Sunday, April 07, 2013
MONDAY, 2ND WEEK OF EASTER - YEAR I
APRIL 8, 2013
MONDAY, 2ND WEEK OF EASTER - YEAR I
Acts 4:23-31 / Ps 40: 7-8a. 8b-9. 10. 11 / Jn 3:1-8
ACTS 4:23-31
As soon as Peter and John were set free, they went to their friends and reported what the chief priests and elders had said to them. When they heard it, they raised their voices as one and called upon God, "Sovereign Lord, maker of heaven and earth, of the sea and everything in them, you have put these words in the mouth of David, our father and your servant, through the Holy Spirit: Why did the pagan nations rage and the people conspire in folly? The kings of the earth were aligned and the princes gathered together against the Lord and against his Messiah. For indeed in this very city Herod with Pontius Pilate, and the pagans together with the people of Israel conspired against your holy servant Jesus, whom you anointed. Thus, indeed, they brought about whatever your powerful will had decided from all time would happen. But now, Lord, see their threats against us and enable your servants to speak your word with all boldness. Stretch out your hand to heal and to work signs and wonders through the Name of Jesus your holy servant." When they had prayed, the place where they were gathered together shook, and they were all filled with Holy Spirit and began to speak the word of God boldly.
JOHN 3:1-8
Among the Pharisees there was a ruler of the Jews named Nicodemus. He came to Jesus by night and said, "Rabbi, we know that you have come from God to teach us, for no one can perform miraculous signs like yours unless God is with him." Jesus replied, "Truly, I say to you, no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again from above." Nicodemus said, "How can there be rebirth for a grown man? Who could go back to his mother's womb and be born again?" Jesus replied, "Truly, I say to you: No one can enter the kingdom of God without being born of water and Spirit. What is born of the flesh is flesh, and what is born of the Spirit is spirit. Because of this, don't be surprised when I say, `You must be born again from above.' The wind blows where it pleases and you hear its sound, but you don't know where it comes from or where it is going. It is like that with everyone who is born of the Spirit."
REFLECTION
As Catholics, we have been told that we share in the resurrection of our Lord. But what exactly does that mean? The resurrection is as much a victory over death as it is a rebirth; the final chapter of the faith story is just the beginning for us.
Like Nicodemus, we are often skeptic about something we don't understand. The rebirth that Jesus talks about in the gospel is no physical miracle, like what transpired on the third day. Instead, we are called to a spiritual resurrection—something that, like the blowing wind, cannot be seen, only felt. This transformation is embodied in the Holy Spirit, the invisible but lingering presence of Christ in the world.
In the first reading, the early Christians "raised their voices as one and called upon God" for the strength and courage to continue evangelizing in the face of myriad threats. Do we as readily and boldly seek the Holy Spirit when difficulties arise? Or do we rely solely on things of the flesh?
Jesus urges us to "be born again from above," that is, to allow the Spirit to work in us and permeate our daily lives. The miracle of Christ's resurrection happened millennia ago, but its ripples still touch us today. Let us live the miracle daily, by continually choosing to die to sin and experience renewal with the help of the Spirit, until we arrive at our spiritual renaissance.
PRAYER REQUESTS
We pray …
… for a deep and profound respect for life, especially for the unborn.
… for the speedy recovery and healing of
- Elizabeth Lim
- Denise, Etoie TX, Debbie, Mary Ann R, Vita, Fr Larry, Gene, Netta & Mary Ann M
- Ditas dela Paz, Toots Monfort, Andy Lecaros, Virginia Hernandez, Mon Torres, and Fleur Torres
… for the personal intentions of
- Cherie Torres
- Christopher
… for the eternal repose of the souls of
- Vicente "Ting" R. Jayme
- Mrs. Maritess Balagtas de Jesus
Eternal rest grant unto them and may perpetual light shine upon them. May they and all the dearly departed rest in peace.
… for all the prayer intentions in the MTQ Dailyprayer Diary.
- Birthday: Alan Tan Chu
- Wedding Anniversary: Jocelyn & Dr. Davis Chu
… 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!
**************************************************
These reflections are distributed free and are for personal use only. Feel free to send the Daily Prayer reflections to your friends, colleagues and relatives; however, if you do, please include the following:
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| The Daily Prayer, a service and an apostolate of the
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| http://www.marythequeen.org
| Distributed free and for personal use only.
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DIVINE MERCY SUNDAY
APRIL 7, 2013
2ND SUNDAY OF EASTER - C
DIVINE MERCY SUNDAY
Acts 5:12-16 / Ps 118: 2-4. 13-15. 22-24 / Rev 1:9-13,17-19 / Jn 20:19-31
ACTS 5:12-16
Many miraculous signs and wonders were done among the people through the hands of the apostles. The believers, of one accord, used to meet in Solomon's Porch. None of the others dared to join them, but the people held them in high esteem. So an ever increasing number of men and women, believed in the Lord. The people carried the sick into the streets and laid them on cots and on mats, so that when Peter passed by, at least his shadow might fall on some of them. The people gathered from the towns around Jerusalem, bringing their sick and those who were troubled by unclean spirits, and all of them were healed.
REVELATION 1:9-13, 17-19
I, John, your brother, who shares with you, in Jesus, the sufferings, the kingdom and the patient endurance, was on the island of Patmos, because of the Word of God and witnessing to Jesus. On the Lord's day, the Spirit took pos session of me and I heard a voice behind me which sounded like a trumpet, "Write down all that you see, in a book, and send it to the seven Churches of Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamum, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia and Laodicea." I turned to see who was speaking to me; behind me were seven golden lampstands and, in the middle of these, I saw someone like a son of man, dressed in a long robe tied with a golden girdle. Seeing him, I fell at his feet like one dead but he touched me with his right hand and said, "Do not be afraid. It is I, the First and the Last. I am the living one; I was dead and now I am alive for ever and ever; and mine are the keys of death and the nether world. Now write what you have seen, both what is and what is yet to come.
JOHN 20:19-31
On the evening of that day, the first day after the Sabbath, the doors were locked where the disciples were, because of their fear of the Jews. But Jesus came, and stood among them, and said to them, "Peace be with you!" Then he showed them his hands and his side. The disciples kept looking at the Lord and were full of joy. Again Jesus said to them, "Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, so I send you." After saying this, he breathed on them, and said to them, "Receive the Holy Spirit! Those whose sins you forgive, they are forgiven; those whose sins you retain, they are retained." Thomas, the Twin, one of the Twelve, was not with them when Jesus came. The other disciples told him, "We have seen the Lord." But he replied, "Until I have seen in his hands the print of the nails, and put my finger in the mark of the nails and my hand in his side, I will not believe." Eight days later, the disciples were inside again and Thomas was with them. Despite the locked doors Jesus came and stood in their midst and said, "Peace be with you!" Then he said to Thomas, "Put your finger here, and see my hands; stretch out your hand, and put it into my side. Don't be an unbeliever! Believe!" Thomas then said, "You are my Lord and my God." Jesus replied, "You believe because you see me, don't you? Happy are those who have not seen and yet have come to believe." There were many other signs that Jesus gave in the presence of his disciples, but they are not recorded in this book. These are recorded, so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God. Believe, and you will have life through his Name!
REFLECTION
Suppose we could travel back in time to Jerusalem after Jesus had risen from the dead. Jesus has returned to his Father and has sent his Spirit upon the disciples. And now the first Christians begin to live the Christ-life, the life of oneness with the risen Lord.
This brings us to doubting Thomas. Why wasn't he around when Jesus first appeared to the eleven? What made him so skeptical and hard to please when trusted friends like Peter, James and John told him, "We have seen the Lord?" We do not know. What we do know is that the doubter uttered the most perfect affirmation of Christ's nature in all the Gospels: "My Lord and my God!" – an act of faith for Thomas as for us, a gift impossible without God's gracious giving. Such faith is an experience - Personal, of course – a one-to- one experience of God. But notice – the experience took place in the midst of a community of disciples.
PRAYER REQUESTS
We pray …
… for a deep and profound respect for life, especially for the unborn.
… for the speedy recovery and healing of
- Elizabeth Lim
- Denise, Etoie TX, Debbie, Mary Ann R, Vita, Fr Larry, Gene, Netta & Mary Ann M
- Ditas dela Paz, Toots Monfort, Andy Lecaros, Virginia Hernandez, Mon Torres, and Fleur Torres
… for the personal intentions of Cherie Torres
… for the eternal repose of the souls of Vicente "Ting" R. Jayme. Eternal rest grant unto them and may perpetual light shine upon them. May they and all the dearly departed rest in peace.
… for all the prayer intentions in the MTQ Dailyprayer Diary.
- Birthday: Jennifer D. Amora
- Birthday: Jimmy Ng
- Birthday: J. Ramon R. Marin
- Birthday: Andrea Dominique Yu
… for families who are in need of healing
… 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!
**************************************************
These reflections are distributed free and are for personal use only. Feel free to send the Daily Prayer reflections to your friends, colleagues and relatives; however, if you do, please include the following:
+================================================+
| The Daily Prayer, a service and an apostolate of the
| priests, laity and friends of Mary the Queen Parish
| http://www.marythequeen.org
| Distributed free and for personal use only.
+================================================+
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