READINGS for 2007-12-13

DANCING TO THE TUNE

“Whoever has ears ought to hear...” – Matthew 11:15

It’s amazing how the Gospel today is proclaimed.

The Purpose Driven Life by Rick Warren is now the largest selling hardbound book in history. The author struck a sensitive chord when he harped on “purpose.”

Gawad Kalinga is making waves as they help squatters have an honorable place to live in. This is the Gospel in motion through concrete action.

The largest praise and worship center in the world is in Australia. Hillsong songs can touch the inner core and move people to dance while praising and worshiping God.

Pondong Pinoy by Cardinal Rosales has raised millions for the poor. It started with an idea of constantly giving small amounts every day.

The Passion of the Christ, although put down by critics in the US, remains to be one of the top grossing films of all time. Mel Gibson has given his all to proclaim Jesus’ love for us through this motion picture.

The Lord is indeed playing different tunes through people to be able to attract and save each and every individual. Ariel D.

REFLECTION:

Am I responding to the tune? If I am, do I help play it?

May I dance to the tune You play, Lord.

1st READING

Isaiah 41:13-20

How true it is that we are merely puny mites and worms in the face of the glory of  our loving God. There is absolutely nothing we can do about this situation other than to accept it and get on with discovering God’s will for our lives and doing it. This is the only way that we will have true meaning in our lives. Without obedience to God’s will, our lives will be a never-ending procession of non-fulfillment and frustration; according to His will our lives will be full of peace and harmony.

13 For I am the LORD, your God, who grasp your right hand; it is I who say to you, “Fear not, I will help you.” 14 Fear not, O worm Jacob, O maggot Israel; I will help you, says the LORD; your redeemer is the Holy One of Israel. 15 I will make of you a threshing sledge, sharp, new, and double-edged, to thresh the mountains and crush them, to make the hills like chaff. 16 When you winnow them, the wind shall carry them off and the storm shall scatter them. But you shall rejoice in the LORD, and glory in the Holy One of Israel. 17 The afflicted and the needy seek water in vain, their tongues are parched with thirst. I, the LORD, will answer them; I, the God of Israel, will not forsake them. 18 I will open up rivers on the bare heights, and fountains in the broad valleys; I will turn the desert into a marshland, and the dry ground into springs of water. 19 I will plant in the desert the cedar, acacia, myrtle, and olive; I will set in the wasteland the cypress, together with the plane tree and the pine, 20 That all may see and know, observe and understand, that the hand of the LORD has done this, the Holy One of Israel has created it.

P S A L M

Psalm 145:1, 9, 10-11, 12-13

R: The Lord is gracious and merciful; slow to anger, and of great kindness.

1 I will extol you, O my God and King, and I will bless your name forever and ever. 9 The LORD is good to all and compassionate toward all his works. (R) 10 Let all your works give you thanks, O LORD, and let your faithful ones bless you. 11 Let them discourse of the glory of your kingdom and speak of your might. (R) 12 Let them make known to men your might and the glorious splendor of your kingdom. 13 Your kingdom is a kingdom for all ages, and your dominion endures through all generations. (R)

G O S P E L

Matthew 11:11-15

We need to have a certain violence in the way that we live in terms of fighting against our own willfulness and accepting the will of God. Unless we are willing to fight for the will of God in our lives, we will discover that we will constantly be walking another road that does not hold such a promising destination as eternal life. Jesus, your promise of happiness and fulfillment is dependent upon our following your path for our lives.

Help me to have the humility to accept this truth. 11 “Amen, I say to you, among those born of women there has been none greater than John the Baptist; yet the least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he. 12 From the days of John the Baptist until now, the kingdom of heaven suffers violence, and the violent are taking it by force. 13 All the prophets and the law prophesied up to the time of John. 14 And if you are willing to accept it, he is Elijah, the one who is to come. 15 Whoever has ears ought to hear.”

my reflections

think:

Without obedience to God’s will, our lives will be a never-ending procession of non-fulfillment and frustration.

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God’s special verse/thought for me today________________

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T O D A Y ’ S BLESSING LIST

Thank You Lord for: ____________________________________

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READ THE BIBLE IN ONE YEAR  1 Thessalonians 1-5 

WE OWE, WE OWE

I find the Gospel quite an embarrassing story to proclaim. On first hearing, the story sounds as if Jesus is saying “OK” to the Master’s un-Christian way of treating a worker under him. Jesus’ words sound as if he were antilaborer, and pro-elite. It is good to bear in mind, however, that Jesus’– in his storytelling–– did not mean to highlight the attitude of the Master, but the attitude of the servant. In the face of everything in life, Jesus would want us to see ourselves as servants. Therefore:

. We should live the art of receiving all from God.

There is nothing that we have in ourselves – not even our inspiration to do good–– which does not come from God. The initiative is always God’s. When we do good – like what most servants experience – what we simply do is follow the Master’s instructions, and respond to the opportunities that the Master gives to us to do good. We never do good on our own.

. We should never see our apostolates and ministries as ways of “earning” merits.

Since our doing good as servants is always in faithful response to the Master’s instructions and created opportunities, we as servants can never be good to the point that we are above the Master’s expectations! We do good only to the measure that the Master gives us. What we then think about as “merits” is actually nothing but “duty fulfilled in faithfulness to the Master’s expectations.” Come to think of it, in relation to God as our Master, the health, the breath, and the abilities we implore to do good are not even ours. They are all the Master’s!

A bumper sticker on a car we were following along the highway read: “I owe, I owe so to work I go.” This in truth is our state before God: we do not own… we owe, we owe. Fr. Domie, SSP

REFLECTION QUESTION: Go through your life – through all that you have, and through all that you are now. This much you owe the Lord. Do everything today in a spirit of praise and thanksgiving to God.

To You, Lord, do all I possess belong.

 St. Frances Xavier Cabrini, virgin, pray for us.