Daily Bible Reflections
for January 3, 2018
;

Dear Friend,

This Wednesday, may you hear His voice in your heart!

Praying for you,

Bo Sanchez



3
January
Wednesday
TODAY'S READINGS:

DIDACHE | COMPANION | SABBATH
DIDACHE

 

JESUS = LIFE GOALS
 

But we know that when Christ appears, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is. All who have this hope in him purify themselves, just as he is pure. – 1 John 3:2-3

 

         Do you want to live a full life? If so, see life through the lens of death.

       Whenever I conduct retreats, I ask my retreatants to write their personal eulogy. I give them a piece of paper and let them write what they want to hear during their funeral. I let them imagine the kind of life they lived. I even ask them to lie on the floor as if they were inside their coffins while their group-mate reads their eulogy.

       Thinking about our death makes us wiser. It projects us into our future and final selves as we hope to live a meaningful life. When I did this activity, I realized that all I desire when I die is that people will remember me and say, “This guy in the coffin had been Jesus to me.”

          What is your life goal?

          We are again at the start of the year— full of hope, aspirations, and resolutions. We have goals for our finances, career, families, vacations, businesses, etc. But my prayer is that in the midst of these life goals, the ultimate one is to become more and more like Jesus. Velden Lim (veldenlim@gmail.com)

 

Reflect: Are your life goals worth chasing? Are they leading you to be more like Jesus?

 

Jesus, I want to be like You. May I think Your thoughts and do Your deeds. May I love like You do until the end. Amen.

 
Most Holy Name of Jesus, pray for us.
 

 

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COMPANION

 

1ST READING
 

God knows the difference between holiness and sin. Both are present in us and we must choose on which side we live by. It is a choice with life and death consequences. God is merciful and loving – He is with us as we struggle to be holy. Let us pray for the grace to face this truth and the courage to overcome sin.

 
1 John 2:29-3:6

29 If you consider that God is righteous, you also know that everyone who acts in righteousness is begotten by him. 3:1 See what love the Father has bestowed on us that we may be called the children of God. Yet so we are. The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him. 2 Beloved, we are God’s children now; what we shall be has not yet been revealed. We do know that when it is revealed we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is. 3 Everyone who has this hope based on him makes himself pure, as he is pure. 4 Everyone who commits sin commits lawlessness, for sin is lawlessness. 5 You know that he was revealed to take away sins, and in him there is no sin. 6 No one who remains in him sins; no one who sins has seen him or known him.

 
P S A L M
 
Psalm 98:1, 3-4, 5-6

R: All the ends of the earth have seen the saving power of God.

1 Sing to the Lord a new song, for he has done wondrous deeds; His right hand has won victory for him, his holy arm. (R) 3 All the ends of the earth have seen the salvation by our God. 4 Sing joyfully to the Lord, all you lands; break into song; sing praise. (R) 5 Sing praise to the Lord with the harp, with the harp and melodious song. 6 With trumpets and the sound of the horn sing joyfully before the King, the Lord. (R)

 
GOSPEL
 

In the Gospels, John the Baptist is pictured as a discerning person who knows God’s will for his life. Yet he remained humble in fulfilling his mission. He had the courage to challenge Herod’s immoral marriage despite the conflict and danger to his life. In today’s Gospel, John casts the spotlight on Jesus and downplays his own role in the work of salvation. He chooses God’s will over the human need for acknowledgment.

 
GOSPEL ACCLAMATION

The Word of God became flesh and dwelt among us. To those who accepted him he gave power to become the children of God.

 
John 1:29-34

29 John the Baptist saw Jesus coming toward him and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world. 30 He is the one of whom I said, ‘A man is coming after me who ranks ahead of me because he existed before me.’ 31 I did not know him, but the reason why I came baptizing with water was that he might be made known to Israel.” 32 John testified further, saying, “I saw the Spirit come down like a dove from the sky and remain upon him. 33 I did not know him, but the one who sent me to baptize with water told me, ‘On whomever you see the Spirit come down and remain, he is the one who will baptize with the Holy Spirit.’ 34 Now I have seen and testified that he is the Son of God.”

 

think: Like John the Baptist, how do you testify for Jesus?

 
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Read the Bible in one year Luke 7-9

 

T O D A Y’S BLESSING LIST

 

thank You, Lord, for: ______________________________________

 
 

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SABBATH

 

IMAGINING GOD

 

When I was in elementary school 40 years ago, our principal, Sr. Domitilla+, SPC, often reminded us during flag ceremony that we visit Jesus daily in the Blessed Sacrament. She insisted that we go near the altar to be with Jesus, not just at the back. With her every reminder, she would add, “Maybe if Nora Aunor or Vilma Santos were there, you would rush to the front to be near them.” I wanted to tell her I wasn’t a fan of either Nora or Vilma. Kidding aside, her daily reminder stuck in my mind that even during the period in my life when I became a “nominal Catholic,” every time I would enter a church I would always pray near the tabernacle on the altar.

    In today’s Gospel, we see the beautiful disposition of John the Baptist, especially on this first week of 2018. One of the tragedies of our time is we take God for granted. Most people would rather “religiously” troop to malls than churches on Sundays. Like what Sr. Domitilla+ used to tell us, people would always run to meet their favorite stars but not Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament.

       Many people have stopped believing in God because they could not envision how He could become human like us. Some people could not imagine a God who could forgive the worst sins and continue to forgive “serial” sinners. They could not imagine how God could call them for a mission, or how He would ask their help, or how He would answer prayers. The world is highly advanced in science that we could not imagine God truly present and alive in us: in the Holy Eucharist, in the small miracles of waking up in the morning, in seeing the beauty of nature, and most especially in experiencing Him among the people who love and care for us.

       Let us be like John the Baptist, who remained humble, proclaiming that he is not the One, introducing Jesus to the people, and most of all, directing them to worship and believe in Him. Why can’t we believe that we are God’s children? Why are we reluctant to go near Him? Fr. Nick Lalog

 

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

What keeps you from getting nearer to Jesus?

 

Lord Jesus Christ, help us to believe in You, to trust that we can always go near You without being judged, and to see You in everything around us. Amen.

Today, I pray for: ______________________________________

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