Daily Bible Reflections
for August 15, 2017
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Dear Friend,

Get empowered by His message to you this Tuesday!

Praying for you,

Bo Sanchez



15
August
Tuesday
TODAY'S READINGS:

DIDACHE | COMPANION | SABBATH
DIDACHE

 

Solemnity of the Assumption

of the Blessed Virgin Mary

 
A FINISHED SONG
 

“What was spoken to you by the Lord would be fulfilled.” – Luke 1:45

 

       A powerful photo of Pope Francis embracing a man disfigured by a rare skin disease compelled me to write a poem stating my guilt on how much lighter my burdens are compared to him. I posted the poem on Facebook, along with the link to the image, and a long-time writer-friend from the media ministry at church commented that he could put a melody to it. I then realized he was not only a writer but also an excellent guitar player.

       Upon this eureka moment, I remembered I had written a song on God’s love about five years before, and I have yet to find someone to help me finish it. Kuya Mike was my guy, and next thing I knew, he was working on the guitar chords. The song soon found its way to the recording studio – a dream that I have long prayed for.

        A photo led to a poem, which led to an offer for help and a finished song after five years. God orchestrated everything.

       When you offer your dreams to God, rest assured He will fulfill them however He puts the pieces together. Trust Him. Osy Erica (osy.erica@gmail.com)

 

Reflection: God is putting each piece of the puzzle of your life one after another. Your dreams will come true in His time and in His ways.

 

Your hands are constantly at work, Lord. When the waiting is long, shower me with grace to trust You. Amen.

 

St. Alipius, pray for us.

 

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COMPANION

 

1ST READING
 

The Book of Revelation contains figurative images that loosely describe certain events. There is the recurring image of a woman who is sometimes associated with Mary, at other times with Eve or with the Church. It all depends on how you see the other figures associated with her. And therein lies our problem — different people will interpret the images differently. This is fine so long as no one claims to have the only true interpretation.

 
Revelation 11:19; 12:1-6, 10

19 God’s temple in heaven was opened, and the ark of his covenant could be seen in the temple. 12:1 A great sign appeared in the sky, a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars. 2 She was with child and wailed aloud in pain as she labored to give birth. 3 Then another sign appeared in the sky; it was a huge red dragon, with seven heads and ten horns, and on its heads were seven diadems. 4 Its tail swept away a third of the stars in the sky and hurled them down to the earth. Then the dragon stood before the woman about to give birth, to devour her child when she gave birth. 5 She gave birth to a son, a male child, destined to rule all the nations with an iron rod. Her child was caught up to God and his throne. 6 The woman herself fled into the desert where she had a place prepared by God. 10 Then I heard a loud voice in heaven say: “Now have salvation and power come, and the Kingdom of our God and the authority of his Anointed One.”

 
P S A L M
 
Psalm 45:10, 11, 12, 16

R: The queen stands at your right hand, arrayed in gold.

9 [10] The queen takes her place at your right hand in gold of Ophir. (R) 10 [11] Hear, O daughter, and see; turn your ear, forget your people and your father’s house. (R) 11 [12] So shall the king desire your beauty; for he is your lord. (R) 15 [16] They are borne in with gladness and joy; they enter the palace of the king. (R)

 
2ND READING
 

Everyone is brought to life in Christ. When we “pray” to Mary, it is not as if she has the power to alter anything. What we are doing is asking her to intercede for us with Jesus, her Son.

 
1 Corinthians 15:20-27

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, 27 for “he subjected everything under his feet.”

 
GOSPEL
 

Mary does not have thoughts only for herself, but she rushes to help her kinswoman Elizabeth who is with child. This heart of service and love is something we should seek to emulate. Too often, our first thoughts are for our own well-being and we think of others only if we have extra energy or resources to offer. Let us be more generous than this so that the Gospel of love will go forth into our cities and countries.

 
GOSPEL ACCLAMATION

Mary is taken up to heaven; a chorus of angels exults.

 
Luke 1:39-56

39 Mary set out and traveled to the hill country in haste to a town of Judah, 40 where she entered the house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth. 41 When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the infant leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth, filled with the Holy Spirit, 42 cried out in a loud voice and said, “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb. 43 And how does this happen to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? 44 For at the moment the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the infant in my womb leaped for joy. 45 Blessed are you who believed that what was spoken to you by the Lord would be fulfilled.” 46 And Mary said: “My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord; 47 my spirit rejoices in God my savior. 48 For he has looked with favor on his lowly servant. From this day all generations will call me blessed: 49 The Almighty has done great things for me, and holy is his Name. 50 He has mercy on those who fear him in every generation. 51 He has shown the strength of his arm, and has scattered the proud in their conceit. 52 He has cast down the mighty from their thrones and has lifted up the lowly. 53 He has filled the hungry with good things; and the rich he has sent away empty. 54 He has come to help of his servant Israel for he has remembered his promise of mercy, 55 the promise he made to our fathers, to Abraham and his children forever.” 56 Mary remained with her about three months and then returned to her home.

 

think: How can you be like Mary today? Who will you love and serve?

 
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Read the Bible in one year Job 1-5

 

T O D A Y’S BLESSING LIST

 

thank You, Lord, for: ______________________________________________________

 

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SABBATH

 

NO DOUBT IN HEAVEN

 

Our First Reading comes from a book that is easy to misinterpret, as it is highly symbolic. But it would be even easier to misinterpret it when one is not steeped in the tradition that would help the reader make sense of the symbols. Symbols can have meaning only if they are seen in the bigger context of the culture that spawned them.

       But this reflection will not go into the difficult and complicated hermeneutics. Suffice it to say that if one takes the words of Revelation 12 literally, we can be sure of at least one thing — that the “woman” spoken of is in heaven, as suggested by the words used: “A great sign appeared in the sky, a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars.”

               Today’s solemnity is a celebration of a fact — that Mary, being the first among the redeemed by her Son, is definitely in heaven. But we believe more than just this obvious truth. The dogma of the Immaculate Conception highlights our belief in Mary’s sinlessness. But sin is associated with corruption, and corruption is not possible where there is sinlessness. Psalm 16:10 prophetically states: “For you will not abandon me to Sheol; you cannot allow your faithful servant to see the abyss.”

              Mary’s being assumed body and soul to heaven, is, therefore, the most logical offshoot of the doctrine on Mary’s Immaculate Conception.

           The Protestant poet Wordsworth called Mary as “our tainted nature’s solitary boast.” He understood there was something special about Mary. But he also understood that that something special is related to, and stands in stark contrast, to our sinful nature. Mary was born sinless, and as such was set free in advance by her own Lord and Savior — her Son — from the effects of the very sinfulness she was born without, on account of God’s singular grace on her. Nothing unreasonable here, just plain logic, applied to Scripture and confirmed by long-standing tradition.

               If she is in heaven, then she must be close to God. And if close to her Son, then a “Hail Mary,” repeated as often as one wants, is a prayer that is both biblical and realistic. Fr. Chito Dimaranan, SDB

 

---------- REFLECTION QUESTION ----------

“Mary is our tainted nature’s solitary boast.” – J.S. Woodsworth

 

Father, thank You for setting apart Mary to be the mother of Jesus and our mother. May her simplicity and obedience toYour call inspire us. Amen.

 

 

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