Daily Bible Reflections
for June 15, 2016
;

Dear Friend,

See Him beside you this whole Wednesday!

Praying for you,

Bo Sanchez



15
June
Wednesday
TODAY'S READINGS:

DIDACHE | COMPANION | SABBATH
DIDACHE

 

DO YOU WANT TO
KNOW A SECRET?
 

And your Father who sees what is done in secret will repay you. – Matthew 6:6

 

        “I have a secret,” says my friend. I lean towards her and I’m all ears. I can’t tell you the secret but I can tell you that I am happy she trusts me enough to share what’s important to her.

      Prayer is like this. It is an intimate conversation between close friends. I can tell God my deepest secrets and I believe He also wants to share His with us. “Call to Me and I will answer you, and I will tell you great and mighty things, which you do not know,” He said in Jeremiah 3:33.

       I learned that God loves the humble and hidden things. In Sri Lanka, there is a beautiful and rare flower called kadupul, which blooms fully at midnight and completely wilts before dawn. No one sees it blooming and dying, but I believe it makes God smile.

       There is also the snow gum tree, whose height is proportional to the depth of its roots. Like this tree, we will grow to our fullest potential when our roots are nourished in prayer. What we do in secret will bear fruit, like a person whose skin glows because of the healthy food he eats. What is done in secret is ultimately rewarded by God’s overflowing love and generous servings of the fruits of His Spirit. Marjorie Ann Duterte (marjorie.travels@gmail.com)

 

Pope Francis Says: “Praise is the ‘breath’ which gives us life, because it is intimacy with God, an intimacy that grows through daily praise.”

 

Lover of hidden things, draw us close to Your heart and tell us great and unsearchable things we do not know.

 
St. Marguerite d’ Youville, pray for us.

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COMPANION

 

1ST READING
 

Elijah’s prophetic ministry is filled with extreme events — the slaughtering of the prophets of Baal and fire from heaven consuming 50 men at a time. These show that it is God who gives the orders, not man. It is God who holds life and death in His hands. We must leave such powers in the hands of God who is far better able to exercise them than we ever will.

 
2 Kings 2:1, 6-14

1 When the Lord was about to take Elijah up to heaven in a whirlwind, he and Elisha were on their way from Gilgal. 6 Elijah said to Elisha, “Please stay here; the Lord has sent me on to the Jordan.” “As the Lord lives, and as you yourself live, I will not leave you,” Elisha replied. And so the two went on together. 7 Fifty of the guild prophets followed, and when the two stopped at the Jordan, stood facing them at a distance. 8 Elijah took his mantle, rolled it up and struck the water, which divided, and both crossed over on dry ground. 9 When they had crossed over, Elijah said to Elisha, “Ask for whatever I may do for you, before I am taken from you.” Elisha answered, “May I receive a double portion of your spirit.” 10 “You have asked something that is not easy,” Elijah replied. “Still, if you see me taken up from you, your wish will be granted; otherwise not.” 11 As they walked on conversing, a flaming chariot and flaming horses came between them, and Elijah went up to heaven in a whirlwind. 12 When Elisha saw it happen he cried out, “My father! my father! Israel’s chariots and drivers!” But when he could no longer see him, Elisha gripped his own garment and tore it in two. 13 Then he picked up Elijah’s mantle which had fallen from him, and went back and stood at the bank of the Jordan. 14 Wielding the mantle that had fallen from Elijah, Elisha struck the water in his turn and said, “Where is the Lord, the God of Elijah?” When Elisha struck the water it divided and he crossed over.

 
P S A L M
 
Psalm 31:20, 21, 24

R: Let your hearts take comfort, all who hope in the Lord.

19 [20] How great is the goodness, O Lord, which you have in store for those who fear you, and which, toward those who take refuge in you, you show in the sight of the children of men. (R) 20 [21] You hide them in the shelter of your presence from the plottings of men; you screen them within your abode from the strife of tongues. (R) 23 [24] Love the Lord, all you his faithful ones! The Lord keeps those who are constant, but more than requites those who act proudly. (R)

 
GOSPEL
 

Pious acts are good. However, if we do them in order to be noticed, they are useless. Holiness is not about being seen as holy but is about the inner transformation that takes place trhough God’s grace. This conversion leads us to new life. Let us purify our motivations in doing good deeds so that our witnessing to others will be pure and holy.

 
GOSPEL ACCLAMATION

Whoever loves me will keep my word, and my Father will love him and we will come to him.

 

Matthew 6:1-6, 16-18

1 Jesus said to his disciples: “Take care not to perform righteous deeds in order that people may see them; otherwise, you will have no recompense from your heavenly Father. 2 When you give alms, do not blow a trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets to win the praise of others. Amen, I say to you, they have received their reward. 3 But when you give alms, do not let your left hand know what your right is  doing, 4 so that your almsgiving may be secret. And your Father who sees in secret will repay you. 5 When you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, who love to stand and pray in the synagogues and on street corners so that others may see them. Amen, I say to you, they have received their reward. 6 But when you pray, go to your inner room, close the door, and pray to your Father in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will repay you. 16 When you fast, do not look gloomy like the hypocrites. They neglect their appearance, so that they may appear to others to be fasting. Amen, I say to you, they have received their reward. 17 But when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face, 18 so that you may not appear to be  fasting, except to your Father who is hidden. And your Father who sees what is hidden will repay you.”

 

think: Let us purify our motivations in doing good deeds so that our witnessing to others will be pure and holy.

 
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 Kings 13-15 
 

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SABBATH

 

DEEDS DONE WITHOUT POMP

 

Our Gospel reading today is also the one read every Ash Wednesday. It may seem strange, right? But when you simply consider the threefold Lenten precept of fasting, prayer and almsgiving, then it makes perfect sense.

       In other words, fasting, prayer and almsgiving need not be limited only to the Lenten season. Any time can be a moment for us to act, in terms of sacrificing something — be it time, food and drink, and superfluous material possessions — for the sake of the less fortunate and more needy. Such sacrifice, our Lord tells us, ought to be done without fanfare or ostentatiousness.

    Take note: it isn’t only power-hungry politicians who are epal (flauntingly thick-skinned). We are all often tempted to post “press releases,” trumpet our achievements, brag about our accomplishments. There were unfortunate instances of this during that most memorable visit of Pope Francis to the Philippines on January 15-19, 2015. But there was also an overriding theme which gave guidance and meaning to the whole event: “Mercy and Compassion.”

       It was fittingly so. For with that, myriads of possibilities were available to practice those two virtues, especially by means of corporal and spiritual works of mercy. These are concrete helpful deeds, like feeding the hungry, giving drink to the thirsty, burying the dead, praying for the living and dead, and so on. But again, such deeds ought to be done without pomp.

       Jesus teaches us that if we carry out these works, we have the best audience of all — no other than God Himself. And that should be enough. To Him then — and certainly not to our fellow mortals — do we rightfully “show off” our accomplishments. Fr. Martin Macasaet, SDB

 

REFLECTION QUESTION: Are you tempted to show off acts of mercy that you do for the needy? Hold it! There’s only one Audience to whom it matters most.

 

Dearest Lord, keep me from desiring earthly reward and recognition for any good deed that I do. Help me to always remember that my true reward awaits me in heaven. Amen.

 

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