Daily Bible Reflections
for June 24, 2016
;

Dear Friend,

May you be guided by His directions this Friday!

Praying for you,

Bo Sanchez



24
June
Friday
TODAY'S READINGS:

DIDACHE | COMPANION | SABBATH
DIDACHE

 

Solemnity of the Nativity of

St. John the Baptist

 
TUMMY BULGE
 

When the time arrived for Elizabeth to have her child she gave birth to a son. Her neighbors and relatives heard that the Lord had shown his great mercy toward her, and they rejoiced with her. – Luke 1:57-58

 

       One September night, a couple who had been praying for a baby went to my house just to say hi. Before they left, I was moved to pray over them. I told them what I felt was from the Lord, that “before the year ends, you will conceive.”

        One day, my phone rang. It was this couple. “Jon, we’re pregnant!” It was mid-December of the same year. Many months later, they got me as godfather and named the child after me.

       In today’s reading, God is saying, “Your time has come. It’s time to believe again! I can still bring that dream to fulfillment. I can still restore your marriage. I can still heal your body. I can give you the job you’ve been praying for. I can still bring the right person into your life.”

       It’s never over until God says it’s over. As long as you’re praying and believing, God is at work. Struggling with that addiction for a long while? Your day of victory and freedom is on its way. Keep praying, keep working, keep being your best, and it shall come to pass. It’s never too late to be all that God created you to be. Jon Escoto (faithatworkjon@gmail.com)

 

Reflection: Have you given up on praying for something? Is God calling you to pray for it again?

 

Father, I’m tired. But I’ll keep on praying and working. I’ll leave the results to Your able and faithful hands.

 
St. John the Baptist, pray for us.

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COMPANION

 

1ST READING
 
 

 John the Baptist is sent to prepare the way for the coming of Christ. We are supposed to follow in his footsteps and introduce Christ to those whom we meet, particularly those who have never met or heard of Jesus. This is great responsibility and also a great privilege. We should not underestimate the joy we will gain from doing our part in bringing the Good News to others.

 
Isaiah 49:1-6

1 Hear me, O coastlands, listen, O distant peoples. The Lord called me from birth, from my mother’s womb he gave me my name. 2 He made of me a sharp-edged sword and concealed me in the shadow of his arm. He made me a polished arrow, in his quiver he hid me. 3 You are my servant, he said to me, Israel, through whom I show my glory. 4 Though I thought I had toiled in vain, and for nothing, uselessly, spent my strength, yet my reward is with the Lord, my recompense is with my God. 5 For now the Lord has spoken who formed me as his servant from the womb, that Jacob may be brought back to him and Israel gathered to him; and I am made glorious in the sight of the Lord, and my God is now my strength! 6 It is too little, he says, for you to be my servant, to raise up the tribes of Jacob, and restore the survivors of Israel; I will make you a light to the nations, that my salvation may reach to the ends of the earth.

 
P S A L M
 

Psalm 139:1-3, 13-14, 14-15

R: I praise you for I am wonderfully made.

1 O Lord, you have probed me and you know me; 2 you know when I sit and when I stand; you understand my thoughts from afar. 3 My journeys and my rest you scrutinize, with all my ways you are familiar. (R) 13 Truly you have formed my inmost being; you knit me in my mother’s womb. 14 I give you thanks that I am fearfully, wonderfully made; wonderful are your works. (R) My soul also you knew full well; 15 nor was my frame unknown to you when I was made in secret, when I was fashioned in the depths of the earth. (R)

 
 
2ND READING
 

The Scriptures present Jesus as belonging to the bloodline of King David. This weaves Him into human history in a tangible and indisputable way. Jesus is truly one of us — a human being, born of flesh and blood by Mary into the world but without any taint of sin. As one of us, Jesus redeems us from within our own life experiences and not just as an outsider who declares us free of our sins.

 
Acts 13:22-26

22 In those days, Paul said: “God raised up David as their king; of him he testified, ‘I have found David, son of Jesse, a man after my own heart; he will carry out my every wish.’ 23 From this man’s descendants God, according to his promise, has brought to Israel a savior, Jesus. 24 John heralded his coming by proclaiming a baptism of repentance to all the people of Israel; 25 and as John was completing his course, he would say, ‘What do you suppose that I am? I am not he. Behold, one is coming after me; I am not worthy to unfasten the sandals of his feet.’ 26 “My brothers, children of the family of Abraham, and those others among you who are God-fearing, to us this word of salvation has been sent.”

 
GOSPEL
 

John the Baptist, a miracle conception to a barren Elizabeth, a man who takes a name from outside his forebears’ usual names, is one like us — a human being but also one set apart for a particular and important ministry. We can see that his extraordinary beginnings mark him out as someone special within the plan of God for humanity. Let us not be afraid to acknowledge John. At the same time, let us never doubt that God can also use us in extraordinary ways for His Kingdom.

 
GOSPEL ACCLAMATION

You, child, will be called prophet of the Most High for you will go before the Lord to prepare his way.

 
Luke 1:57-66, 80

57 When the time arrived for Elizabeth to have her child she gave birth to a son. 58 Her neighbors and relatives heard that the Lord had shown his great mercy toward her, and they rejoiced with her. 59 When they came on the eighth day to circumcise the child, they were going to call him Zechariah after his father, 60 but his mother said in reply, “No. He will be called John.” 61 But they answered her, “There is no one among your relatives who has this name.” 62 So they made signs, asking his father what he wished him to be called. 63 He asked for a tablet and wrote, “John is his name,” and all were amazed. 64 Immediately his mouth was opened, his tongue freed, and he spoke blessing God. 65 Then fear came upon all their neighbors, and all these matters were discussed throughout the hill country of Judea. 66 All who heard these things took them to heart, saying, “What, then, will this child be?” For surely the hand of the Lord was with him. 80 The child grew and became strong in spirit, and he was in the desert until the day of his manifestation to Israel.

 

think: We should never underestimate the joy we will gain from doing our part in bringing the Good News to others.

 
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 1 Chronicles 16-18  

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SABBATH

 

A BIRTH FULL OF PROMISE

 

From the perspective of Zechariah, the birth of his son, John the Baptist, must have been a tremendous, dramatic event. He who was struck dumb for his incredulity and hesitation is now liberated, especially from his muteness. As he proclaimed in his well-known canticle, “Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel, for He has visited and brought redemption to His people.”

       Of all God’s people, Zechariah was the first to be set free. Somehow we can’t blame the poor man for having been struck mute, frail and human as he was.

       We, too, are somehow imprisoned and speechless in our cages of doubt and lack of trust in God. We long for the day when we will be set free, the ghosts of our past finally laid to rest. This means that we will, at last, come to terms with our past hurts, issues and concerns. We will not forget them entirely because unfortunately there’s no delete key for bad memories, but we will come to accept them as part of the greater scheme of things.

       What truly matters, most especially with God, is the future, and not the past anymore. “A future of hope” (Jeremiah 29:11) is what God promises us, if we put our trust in Him.

       People were wondering and speculating on what John the Baptist would be. They were even arguing about his name. But this stands in contrast with God’s holy and majestic will — it is something not subject to petty considerations and deliberations.

       This is the kind of God who always knows and desires what is best for us, like a most loving father who truly cares. Like the frail-but-promising newborn baby John, we humbly and completely entrust ourselves into His hands. Fr. Martin Macasaet, SDB

 

REFLECTION QUESTION: Are you burdened with a painful or ugly past? Surrender it to God and hold on to His promise to give you a future full of hope.

 

Heal me, Lord, of my painful and ugly past. With You in my life, I trust that my future will be a lot brighter. Amen.

 

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