even all the Gentiles on whom my name
is invoked. Thus says the Lord who accomplishes these things, known
from of old. It is my judgment, therefore, that we ought to stop
troubling the Gentiles who turn to God, but tell them by letter to
avoid pollution from idols, unlawful marriage, the meat of strangled
animals, and blood. For Moses, for generations now, has had those who
proclaim him in every town, as he has been read in the synagogues every
sabbath."
JOHN 15:9-11
Jesus said to his disciples: "As the Father loves me, so I also love
you. Remain in my love. If you keep my commandments, you will remain in
my love, just as I have kept my Father's commandments and remain in his
love. "I have told you this so that my joy might be in you and your joy
might be complete."
REFLECTION
To remain in God's love is a twofold process: we are his beloved, and
we are called to love others as he loves us.
It is crucial that we make an effort to remain in his love. When we are
in union with Jesus, all our thoughts, emotions, intentions and actions
are directed to him. His love is there, giving us the source of
strength we need as we sustain and build relationships with those
around us - family, friends, colleagues at work, our community. In
psychological developmental stages, there is a stage of crisis between
intimacy and isolation. Jesus' call to love is manifest when we are
able to nurture healthy, loving relationships. When we are able to draw
others (and sometimes even ourselves) out of isolation, out of our
loneliness - we see the power of Jesus' love at work.
Oftentimes we have a lot of requirements when it comes to accepting
God's love for us and sharing it with others. We would rather stay
within the comfort zone of doing the minimum requirements as followers
of Christ - loving only when it is easy and convenient to do so. But
God's love cannot be contained within the parameters we set around it -
his love calls us to complete obedience to his will. The obedience that
Jesus asks of us is not obedience to worldly rules, but to the Father
who is pure, total love. Obedience means following his commandment to
love others with our whole heart, mind, soul and self. A love that
brings out the best in people, for God's love is perfect.
With Jesus dwelling in us, we, too, must dwell in him. Dwelling in
Jesus means that we are steadfast in our promise to walk with him, to
journey with him. When we dwell in his love, there is no room for
selfishness and pride, but there are wide-open spaces where faith,
happiness, harmony, goodness, truth and grace can reside. Our union
with him is intimate - we are embraced in his loving arms, we are
invited to dance with him, to share in his joy for which we were
created and which brings the deepest fulfillment to our lives. "To live
in Jesus" is to live in Jesus' love.
PRAYER REQUESTS
We pray ...
- for a deep and profound respect for life, especially for the unborn.
- for the speedy recovery of Aida.
- for the eternal repose of the soul of Loida Jimenez. Eternal rest
grant unto her and may perpetual light shine upon her. May she and
all the souls of the dearly departed rest in peace.
- Birthday: Rita Lim Formoso
- for the spiritual enlightenment of Armando, Bituin, Tim & Leah
- good health for Nora & Teresita
- for the complete healing of Greg
- good health for Elsa & Paolo
- for the personal intentions of Domingo Alfonso & Family
- Birthday : Allan Alfonso
- Birthday : Romeo Alfonso
- for the eternal repose of the soul of Cristina, Rosvie & Aljohn.
Eternal rest grant unto them and may perpetual light shine upon
them. May they and all the souls of the dearly departed rest in peace.
- for complete healing of Alyssa.
- In Thanksgiving: Bro. Nanding Balingit
- for the healing of Ding Vidanes, Rita delos Reyes and Jose delos
Reyes.
- for the personal intentions of the delos Reyes clan.
- good health to Alex and Yoly Legaspi and Mila San Juan.
- for the personal intentions of Susan & Ding.
- for the speedy recovery of Cadio Perreras.
- In Thanksgiving: Alyssa
- for all the prayer intentions in the MTQ Dailyprayer Diary.
- Wedding Anniversary: Francisco & Flora Tong
- for the personal intentions of Audie Cabrera.
- For the complete healing of Michael O. Logatoc & Lydia Endozo.
- 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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