READINGS for 2009-09-30
GooD NEWS
“But you, go and proclaim the kingdom of God.” – Luke 9:60b
I take the call of Jesus to spread the Good News to others very personally. I know that if I don’t feel that I’m contributing to the growth of the Kingdom, I would feel useless. That’s why I am happy and feel privileged to be working at Shepherd’s Voice Publications. I have a direct opportunity to share the Lord to others through Kerygma, Fish, Mustard, Didache and our other publications and events. I even get to hear feedback from others about how they get ministered and blessed through our publications.
At the same time, I know that it is not only in my work that I am called to proclaim Jesus. More importantly, I must show through my life that Jesus is alive and that Gospel values work in day-to-day life. That is the more powerful testimony for God — and of course, the more challenging one.
When Jesus calls us to proclaim the Kingdom, it doesn’t stop at the church grounds or during prayer meetings. Our very lives have to be permeated with God’s strength, power and presence in order for others to believe. Praise God that He empowers those whom He calls. Joy Sosoban
REFLECTION:
“I will come and proclaim your mighty acts, O Sovereign Lord; I will proclaim your righteousness, yours alone.” (Psalm 71:6)
You are worthy, O Lord! May I proclaim Your goodness till the ends of the earth.
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1st READING
By the goodwill of King Artaxerxes, Nehemiah is permitted to return to Jerusalem to begin the long and arduous task of rebuilding the city and the nation. As we will discover as we read about this time of Jewish history, he faced many difficulties and problems. However, he did not let any of them get the better of him, but persevered through them. It took many years to rebuild the city, but at least this was the beginning of the task. Sometimes we are called to begin a work for the Kingdom of God and others are commissioned to finish it and yet others to receive the full benefits. Let us not be jealous, but thankful that we have been given the opportunity to serve in the work of building God’s Kingdom.
Nehemiah 2:1-8
1 In the month Nisan of the twentieth year of King Artaxerxes, when the wine was in my charge, I took some and offered it to the king. As I had never before been sad in his presence, 2 the king asked me, “Why do you look sad? If you are not sick, you must be sad at heart.” Though I was seized with great fear, 3 I answered the king “May the king live forever! How could I not look sad when the city where my ancestors are buried lies in ruins, and its gates have been eaten out by fire?” 4 The king asked me, “What is it, then, that you wish?” I prayed to the God of heaven 5 and then answered the king, “If it please the king, and if your servant is deserving of your favor, send me to Judah, to the city of my ancestors’ graves, to rebuild it.” 6 Then the king, and the queen seated beside him, asked me how long my journey would take and when I would return. I set a date that was acceptable to him, and the king agreed that I might go. 7 I asked the king further “If it please the king, let letters be given to me for the governors of West-of-Euphrates, that they may afford me safe-conduct till I arrive in Judah; 8 also a letter for Asaph, the keeper of the royal park, that he may give me wood for timbering the gates of the temple-citadel and for the city wall and the house that I shall occupy.” The king granted my requests, for the favoring hand of my God was upon me.
P S A L M
Psalm 137:1-2. 3. 4-5. 6
R: Let my tongue be silenced if I ever forget you!
1 By the streams of Babylon we sat and wept when we remembered Zion. 2 On the aspens of that land we hung up our harps. (R) 3 Though there our captors asked of us the lyrics of our songs, and our despoilers urged us to be joyous “Sing for us the songs of Zion!” (R) 4 How could we sing a song of the LORD in a foreign land? 5 If I forget you, Jerusalem, may my right hand be forgotten! (R) 6 May my tongue cleave to my palate if I remember you not, if I place not Jerusalem ahead of my joy. (R)
G O S P E L
To choose a life of discipleship, it is necessary to renounce all other priorities and make obedience to the will of Jesus the sole focus of our lives. None of the men in today’s Gospel desired to do anything wrong or bad; it is just that they had given their commitment to exclusively follow Jesus. If that is what we have said we will do, then we need to have the courage and strength to persevere in that commitment. The grace to do this will always be there for us. Are we willing to take it up and live by it?
Luke 9:57-62
57 As Jesus and his disciples were proceeding on their journey someone said to him, “I will follow you wherever you go.” 58 Jesus answered him, “Foxes have dens and birds of the sky have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to rest his head.” 59 And to another he said, “Follow me.” But he replied, “[Lord,] let me go first and bury my father.” 60 But he answered him, “Let the dead bury their dead. But you, go and proclaim the kingdom of God.” 61 And another said, “I will follow you, Lord, but first let me say farewell to my family at home.” 62 Jesus answered him, “No one who sets a hand to the plow and looks to what was left behind is fit for the kingdom of God.”
my reflections
think:Sometimes we are called to begin a work for the Kingdom of God and others are commissioned to finish it and yet others to receive the full benefits.
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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 Sirach 9-12
REVIEW OF THE QUARTER
Did I fulfill my last quarter goals?
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What were the most important words the Lord gave to me this quarter?
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What were my greatest blessings these past three months?
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What are my most pressing needs for the next quarter?
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NOTES:
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Sirach 9-12 |
the Word oF god
St. Jerome was a great lover of the Word of God. He spent most of his religious life working on translations of the Scriptures from their original Hebrew and Greek into Latin. Even if he ‘borrowed’ a fair percentage of his work from others, particularly Origen (somewhat out of favor with Church authorities for one reason or another), he obviously had a great love for the Word of God, and was completely dedicated to promoting its understanding.
As Catholics, we see the Word of God as one of the two main sources of revelation for our faith. If we want to discern orthodoxy in the midst of a mixed up and confused world, we can rely on the Scriptures to aid us in our understanding of God’s will. The Tradition of the Church is the other main source. There is a relationship between the two as they are interdependent; without either of them, neither would have any basis. This leads to some sort of circular argument but that is what we have in the Catholic Church.
However, we can avoid the accusation of having a circular argument to back up the basis of our faith when we understand that Jesus is at the heart of both the Scriptures and the Tradition of the Church. It is our faith in Jesus that helps us accept this truth and build our lives upon it. Without the Word of God and the Tradition of the Church, there is nothing to anchor our lives of faith on. Without the truths that they provide, we will be as confused as the rest of the world who do not have faith in God.
The Word of God is not a crutch upon which Christians lean, it is a lifeline to truth and human fulfilment. We just need to place our lives under its teaching and choose to listen to its wisdom. I doubt if there is any other source of wisdom in the world that has anywhere near the same authority or history — if you find one, please let me know what it is! Fr. Steve Tynan, MGL
Reflection Question:
What is the source or sources of wisdom that I draw from when I make decisions in life? What credibility do these sources have?
Father, You sent Your Son, the Word of God, into the world to reveal Your love for us. Open my heart to the truths He reveals in His teachings and grant me the grace to live by them.
St. Jerome, Priest and Doctor, pray for us.
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