READINGS for 2008-10-28
Feast of Sts. Simon and Jude, apostles
mEmbER OF thE hOusEhOLD
You are now fellow citizens of God’s people and members of the family of God. – Ephesians 2:19
“Stop!”
“Hey, STOP! I’m going down,” I barked at the conductor and driver of the bus. I was irritated because the distance I had to walk to my destination was even farther than the distance I traveled by riding the bus.
Then I noticed that the other passengers were giggling. Then the conductor said, “Nay, unloading here is prohibited.” Then he pointed to the large signs outside.
My, how Ayala Avenue has changed since the last time I was here. As I waded through the crowded streets, I was fascinated by the towering buildings. I was bumping into people left and right and — yes — I was lost.
A lump formed in my throat as I felt overwhelmed by how different things have been since I took my “grand vacation” at the Women’s Correctional. Suddenly, fear of my ignorance took over me.
But, praise God, I remembered something He told me in His Word — that I am a fellow citizen of God’s people and member of the family of God. Hence, I had no reason to be afraid. And I walked to my destination with my head held high. Beth Coral
REFLECTION:
When people or situations make you feel intimidated, remember who your Father is.
Lord, thank You for making me a member of Your family and household.
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1st READING
As sinners, we are excluded from the fellowship of the saints in heaven. We are also aliens to the life of virtue. However, if we follow the call God places upon our lives, this can all change for the better. The choice is up to us. We celebrate the lives of Sts. Simon and Jude today, apostles of Jesus who decided to follow Him and so became great evangelists and servants of the Kingdom of God.
Ephesians : 9-
19 Brothers and sisters: You are no longer strangers and sojourners, but you are fellow citizens with the holy ones and members of the household of God, 20 built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the capstone. 21 Through him the whole structure is held together and grows into a temple sacred in the Lord; 22 in him you also are being built together into a dwelling place of God in the Spirit.
P S A L M
Psalm 9: - , 4-
R: Their message goes out through all the earth.
1 [2] The heavens declare the glory of God, and the firmament proclaims his handiwork. 2 [3] Day pours out the word to day, and night to night imparts knowledge. (R) 3 [4] Not a word nor a discourse whose voice is not heard; 4 [5] through all the earth their voice resounds, and to the ends of the world, their message. (R)
G O S P E L
To live and work under the call of Jesus is obviously an exciting way of life. You never really know what God will ask you to do next, or how He will use you for His purposes in proclaiming the Kingdom of God. As each of us seeks to follow God as best we can, let us draw inspiration from the scriptural examples of the men and women who have preceded us in our faith. We are never alone in our discipleship. We have many to lean on here on earth, and also to intercede for us in heaven.
Luke 6: - 6
12 Jesus went up to the mountain to pray, and he spent the night in prayer to God. 13 When day came, he called his disciples to himself, and from them he chose Twelve, whom he also named apostles: 14 Simon, whom he named Peter, and his brother Andrew, James, John, Philip, Bartholomew, 15 Matthew, Thomas, James the son of Alphaeus, Simon who was called a Zealot, 16 and Judas the son of James, and Judas Iscariot, who became a traitor.
my reflections
think: We are never alone in our discipleship. We have many to lean on here on earth, and also to intercede for us in heaven.
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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 Isaiah 25-28
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COUNTING OUR BLESSINGS
Sometimes, I wonder how I would have done as one of the apostles. I wonder, given the circumstances of actually meeting Jesus in the flesh, whether or not I would have had the courage to follow Him in the first place, let alone become a martyr for my faith after He had ascended into heaven. These wonderings may be a bit of a waste of time but they have led me to a deeper response to Jesus as I have come to be convinced that unless we make a radical choice for God and act upon it, we will get caught up in the midst of the world and all of its values and agendas, and become insipid or virtually useless as a witness to the Gospel! This may sound a bit of a harsh call to you, but I still think it is true nonetheless. Let me try to explain myself.
Reflecting upon the lives of the saints made me realize that they lived radical lives. They were ordinary people like you and me, but they made choices that led to their living extraordinary lives. What made them do this? Was it fame and fortune? Was it for their own pleasure and enjoyment? Was it out of some sort of compulsion and inability to control their lives? It was their love for God that led them to do extraordinary things and to live exemplary lives. The grace of God played a major role in all of this, but only because they chose to allow themselves to be consumed by it and surrendered everything, to the best of their ability, to the will of God.
Let the lives of the saints be an example of how to live our own lives. They obeyed God’s will and never allowed themselves to get caught up in the lies and falseness of the world. What does it mean to live a fully human life? Look at the saints and there is your answer. Fr. Steve Tynan
Reflection Question:
How closely does my life mirror the example of the saints? What can I do to bring it closer to this reality?
Holy Spirit, without Your help my goal is unattainable. I will never be able to achieve holiness on my own. Help me to surrender my life to the will of God like the saints who have gone before me.
St. Abraham, archbishop, pray for us.
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