READINGS for 2008-07-26
Memorial of Sts. Joachim and Ann, parents of the virgin mary
WOLF IN SHEEP’S CLOTHING
“Put not your trust in the deceitful words: ‘This is the temple of the Lord’” – Jeremiah 7:4
A friend invited me to a pranic healing session. I had no idea what it was but hearing the word “pranic” gave me goose bumps. She told me that she just accompanied her friend to the place where the sessions were held. She admitted that she was skeptical at first. But her doubts were erased when she saw a big picture of the Divine Mercy on the entrance. Besides, there were some religious people there, and even saw on video the priest whom she knew way back college days. A part of me wanted to go. But I was unusually bothered. So I consulted my cousin-priest, my friend-nun, and a sister in our community. All of them discouraged me from attending these “healing sessions” for these were not consistent with our faith. I also surfed the net and that further confirmed my doubts.
Not everything that looks or sounds “religious” is from the Lord. In our search for truth, we may run into people proclaiming, “This is the way. Take this path.” There are lots of voices that compete with God’s voice. Let us be vigilant or else we may find ourselves following a wolf in sheep’s clothing. Judith Concepcion
REFLECTION:
Who or what are the voices in your life that drown God’s voice?
Lord, help me to recognize Your voice.
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1st READING
One of the reasons for the lack of candidates for the priesthood today is that parents do not encourage their sons to consider a vocation as a legitimate path for their life. Perhaps this is because they want him to carry on the family’s name. If this is the case then, perhaps they should consider having more children. If not, why is there a reluctance for a son to be a priest? Is there a more noble vocation than priesthood?
Sirach 44: 1, 10-15, (or Jeremiah 7: 1-11 )
1 Now will I praise those godly men, our ancestors, each in his own time: 10 Yet these also were godly men whose virtues have not been forgotten; 11 their wealth remains in their families, their heritage with their descendants; 12 through God’s covenant with them their family endures, their posterity, for their sake. 13 And for all time their progeny will endure, their glory will never be blotted out; 14 their bodies are peacefully laid away, but their name lives on and on. 15 At gatherings their wisdom is retold, and the assembly proclaims their praise.
P S A L M
Psalm 132: 11, 13-14, 17-18 (or Psalm 84: 3, 4, 5-6a, and 8, 11 )
R: (Luke 1:32) God will give him the throne of David, his father.
11 The LORD swore to David a firm promise from which he will not withdraw: “Your own offspring I will set upon your throne.” (R) 13 For the LORD has chosen Zion; he prefers her for his dwelling. 14 “Zion is my resting place forever; in her will I dwell, for I prefer her.” (R) 17 “In her will I make a horn to sprout forth for David; I will place a lamp for my anointed. 18 His enemies I will clothe with shame, but upon him my crown shall shine.” (R)
G O S P E L
The eyes and ears that see and hear what others fail to perceive are the eyes and ears of faith because they look and see beyond the immediate realities we experience in this world to the spiritual realities that last for eternity. This is why it is important for the Church and families to create an environment of faith for men and women to hear the call of a religious or priestly vocation. It is out of a strong faith environment that vocations will come.
Matthew 13: 16- 17 (or Matthew 13: 24-30)
16 “But blessed are your eyes, because they see, and your ears, because they hear. 17 Amen, I say to you, many prophets and righteous people longed to see what you see but did not see it, and to hear what you hear but did not hear it.
my reflections
think: The eyes and ears that see and hear what others fail to perceive are the eyes and ears of faith because they look and see beyond the immediate realities we experience in this world to the spiritual realities that last for eternity.
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God’s special verse/thought for me today________________ _________________________________________________________
T O D A Y ’ S BLESSING LIST Thank You Lord for: ____________________________________
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READ THE BIBLE IN ONE YEAR 1 Maccabees 9-10
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hOnOr yOUr MOthEr and FathEr
Today, we honor Joachim and Anne — the parents of Mary. In the 10 Commandments God gives to His people, we are enjoined to honor our mother and father. There is a reward attached to this –so that all may be well and we might have long life. Throughout the pages of the Bible, we are constantly reminded of the dignity and respect of this commandment. St. Paul urges children to obey their parents.
It is fitting that we honor Joachim and Anne on this day. Their lives will live on in the following generations for they image to us the model of true parenting. They loved and cherished Mary, their daughter. They taught her at a young age the truths of the faith. They prepared her to become “good soil” so that God could bring blessing and grace into her life. We honor their devotion, their marriage, their love for each other, and their love of God.
As Ben Sirach tells us in the first reading, their virtues have not been forgotten. Parents pass on many traits to their children. We are to be open to the virtues, those qualities blessed with the grace of God. How often do we hear the comment, he or she is just like his father or mother? Their names will live on. Even when they have been gone from our sight, still they will live on. They will be remembered in the gathering of the people, their wisdom retold and their praise proclaimed. They will remain in those who are left behind.
Our parents have looked after us in the days of our youth; they fed and nourished us physically and spiritually. We owe them a lot for what they have given to us. Some of us have had poor parenting because of lack of time and support. Perhaps we lost our parents when we were young. Some do not know who their parents are. Parents give us a sense of identity. They offer security. They give us life here on earth. Whether they are good or bad, they gave what they could. Their purpose was to image to us the love and faithfulness of God.Fr. Brian Steele
Reflection Question:
Think about your own parents, living or dead. Thank God for their lives and remember their virtues. Seek to live them and allow those virtues to flourish in your own life.
God, I wish to obey Your commandments. Thank You for the gift of my parents, living or dead. Grant them Your peace and love. Amen.
Sts. Joachim and Anne, parents of Mary, pray for us.
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