Friday, March 13, 2015

 

SATURDAY, 3rd Week of Lent

SATURDAY, 3rd Week of Lent
Violet

Hos 6:1-6 / Lk 18:9-14

Reading: Hos 6:1-6
     Come, let us return to Yahweh. He who shattered us to pieces, will heal us as well; he has struck us down, but he will bind up our wounds. Two days later he will bring us back to life; on the third day, he will raise us up, and we shall live in his presence. Let us strive to know Yahweh. His coming is as certain as the dawn; his judgment will burst forth like the light; he will come to us as showers come, like spring rain that waters the earth.
     O Ephraim, what shall I do with you? O Judah, how shall I deal with you? This love of yours is like morning mist, like morning dew that quickly disappears. This is why I smote you through the prophets, and have slain you by the words of my mouth.
     For it is love that I desire, not sacrifice; it is knowledge of God, not burnt offerings.

Gospel: Lk 18:9-14
     Jesus told another parable to some persons fully convinced of their own righteousness, who looked down on others, "Two men went up to the Temple to pray; one was a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. The Pharisee stood by himself and said: 'I thank you, God, that I am not like other people, grasping, crooked, adulterous, or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week and give the tenth of all my income to the Temple.'
     "In the meantime the tax collector, standing far off, would not even lift his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast saying: 'O God, be merciful to me, a sinner.'
     "I tell you, when this man went down to his house, he had been set right with God, but not the other. For whoever makes himself out to be great will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be raised."

Reflection:
     In our stories, we are always right, or at least blameless. Our actions and behavior are perfectly rational, given the circumstances. In our stories, other people happen to us. They are strange. They get in our way. They can't get their acts together. Their actions are troublesome and poorly founded. In our stories, we are the protagonists and this life is about us.
     But is it God's story? Is it the story God is writing for us? When we go to church, we may not explicitly say to God, "Thank you for making me a better human being than my neighbor over here." But how often do we cast silent judgments almost automatically? How often do we live as if this life was about us and that we know the roles and hearts of all the cast members?
     What this parable is saying is that a proud heart has no room for God nor for other people. Righteousness makes one the judge and director. It sets one apart. But if we take a step back before God, "remove the sandals from our feet," then God can begin His work on us. He can begin to work on our hearts and help us truly see ourselves and our brothers and sisters. When this happens, the world will come alive. People will appear to us full of potential and the space for God's love. Our lives will no longer be simply our story but God's.


WE PRAY FOR MTQ DAILY PRAYER DIARY INTENTIONS:

BIRTHDAY
     ADRIAN JOHN GOTAMCO DY

WEDDING ANNIVERSARY
     DIONISION & TERESA LIM TAN

IN MEMORIAM (+)
     RICHARD O'GORMAN

OTHER INTENTIONS:
For the healing and fast recovery of Pocholo Aligada

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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   |  The Daily Prayer, a service and an apostolate of the
   |  priests, laity and friends of Mary the Queen Parish
   |  distributed free and for personal use only.  
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# posted by F O O D F O R T H O U G H T @ 5:56 AM 0 comments
 

FRIDAY, 3rd Week of Lent

March 13, 2015 FRIDAY, 3rd Week of Lent

Violet

 

Hos 14:2-10 / Mk 12:28-34

 

Reading: Hos 14:2-10

     Return to your God Yahweh, O Israel! Your sins have caused your downfall. 

     Return to Yahweh with humble words. Say to him, "Oh you who show compassion to the fatherless forgive our debt, be appeased. Instead of bulls and sacrifices, accept the praise from our lips.

     Assyria will not save us: no longer shall we look for horses nor ever again shall we say 'Our gods' to the work of our hands."

     I will heal their wavering and love them with all my heart for my anger has turned from them.

     I shall be like dew to Israel like the lily will he blossom. Like a cedar he will send down his roots; his young shoots will grow and spread. His splendor will be like an olive tree, his fragrance, like a Lebanon cedar.

     They will dwell in my shade again, they will flourish like the grain, they will blossom like a vine, and their fame will be like Lebanon wine.

     What would Ephraim do with idols, when it is I who hear and make him prosper? I am like an ever-green cypress tree; all your fruitfulness comes from me.

     Who is wise enough to grasp all this? Who is discerning and will understand? Straight are the ways of Yahweh: the just walk in them, but the sinners stumble.

 

Gospel: Mk 12:28-34

     A teacher of the Law had been listening to this discussion and admired how Jesus answered them. So he came up and asked him, "Which commandment is the first of all?"

     Jesus answered, "The first is: Hear, Israel! The Lord, our God, is One Lord; and you shall love the Lord, your God, with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind and with all your strength. And after this comes another one: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. There is no commandment greater than these two."

     The teacher of the Law said to him, "Well spoken, Master; you are right when you say that he is one and there is no other. To love him with all our heart, with all our understanding and with all our strength, and to love our neighbor as ourselves is more important than any burnt offering or sacrifice."

     Jesus approved this answer and said, "You are not far from the kingdom of God." But after that, no one dared to ask him any more questions.

 

Reflection:

   This Gospel reading gives us an insight into how to enter the Kingdom of God. In fact it gives us a taste of how it would be in the Kingdom of God. It would not be a place of rules and regulations, of laws and rituals, but rather one of love.

   And Jesus specifically reveals the secret of loving God - it is to love our neighbor! For that is what Christ has done with us. He has not burdened us with the yoke of offering sacrifices, but rather has carried us in our sins with his supreme sacrifice of his death on the cross. This has been the greatest act of love that he has done for us. And with this love flowing in us, we can also now love our neighbor - with all our heart, understanding and strength. This can be fulfilled only with the Holy Spirit. And this is the real secret of happiness - to be able to love as God loves.

 

 

WE PRAY FOR MTQ DAILY PRAYER DIARY INTENTIONS:

 

BIRTHDAY

     MS. ERNESTINE G. LIM

     NIXON TROY D. VILLANUEVA

 

IN MEMORIAM (+)

     FERON YANG LON

 

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

   |  distributed free and for personal use only.  

  +================================================+

 

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# posted by F O O D F O R T H O U G H T @ 4:24 AM 0 comments

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