Daily Bible Reflections
for June 17, 2017
;

Dear Friend,

This Saturday, let God give you rest in His Spirit.

Praying for you,

Bo Sanchez



17
June
Saturday
TODAY'S READINGS:

DIDACHE | COMPANION | SABBATH
DIDACHE

 

FREE, FINALLY
 

God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ... and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation. – 2 Corinthians 5:19

 

       I used to write to my absentee father all the time. Some letters were forgiving, some were loving. But many were sad, angry or disappointed. It was my way of trying to make sense of his absence, of trying to find answers to one lingering question: “Why weren’t you there as I grew up?” Just because he stopped being my mom’s husband didn’t mean that he should also stop being my father.

       I reached out to him for many years but more often than not I was unsuccessful. I became angry, bitter and resentful without me knowing it. Forgiving him was necessary, not because I wanted to.

       Thank God for the gift of mercy. Through the help of great mentors and friends, as well as the enduring and unconditional love of my mother, I was finally able to truly forgive my father. The Cross was the greatest symbol of mercy, of love. If God sent His only Son to die so that I could be reunited with Him, who am I to withhold the same mercy to the people who hurt me?

       So I wrote my father one last letter, but this time, it was a letter of forgiveness, and a letter asking for forgiveness. And when I signed my name, I was finally free. Karren Renz Seña (karren.s@shepherdsvoice.com.ph)

 

Reflection: For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life. (John 3:16)

 

Jesus, help us to forgive, to be merciful, to be loving — just like You.

 

St. Joseph Cafasso, pray for us.

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COMPANION

 

1ST READING

How does the love of Christ compel us to act? We are moved by the lif-echanging power of the forgiveness and mercy of God. We are  galvanized into action by this experience that we need to share with others. God’s love forces us to act on His behalf.

 
2 Corinthians 5:14-21

14 Brothers and sisters: The love of Christ impels us, once we have come to the conviction that one died for all; therefore, all have died. 15 He indeed died for all, so that those who live might no longer live for themselves but for him who for their sake died and was raised. 16 Consequently, from now on we regard no one according to the flesh; even if we once knew Christ according to the flesh, yet now we know him so no longer. 17 So whoever is in Christ is a new creation: the old things have passed away; behold, new things have come. 18 And all this is from God, who has reconciled us to himself through Christ and given us the ministry of reconciliation, 19 namely, God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting their trespasses against them and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation. 20 So we are ambassadors for Christ, as if God were appealing through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. 21 For our sake he made him to be sin who did not know sin, so that we might become the righteousness of God in him.

 
P S A L M
 
Psalm 103:1-2, 3-4, 9-10, 11-12

R: The Lord is kind and merciful.

1 Bless the Lord, O my soul; and all my being, bless his holy name. 2 Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits. (R) 3 He pardons all your iniquities, he heals all your ills. 4 He redeems your life from destruction, he crowns you with kindness and compassion. (R) 9 He will not always chide, nor does he keep his wrath forever. 10 Not according to our sins does he deal with us, nor does he requite us according to our crimes. (R) 11 For as the heavens are high above the earth, so surpassing is his kindness toward those who fear him. 12 As far as the east is from the west, so far has he put our transgressions from us. (R)

 
GOSPEL
 

In today’s Gospel, Jesus is addressing the problem of talking too much about what we are going to do but not being able to do so. Let us be doers of God’s Word and not just speak about good works that we intend to do. There is a saying that goes, “The road to hell is paved with good intentions.” But the road to heaven is paved with good works!

 
GOSPEL ACCLAMATION

Incline my heart, O God, to your decrees; and favor me with your law.

 
Matthew 5:33-37

33 Jesus said to his disciples: “You have heard that it was said to your ancestors, Do not take a false oath, but make good to the Lord all that you vow. 34 But I say to you, do not swear at all; not by heaven, for it is God’s throne; 35 nor by the earth, for it is his footstool; nor by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the great King. 36 Do not swear by your head, for you cannot make a single hair white or black. 37 Let your ‘Yes’ mean ‘Yes,’ and your ‘No’ mean ‘No.’ Anything more is from the Evil One.”

 

think: When it comes to making things right with others, who do you think of? What steps have you taken to do this?

 
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Read the Bible in one year 2 Kings 7-9

 

T O D A Y’S BLESSING LIST

 

thank You, Lord, for: ______________________________________________________

 

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SABBATH

 

THE ONLY WAY TO SALVATION

 

The Scriptures make it clear that Jesus is the only way to salvation. There is no other way to have our sins forgiven than through the Cross of Jesus Christ. For Christians this is very consoling, but what does it mean for those who do not believe in Christ? How are they going to be saved? The Good News is that the Church does recognize that the grace offered through Jesus Christ is available to all, and that the ultimate principle of judgment in this is not going to be a personal relationship with Jesus if, for example, the person has never heard the Gospel. It would be impossible to justify such a criterion and hold that we believe in a merciful God at the same time.

       The Church also teaches us that it is only through faith in Jesus Christ that we can attain salvation. Herein lies the impetus for evangelization. It is possible for God to save people outside the Christian faith, but their salvation will at best be only vaguely known by the individual. It is living a life of faith, through a personal relationship with Jesus, that brings a deeper certainty to the knowledge of salvation in our lives.

       This is why as Christians we have a duty and responsibility to share our faith with others. Christian faith is the best foundation upon which to build our lives as human beings, and if we are responsible for holding back this option from others, then we will be more harshly judged for failing in our responsibility to share our faith. Fr. Steve Tynan, MGL

 

---------- REFLECTION QUESTIONS -----------

Are you ready to share the Gospel, your faith journey with those who do not know Jesus? If not, when are you going to be ready? The harvest is plentiful but the laborers are few.

 

Holy Spirit, please open my heart more fully to the call to be an evangelist — if not in word, then at least through the witness of my life to others. Amen.

 

 

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