Thursday, October 23, 2014

 

Friday 29th Week in Ordinary Time

October 24, 2014

Friday 29th Week in Ordinary Time

[St. Anthony Mary Claret]

 

Eph 4: 1-6 / Ps 24: 1-2, 3-4ab, 5-6 / Lk 12: 54-59 

 

Reading: Eph 4: 1-6

Therefore I, the prisoner of Christ, invite you to live the vocation you have received. Be humble, kind, patient, and bear with one another in love. Make every effort to keep among you the unity of Spirit through bonds of peace. Let there be one body and one spirit, for God, in calling you, gave the same Spirit to all. One Lord, one faith, one baptism. One God, the Father of all, who is above all and works through all and is in all.

 

Gospel: Luke 12: 54-59

Jesus said to the crowds, "When you see a cloud rising in the west, you say at once, 'A shower is coming'; and so it happens.   And when the wind blows from the south, you say, 'It will be hot'; and so it is. You superficial people! You understand the signs of the earth and the sky, but you don't understand the present times.  And why do you not judge for yourselves what is fit? When you go with your accuser before the court, try to settle the case on the way, lest he drag you before the judge, and the judge deliver you to the jailer, and the jailer throw you into prison.  I tell you, you will not get out until you have paid the very last penny."

 

Reflection:

     The theme of today's first reading is to live the vocation we have received. By Baptism, our vocation is to love others. This also continues from the earlier verses of our Gospel from Luke 12:35-53, where Jesus talks about the need to remain vigilant and faithful followers, and that there might come a time, when our faith will be tested as Jesus might become a cause of division as Jesus in verse 51 declares that He will bring division, even in families.  

     Thus, the first part of our Gospel today talks about being able to see the "signs of the times." According to Jesus, we are able to predict the rain and the weather, and yet not see nor appreciate the arrival/presence of the Son of God. The signs that Jesus refers to are His miracles, His Truth and His Preaching. How, indeed, can we not see these special and very visible "signs of the times." 

     The second part of today's Gospel talks about being able to go beyond the requirements of the law. Under normal circumstances, we would take our grievances before a judge or magistrate to settle a dispute. However, under the law of "deeper" love, Jesus recommends making an effort to reach out to settle the dispute before going to the formal justice system.

The law of love for neighbor as ourselves is indeed the vocation that we have received.  The Lord asks even for deeper love as a true sign of our Faith in him.  

 

Prayer Requests:

We pray ...

... for a deep and profound respect for life, especially for the unborn

... for all the prayer intentions in the MTQ Dailyprayer Diary

... for families who are in need of healing

     * especially Santiago Nicholas Singson

 

... for world peace and reconciliation

 

... for wisdom, perseverance and clarity of mind for those who prepare and take their exams:

     * Karen Tuala and Lisette Mandocdoc who will take the bar exams on the four (4) consecutive weekends of October

     * Elmer and Liza who will take their exams on October 25, 26, 28

 

... for the eternal repose of the soul of Jess Aragon

 

... that the Lord may bless Lawrence with courage, guidance and discernment to see and pursue the right path, with faithfulness in overcoming his trials

 

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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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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   |  Distributed free and for personal use only.  

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Thursday 29th Week in Ordinary Time

October 23, 2014
Thursday 29th Week in Ordinary Time
[St. John of Capistrano]

Eph 3: 14-21 / Ps 33: 1-2, 4-5, 11-12, 18-19 / Lk 12: 49-53 

Reading: Eph 3: 14-21
And now I kneel in the presence of the Father from whom every family in heaven and on earth has received its name. May he strengthen in you the inner self through his Spirit, according to the riches of his glory; may Christ dwell in your hearts through faith; may you be rooted and founded in love. All of this so that you may understand with all the holy ones the width, the length, the height and the depth-in a word, that you may know the love of Christ that surpasses all knowledge, that you may be filled and reach the fullness of God. Glory to God who shows his power in us and can do much more than we could ask or imagine; glory to him in the Church and in Christ Jesus through all generations for ever and ever. Amen.

Gospel: Luke 12: 49-53 
Jesus said to his disciples, "I have come to bring fire upon the earth and how I wish it were already kindled; but I have a baptism to undergo and what anguish I feel until it is over! Do you think that I have come to bring peace on earth? No, I tell you, but rather division.  From now on, in one house five will be divided; three against two, and two against three. They will be divided, father against son, and son against father; mother against daughter, and daughter against mother; mother-in-law against her daughter-in-law, and daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law."

Reflection:
     Today's Gospel reading is regarded by many as being harsh.  "I have come to bring fire upon the earth and how I wish it were already kindled! Do you think that I have come to bring peace on earth?  No, I tell you, but rather division."  
     What does this mean? The Gospel seems to contradict  what we believe about Jesus. We believe he is the Prince of Peace, Lord of Love who came to make all things new, bright, beautiful, and virtuous.  Yet  here in the Gospel, he comes to bring division. Jesus is telling us that the challenge of his Gospel must purify us and separate us before it unites us and brings the peace and happiness that we are seeking.  Jesus makes it very clear by these words that there can be no indifference or neutrality  to his words. You are either for him or against him. There is no in-between. 
     In the early Church, when a Jew became a Christian, he was excommunicated from the
synagogue and disowned by the family. He was considered dead. So here Jesus asks us to make the choice.  Are we for him or against him?  Do we seek to be purified by the fire of the Gospel, or do we reject this idea of being cleansed and raised from our human inclinations? Are we for Jesus or against Jesus? This is the choice we have to make many times in our life.

Prayer Requests:
We pray ...
... for a deep and profound respect for life, especially for the unborn
... for all the prayer intentions in the MTQ Dailyprayer Diary
... for families who are in need of healing
... for world peace and reconciliation

... for wisdom, perseverance and clarity of mind for those who prepare and take their exams:
     * Karen Tuala and Lisette Mandocdoc who will take the bar exams on the four (4) consecutive weekends of October
     * Elmer and Liza who will take their exams on October 25, 26, 28

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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