“Have mercy on me, O God, in your goodness; in the greatness of compassion wipe out my sins. Thoroughly wash away my guilt and of my sin cleanse me.” – Psalm 51:3-4

       “Sorry.” My three-year-old daughter looked at me with tears in her eyes as she stood over a wet mess on the floor. She quickly said it again in a louder tone. “Sorry, Mommy.” I had been so ready to respond in anger, but that one word made me pause.

       I sighed and kneeled to wipe the floor clean. “It’s OK. Please don’t do it again.” She immediately rushed to give me a hug. “Thank you for not getting mad. I’m really sorry.” There was that word again. She said it three times already and so easily, too.

       It made me think long and hard before I stood and walked into our bedroom. My husband was watching TV quietly as I entered. He didn’t flinch. I took a deep breath and said it slowly. “I’m sorry.” He took one look at me and knew that I meant it. Which matters, of course. You have to mean it when you say it because that one word signifies that you had the courage to admit something was your fault. It’s a request for forgiveness. And it’s the first crucial step to fixing something that you value. Such as choosing to mend our relationship with our family rather than to stand alone with just our pride for company. Eleanore Teo (elyo.lee@gmail.com)

Reflection: Do you find it difficult to say sorry when you are wrong? Do you always wait for others to say it first?

Lord, grant me the strength to accept my mistakes and to choose the path that will help me correct them.

Obedience to God opens His storehouse of blessings. Psalm 133 says, “Behold how good and pleasant it is when we dwell in unity; there the Lord commands His blessing, life forevermore.” Let us be attentive to God’s Word and obey, and call down His blessing upon us.

Hosea 14:2-10

2 Thus says the Lord: Return, O Israel, to the Lord, your God; you have collapsed through your guilt. 3 Take with you words, and return to  the Lord. Say to him, “Forgive all iniquity, and receive what is good, that we may render as offerings the bullocks from our stalls. 4 Assyria will not save us, nor shall we have horses to mount. We shall say no more, ‘our god,’ to the work of our hands; for in you the orphan finds compassion.” 5 I will heal their defection, says the Lord, I will love them freely; for my wrath is turned away from them. 6 I will be like the dew for Israel: he shall blossom like the lily; He shall strike root like the Lebanon cedar, 7 and put forth his shoots. His splendor shall be like the olive tree and his fragrance like the Lebanon cedar. 8 Again they shall dwell in his shade and raise grain; they shall blossom like the vine, and his fame shall be like the wine of Lebanon. 9 Ephraim! What more has he to do with idols? I have humbled him, but I will prosper him. I am like a verdant cypress tree — because of me you bear fruit! 10 Let him who is wise understand these things; let him who is prudent know them. Straight are the paths of the Lord, in them the just walk, but sinners stumble in them.

Psalm 51:3-4, 8-9, 12-13, 14, 17

R: My mouth will declare your praise.

1 [3] Have mercy on me, O God, in your goodness; in the greatness of your compassion wipe out my offense. 2 [4] Thoroughly wash me from my guilt and of my sin cleanse me. (R) 6 [8] Behold, you are pleased with sincerity of heart, and in my inmost being you teach me wisdom. 7 [9] Cleanse me of sin with hyssop, that I may be purified; wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow. (R) 10 [12] A clean heart create for me, O God, and a steadfast spirit renew within me. 11 [13] Cast me not out from your presence, and your Holy Spirit take not from me. (R) 12 [14] Give me back the joy of your salvation, and a willing spirit sustain in me. 15 [17] O Lord, open my lips, and my mouth shall proclaim your praise. (R)

It is not easy to be a Christian. Jesus tells us that we will be persecuted and will suffer for our work as ministers of the Gospel. The world resists the Gospel message and we will face this resistance head on. Let us all place our trust in the Lord. With Him, all things are possible.

GOSPEL ACCLAMATION

When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you to all truth and remind you of all I told you.

Matthew 10:16-23

16 Jesus said to his Apostles: “Behold, I am sending you like sheep in the midst of wolves; so be shrewd as serpents and simple as doves. 17 But beware of men, for they will hand you over to courts and scourge you in their synagogues, 18 and you will be led before governors and kings for my sake as a witness before them and the pagans. 19 When they hand you over, do not worry about how you are to speak or what you are to say. You will be given at that moment what you are to say. 20 For it will not be you who speak but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you. 21 Brother will hand over brother to death, and the father his child; children will rise up against parents and have them put to death. 22 You will be hated by all because of my name, but whoever endures to the end will be saved. 23 When they persecute you in one town, flee to another. Amen, I say to you, you will not finish the towns of Israel before the Son of Man comes. ”

think: Let us place our trust in the Lord. With Him, all things are possible.

Thank You Lord for: __________________

READ THE BIBLE IN ONE YEAR 2 Chronicles 21-22 

SHEEP AMONG WOLVES

As in previous passages, Jesus made His disciples aware that following Him won’t be easy. “I send you like sheep in the midst of wolves.”

       This means, first of all, that His followers must be nonviolent — something that the Church in the Middle Ages had unfortunately forgotten. Second, it means that, as followers of Christ, we must expect rejection. Modern society has become more and more hostile to Christianity.

         When we try to live out Christ’s teachings, defend our faith, and build up the Church, we often run into resistance, mockery and even humiliation. It seems our efforts as Christians are failures.

       Please, don’t say now: “But we are a Catholic country and the churches are full.” When Pope Francis was still a Cardinal, he spoke about Catholic Argentina in an interview. The interviewer asked about Catholic identity, but the Cardinal stopped the questioner when he mentioned that Argentina was a majority Catholic country. He disagreed and said flatly that the levels of corruption, toxic messages in the media, and social inequalities could not possibly describe a Catholic country.

       I could not help but think that this applies also to the Philippines and causes discouragement, a major obstacle to remain a faithful “Christian in action and truth,” as Pope Francis desires all Christians to be.

       One of the Christian disciple’s greatest enemies, as we saw in recent reflections, is discouragement. We think we have done something wrong. We think we are good for nothing. We think Jesus is disappointed with us. No doubt, the devil loves discouragement. He loves filling Christian hearts with paralyzing discouragement. But the truth is that “discouragement is just the result of unfulfilled expectations.”

       We can only be grateful to Jesus for being honest with us, for reminding us that, after all, we are like sheep sent among wolves. But the Good Shepherd is always there to protect His sheep! Fr. Rudy Horst, SVD

REFLECTION QUESTION: Are you scared to profess your faith openly?

Lord, as the Good Shepherd, You are always with Your sheep. Forgive me for sometimes being afraid, lacking trust in Your powerful presence. Amen.