General Theme: “Go out to the whole world; proclaim the Gospel to all Creation. (Mark 16:15)” General Objective: - To get to know and be familiar with the features of the Verbum Dei charism. - To persevere from our Easter experiences through the Verbum Dei charism. - To taste and live out the efficacy of the Word of God that transforms the world. Objective of the week: To strengthen and grow more in our perseverance towards the relationship we have with Jesus the Good Shepherd.
INTRODUCTION
Last week, we have been praying on how the community, a vital characteristic in the Verbum Dei charism, helps us in the perseverance of our Easter experiences. This week is to enter in the dialogue with Jesus as the source of all our motivation and strength. May our perseverance as a Family head towards a deeper, closer, a more joyful growth in our relationship with Jesus. …Each person has been created to dialogue with God and to entrust themselves to His Love[1]. The Verbum Dei spirituality is rooted deeply in the personal experience of the love of God that brings us to love as He has loved us; it is centered in Christ, the one sent by the Father, and is the path of identification with Him, through the power of the Holy Spirit, where our way of living, praying, and realizing the mission is determined. (Statutes of the VDMFa 24) Union with God in Christ is the greatest source of energy, fidelity, enthusiasm, and joy of each member of the VDMFa. From this union arises the true following of Christ and in the same way the realization of an authentic Christian family. The personal encounter and familiar relationship of affectionate intimacy with God ensures that our ministry of the Word be always accompanied by a clear testimony of life according to the Gospel. (Statutes of the VDMFa 25) [1] Cf. GS 19 MONDAY My sheep listen to my voice John 10:27-29 27 The sheep that belong to me listen to my voice; I know them and they follow me. 28 I give them eternal life; they will never be lost and no one will ever steal them from my hand. 29 The Father, for what he has given me, is greater than anyone, and no one can steal anything from the Father's hand. Luke 10:38-42 38 In the course of their journey he came to a village, and a woman named Martha welcomed him into her house. 39 She had a sister called Mary, who sat down at the Lord's feet and listened to him speaking… 42 and yet few are needed, indeed only one. It is Mary who has chosen the better part, and it is not to be taken from her.' Jeremiah 17:7-8 7 'Blessed is anyone who trusts in Yahweh, with Yahweh to rely on. 8 Such a person is like a tree by the waterside that thrusts its roots to the stream: when the heat comes it has nothing to fear, its foliage stays green; untroubled in a year of drought, it never stops bearing fruit. This is how every sheep, every disciple of Christ live each day – Listening to my voice. The desire of every disciple is to dwell in my house all the days of his life, rejoicing constantly in my presence as the source of his joy and enthusiasm. TUESDAY I know my sheep and they follow me John 17:7-11 7 Now at last they have recognised that all you have given me comes from you 8 for I have given them the teaching you gave to me, and they have indeed accepted it and know for certain that I came from you, and have believed that it was you who sent me. 9 It is for them that I pray. I am not praying for the world but for those you have given me, because they belong to you. 10 All I have is yours and all you have is mine, and in them I am glorified. 11 I am no longer in the world, but they are in the world, and I am coming to you. Holy Father, keep those you have given me true to your name, so that they may be one like us. John 15:15 5 I shall no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know the master's business; I call you friends, because I have made known to you everything I have learnt from my Father. There is closeness and familiarity between us. The sheep follow me because they know me and I know them well. They don’t follow someone else because they don’t know them. Do you still experience familiarity and closeness with me as a disciple? WEDNESDAY I give them eternal life. They shall never die. 2 Corinthians 4:16-18 16 That is why we do not waver; indeed, though this outer human nature of ours may be falling into decay, at the same time our inner human nature is renewed day by day. 17 The temporary, light burden of our hardships is earning us for ever an utterly incomparable, eternal weight of glory, 18 since what we aim for is not visible but invisible. Visible things are transitory, but invisible things eternal. 2 Corinthians 5:6-9 6 We are always full of confidence, then, realising that as long as we are at home in the body we are exiled from the Lord, 7 guided by faith and not yet by sight; 8 we are full of confidence, then, and long instead to be exiled from the body and to be at home with the Lord. 9 And so whether at home or exiled, we make it our ambition to please him. John 6:54 54 Anyone who does eat my flesh and drink my blood has eternal life, and I shall raise that person up on the last day. They will enjoy the gifts I give them. They will receive my reward each day – eternal life. Do you realize that you are meant for Eternal life? I chose you to live eternal life, eternal friendship with me. THURSDAY Resurrection opens us up to a new way of life. Romans 8:9-13 9 You, however, live not by your natural inclinations, but by the Spirit, since the Spirit of God has made a home in you. Indeed, anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him. 10 But when Christ is in you, the body is dead because of sin but the spirit is alive because you have been justified; 11 and if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead has made his home in you, then he who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will give life to your own mortal bodies through his Spirit living in you. 12 So then, my brothers, we have no obligation to human nature to be dominated by it. 13 If you do live in that way, you are doomed to die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the habits originating in the body, you will have life. My Resurrection have brought you not only salvation, but a new way of living. I invite you to embrace my new way of life. I am opening for you newness in life. FRIDAY No one can snatch them away from me. Romans 8:32 - 9:1 32 Since he did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for the sake of all of us, then can we not expect that with him he will freely give us all his gifts? 33 Who can bring any accusation against those that God has chosen? When God grants saving justice 34 who can condemn? Are we not sure that it is Christ Jesus, who died -- yes and more, who was raised from the dead and is at God's right hand -- and who is adding his plea for us? 35 Can anything cut us off from the love of Christ -- can hardships or distress, or persecution, or lack of food and clothing, or threats or violence; 36 as scripture says: For your sake we are being massacred all day long, treated as sheep to be slaughtered? 37 No; we come through all these things triumphantly victorious, by the power of him who loved us. 38 For I am certain of this: neither death nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nothing already in existence and nothing still to come, nor any power, 39 nor the heights nor the depths, nor any created thing whatever, will be able to come between us and the love of God, known to us in Christ Jesus our Lord. You have been lost many times. From now on, live under my care, guidance and protection. No one can take you away from me. Nothing can separate you from my love. SATURDAY What my Father has given me is greater than everything Acts 13:44-49 44 The next Sabbath almost the whole town assembled to hear the word of God. 45 When they saw the crowds, the Jews, filled with jealousy, used blasphemies to contradict everything Paul said. 46 Then Paul and Barnabas spoke out fearlessly. 'We had to proclaim the word of God to you first, but since you have rejected it, since you do not think yourselves worthy of eternal life, here and now we turn to the gentiles. 47 For this is what the Lord commanded us to do when he said: I have made you a light to the nations, so that my salvation may reach the remotest parts of the earth.' 48 It made the gentiles very happy to hear this and they gave thanks to the Lord for his message; all who were destined for eternal life became believers. 49 Thus the word of the Lord spread through the whole countryside. John 14:12 12 In all truth I tell you, whoever believes in me will perform the same works as I do myself, and will perform even greater works, because I am going to the Father. Isaiah 43:4-5 4 Since I regard you as precious, since you are honoured and I love you, I therefore give people in exchange for you, and nations in return for your life. 5 Do not be afraid, for I am with you. You have been entrusted to me by my Father. You are greater than everything because you are my disciples. You are great because you are light to the nations bringing salvation to many. Live out the greatness you have been made. SUNDAY 5th Sunday of Easter 1st Reading: Acts 14:21-27 Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 145 2nd Reading: Revelations 21:1-5a Gospel: John 13:31-35 Comments are closed.
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