Daily Bible Reflections
for November 23, 2014
;

Dear Friend,

Each Sunday is a Mini-Easter. Show that Jesus is alive today!

Praying for you,

Bo Sanchez



23
November
Sunday
TODAY'S READINGS:

DIDACHE | COMPANION | SABBATH
DIDACHE

 

Solemnity of Christ the King

 
STAY AWAKE
 

But now Christ has been raised from the dead, the first fruits of those who have fallen asleep. – 1 Corinthians 15:20

       Knock, knock, knock! The short but brisk raps at the door became louder. I opened the door and my brother fell to the floor with a heavy thud.

       “Oh, my God! What happened to you? Who did this?” He was unrecognizable. He had black eyes and bruises on his face, his shirt torn into pieces.

       “I was held up by a guy in the jeepney and when I tried to fight back, his companion attacked me and...” He passed out, not from the beating, but because he was drunk!

       As usual, I gave a lengthy sermon, nagging him to give up the bottle because it’ll never do him any good. It wasn’t the first time he had gotten into this kind of trouble. The worst was when barangay patrolmen found him hogtied in his underwear in a grassy area in Taguig. They took him to the hospital for treatment.

       As his big sister, I never wavered in evangelizing him even if I seemed to be a broken record. But it paid off.

       When our father died of alcohol-related illnesses, my brother started to change. Aside from giving up alcohol, he started going to church. Today, my brother and his family are regular attendees of The Feast in Alabang. Beth A. Corral (bethcorral_0330@yahoo.com)

 

Reflection: Are you getting tired of evangelizing others, especially your loved ones? Persevere! Charity begins at home.

 

 

Lord, grant me the grace to always proclaim Your love and goodness to others, especially those closest to me.

 

St. Clement I, pope and martyr, pray for us.

 

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COMPANION

 

1ST READING
 

God is watching over us all the time. He never misses anything that happens to us. He has a particular care and concern for the weak. He watches over them and sends help without delay when it is needed. This is the sort of vigilance and pastoral care we need from the leaders of the Church. Let us pray for those who lead us, both lay people and clerics, that they will always strive to be close to the weakest members of the community in order to strengthen them and hold them up in times of struggle.

 
 
Ezekiel 34:11-12, 15-17

11 Thus says the Lord God: I myself will look after and tend my sheep. 12 As a shepherd tends his flock when he finds himself among his scattered sheep, so will I tend my sheep. I will rescue them from every place where they were scattered when it was cloudy and dark. 15 I myself will pasture my sheep; I myself will give them rest, says the Lord God. 16 The lost I will seek out, the strayed I will bring back, the injured I will bind up, the sick I will heal but the sleek and the strong I will destroy, shepherding them rightly. 17 As for you, my sheep, says the Lord God, I will judge between one sheep and another, between rams and goats.

 
P S A L M
 
Psalm 23:1-2, 2-3, 5-6

R: The Lord is my shepherd; there is nothing I shall want.

1 The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. 2 In verdant pastures he gives me repose. (R) Beside restful waters he leads me; 3 he refreshes my soul. He guides me in right paths for his name’s sake. (R) 5 You spread the table before me in the sight of my foes; you anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. (R) 6 Only goodness and kindness follow me all the days of my life; and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord for years to come. (R)

 
2ND READING
 

Christ has put all enemies under His feet. There is no power in this world over which we do not have victory. Is this the way we live or are we living lives of compromise and semi-discipleship? Jesus wants us to have the fullness of life. This is why He died and rose for us. Let us put away our childish concerns and embrace the mature Christian life of discipleship and mission — that is, proclaiming the Kingdom of God to the ends of the earth.

 
1 Corinthians 15:20-26, 28

20 Brothers and sisters: Christ has been raised from the dead, the first-fruits of those who have fallen asleep. 21 For since death came through man, the resurrection of the dead came also through man. 22 For just as in Adam all die, so too in Christ shall all be brought to life, 23 but each one in proper order: Christ the firstfruits; then, at his coming, those who belong to Christ; 24 then comes the end, when he hands over the kingdom to his God and Father, when he has destroyed every sovereignty and every authority and power. 25 For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet. 26 The last enemy to be destroyed is death. 28 When everything is subjected to him, then the Son himself will also be subjected to the one who subjected everything to him, so that God may be all in all.

 
GOSPEL
 

There will come a day of Judgment which no person can escape. We may escape earthly justice for the wrongs we have done but we will not escape the final judgment. Should we be afraid of this? We should be afraid only if we are trying to hide from God, that is, if we do not embrace the call of discipleship. What kind of life do you want now? What kind of life do you want after death?

 
GOSPEL ACCLAMATION

Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! Blessed is the kingdom of our father David that is to come!

 
Matthew 25:31- 46

31 Jesus said to his disciples: “When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit upon his glorious throne, 32 and all the nations will be assembled before him. And he will separate them one from another, as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. 33 He will place the sheep on his right and the goats on his left. 34 Then the king will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father. Inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. 35 For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, a stranger and you welcomed me, 36 naked and you clothed me, ill and you cared for me, in prison and you visited me.’ 37 Then the righteous will answer him and say, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink? 38 When did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you? 39 When did we see you ill or in prison, and visit you?’ 40 And the king will say to them in reply, ‘Amen, I say to you, whatever you did for one of these least brothers of mine, you did for me.’ 41 Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you accursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. 42 For I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me no drink, 43 a stranger and you gave me no welcome, naked and you gave me no clothing, ill and in prison, and you did not care for me.’ 44 Then they will answer and say,  ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or ill or in prison, and not minister to your needs?’ 45 He will answer them, ‘Amen, I say to you, what you did not do for one of these least ones, you did not do for me.’ 46 And these will go off to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life.”

 

think: What kind of life do you want now? What kind of life do you want after death?

 
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 Lamentations 1-5

 
                                                                                                     SABBATH PAUSE
My weekly time with God
THANK YOU LIST
Things to be grateful for from the past week
________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________
SPECIAL NEEDS
Things to ask God for in the coming week
________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________
HIDDEN TREASURE
Most important word God told me this week
 
________________________________________________________________
                                                      
                                                     _________________________________________________________________

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.


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SABBATH

 

SHEPHERDING RIGHTLY
 

Today’s feast is reminiscent of the first part of the Palm Sunday liturgy. The crowds welcomed the Lord excitedly. Today, we gather to acclaim Him as King of the universe, as Lord of all Lords, and as the fulfillment of the promised Kingdom of our father David.

       But this kingship and His kingdom have nothing to do with pomposity and power, but about humble service and solicitude: seeking out the lost, bringing back the strayed, binding up the injured, healing the sick — what He, too, is calling us to do, to shepherd His people rightly.

       How did He do all this? St. Paul speaks in terms of “destroying every sovereignty and every authority and power,” along with “putting all his enemies under his feet.” The high point of this victorious feat is about destroying the last enemy, which is death.

       The Gospel passage from Matthew offers us a passing glimpse of the glory associated with the Son of Man. But all three readings say precious little of the glories that are due to Him. Instead, they devote many more words to what the glorious Son of Man will do at the end of time. He will “separate the sheep from the goats.” But what criteria will the King use? This is where things get really interesting. We will all be judged on the basis of whether we have shepherded others rightly or not. Right shepherding has to do with loving care and solicitude for others, like what Ezekiel told us: feeding the hungry, welcoming strangers, clothing the naked, caring for the sick, and visiting the imprisoned.

       Honoring the King does not end with joining a procession and acclaiming His glories at Mass. They are important, but authentic devotion has to pave the way to humble service and solicitude for others. This, the Lord did, as can be gleaned from the readings.

       Today, let us honor Christ the King by resolving to become exactly like Him who did His Kingly role by shepherding others rightly. Fr. Chito Dimaranan, SDB

 

REFLECTION QUESTION: Are you shepherding rightly the people God has put under your care?

 

Form me into a good shepherd, Lord. May my heart be as compassionate as Yours.

 

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

 

 

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