Daily Bible Reflections
for August 11, 2014
;

Dear Friend,

Be God's blessing to the world this Monday!

Praying for you,

Bo Sanchez



11
August
Monday
TODAY'S READINGS:

DIDACHE | COMPANION | SABBATH
DIDACHE

 

VALUE OF HARD WORK
 

“The Son of Man is going to be delivered into the hands of men. They will kill him, and on the third day he will be raised to life.” – Matthew 17:22-23

 

They say that people are motivated by reward and punishment. Carrot and stick. Pleasure and suffering. Prize and pain. Yet why is it that even if we know the good and the ultimate reward, we still succumb to the dark side? Because there is fleeting pleasure in things that lead to sin.

       Today’s society is driven by two forces: the culture of the instant and the principle of hard work.

       The culture of the instant creates people who are experts at shortcuts and quick-fixes. Along this line, Bishop Teodoro Bacani said, “Beware of the people nowadays, who are becoming millionaires without even a single effort.”

       The Bible is clear about hard work from as early as Genesis 3:19: “By the sweat of your brow comes the food that you eat.” Instant breeds laziness. Hard work breeds perseverance.

       Instant makes idlers. Hard work makes key actors.
       Instant is for losers. Hard work is for champions.

     Let’s imitate the Jesus model. He was willing to do the difficult because His eyes were fixed on heavenly rewards: the beatific vision, union with God and eternal bliss. Obet Cabrillas (kpreacherobet@gmail.com.ph)

 

Reflection: “Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.” (Hebrews 12:2)

 
Lord, let me focus on You and Your eternal rewards.
 

St. Clare, virgin, pray for us.

The all-new Feast mobile app is finally here! All the content you love from here may also be found in our new app and so much more! Please make sure to download the new Feast App, as we will eventually stop updating this version soon.

Let's continue to grow together with our all-new Feast app! Download and upgrade today: Feast App for Android | Feast App for iOS.


Didache | Companion | Sabbath | Top

Get your daily readings and more for free inside the Feast App!
Google PlayStore     iOS AppStore

COMPANION

 

1ST READING
 

There are some spectacular descriptions of epiphanies in the Book of Ezekiel and this is the first of them. What do they mean? I believe it is merely the author’s way to convey that there is something important and even divine involved in the visions. Their spectacular nature demonstrates their origin, namely God, and so when Ezekiel speaks of such visions, he is speaking of the Word of God to the people.

 
Ezekiel 1:2-5, 24-28

2 On the fifth day of the fourth month of the fifth year, that is, of King Jehoiachin’s exile, 3 the word of the Lord came to the priest Ezekiel, the son of Buzi, in the land of the Chaldeans by the river Chebar. There the hand of the Lord came upon me. 4 As I looked, a storm wind came from the North, a huge cloud with flashing fire enveloped in brightness, from the midst of which (the midst of the fire) something gleamed like electrum. 5 Within it were figures resembling four living creatures that looked like this: their form was human. 24 Then I heard the sound of their wings, like the roaring of mighty waters, like the voice of the Almighty. When they moved, the sound of the tumult was like the din of an army. And when they stood still, they lowered their wings. 25 26 Above the firmament over their heads something like a throne could be seen, looking like sapphire. Upon it was seated, up above, one who had the appearance of a man. 27 Upward from what resembled his waist I saw what gleamed like electrum; downward from what resembled his waist I saw what looked like fire; he was surrounded with splendor. 28 Like the bow which appears in the clouds on a rainy day was the splendor that surrounded him. Such was the vision of the likeness of the glory of the Lord.

 
P S A L M
 
Psalm 148:1-2, 11-12, 13, 14

R: Heaven and earth are filled with your glory.

1 Praise the Lord from the heavens, praise him in the heights; 2 praise him, all you his angels, praise him, all you his hosts. (R) 11 Let the kings of the earth and all peoples, the princes and all the judges of the earth, 12 young men too, and maidens, old men and boys. (R) 13 Praise the name of the Lord, for his name alone is exalted; his majesty is above earth and heaven. (R) 14 And he has lifted up the horn of his people. Be this his praise from all his faithful ones, from the children of Israel, the people close to him. Alleluia. (R)

 
GOSPEL
 

Jesus is not an anarchist; He submits to the reasonable demands of the law. There is no way He would let any secular law override His conscience judgment. Therefore, paying taxes is one of the duties of any member of society. We demand that the government provides certain services — they have to be paid for — hence, taxes. We cannot necessarily pick and choose what taxes to pay because that would result in chaos and probably very few taxes being  paid. Paul teaches us that secular governments can make demands upon us (Romans 13), provided they do not infringe on the rights of our consciences.

 
GOSPEL ACCLAMATION

God has called you through the Gospel to possess the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ.

 
Matthew 17:22-27

22 As Jesus and his disciples were gathering in Galilee, Jesus said to them, “The Son of Man is to be handed over to men, 23 and they will kill him, and he will be raised on the third day.” And they were overwhelmed with grief. 24 When they came to Capernaum, the collectors of the temple tax approached Peter and said, “Does not your teacher pay the temple tax?” 25 “Yes,” he said. When he came into the house, before he had time to speak, Jesus asked him, “What is your opinion, Simon? From whom do the kings of the earth take tolls or census tax? From their subjects or from foreigners?” 26 When he said, “From foreigners,” Jesus said to him, “Then the subjects are exempt. 27 But that we may not offend them, go to the sea, drop in a hook, and take the first fish that comes up. Open its mouth and you will find a coin worth twice the temple tax. Give that to them for me and for you.”

 

think:  Paying taxes is one of the duties of any member of society.

 
T O D A Y’S BLESSING LIST
Thank You Lord for: __________________
 
____________________________________
 
God’s special verse/thought for me today_
_____________________________________
 

READ THE BIBLE IN ONE YEAR 2 Maccabees 7-8

 

The all-new Feast mobile app is finally here! All the content you love from here may also be found in our new app and so much more! Please make sure to download the new Feast App, as we will eventually stop updating this version soon.

Let's continue to grow together with our all-new Feast app! Download and upgrade today: Feast App for Android | Feast App for iOS.


Didache | Companion | Sabbath | Top

Get your daily readings and more for free inside the Feast App!
Google PlayStore     iOS AppStore

SABBATH

 

WHAT IS FREEDOM?

 

This question is similar to the one that Pilate asks Jesus: “What is truth?” The answers to both questions are related, as there can be no freedom without acting for the truth. The proper exercise of human freedom can only be done in relation with the truth of the human person — that is, according to who we have been created by God. Anything that is not true to our human dignity, while it may be a free act, is an abuse of the gift of freedom given to us by God. Laws are designed to guide us along the right path and help us to discern whether or not what we are about to do is a good act or not.

       In the Gospel today, Jesus confronts the question of legitimate authority. All sorts of people have and exercise authority in our lives. Jesus makes it clear that when an authority is a legitimate one, then we have a duty to obey it. It is not up to us to decide what we want to do at any particular time. This curbing of absolute freedom can be seen to be for the common good. It is the common good of humanity that recognizes that we cannot have absolute freedom as this would preclude any sort of human community to which we could belong. Absolute freedom is known by the name “anarchy.”

       We live in communities because we need the support of one another. We cannot live fully human lives as solitary individuals. It is impossible to live without reference to other human beings. Jesus wants us to respect the laws of the society as long as they are truly moral. No one is obligated to obey an immoral law, no matter who is issuing it. At the same time, if we want to challenge a particular law, we cannot simply express our dislike for it but we must have a reasoned and well-organized argument to support our position. This is called “freedom of conscience,” something that is, or at least should be, enshrined in our laws or national constitutions. Fr. Steve Tynan, MGL

 

REFLECTION QUESTION: What does freedom mean to you?

 

Jesus, help me to know what it means to act according to the human nature with which You endowed us. Help me to be an example of generosity and care to every person I meet.

 
 
 

The all-new Feast mobile app is finally here! All the content you love from here may also be found in our new app and so much more! Please make sure to download the new Feast App, as we will eventually stop updating this version soon.

Let's continue to grow together with our all-new Feast app! Download and upgrade today: Feast App for Android | Feast App for iOS.


Didache | Companion | Sabbath | Top

Get your daily readings and more for free inside the Feast App!
Google PlayStore     iOS AppStore

 

 

We are happy to be sending this to you. Aside from our work of evangelization, the Feast also supports 10 foundations for the poor. Would you like to be part of this humble mission of helping our beneficiaries by donating?  Click here to share in God's work through the Feast Mercy Ministries. 

Do You Want Your Friend To Receive This Email?
Friend's Email:

 


Thank you for being part of the Feast family!

JOIN THE FEAST: Find a spiritual family. Join the Feast!
Find one near you! Check out our Feast locations and schedules here: feast.ph/locations. You may also follow us on Facebook for more Feast community-wide updates.

PRAY-OVER SESSIONS: Need someone to talk to? Want someone to pray with you?
Get in touch with our LOJ Pastoral Care Center at 0923 132 3071 (Sun) and 0917 145 3756 (Globe) from Monday to Saturday 8 AM to 10 PM. You may also set a session via chat here.

DOWNLOAD THE FEAST APP: Feed your faith with the all-new Feast mobile app! Keep receiving God's Message daily on your mobile.

Download today!  Feast App for Android | Feast App for iOS

LOVE OFFERINGS AND DONATIONS: Let’s continue the cycle of generosity. Choose how you want to give to our Feast Mercy Ministries foundations:

After your transfer/ deposit, please send a copy of your deposit slip with your name and contact number to support@kerygmafamily.com so that we can have a record of your donation

1. Register for monthly giving here: www.feastmercyministries.com/give

2. Online thru PayPal:  PayPal.me/KerygmaFamily 

3. Through bank deposits and transfers:

Account name:  Shepherd’s Voice Radio and Television Foundation      

4. Give through GCASH: Scan the QR Code below

For any concerns or inquiries regarding your donation, please contact Joya from the Feast Mercy Ministries at (+632) 8725-9999 or +639989684416. Thank you again and God bless you more!