General Theme: Hidden life: “He hid me in the shadow of his hand; he made me into a sharpened arrow” (Isaiah 49:2) General Objective: To deepen and reflect in the hidden life of Jesus in order to understand and learn from Him that to form and to accompany others is a process that is forge in the hidden life, that we transmit and teach which assimilate in the secret. Objective of the week: To learn from Jesus that hidden life is a privileged time to be rooted in the love, truth, and plan of the Father for us.
IntroductionThis week we will continue to reflect, meditate and learn from Jesus living in His ordinary daily life. We will focus more on a familiar passage of Luke 2:50-52 where immediately after this passage was when the hidden life of Jesus began until His public Life. We might have different perceptions on what happens to Jesus for 18 years but it is clear in Luke 2:52 “Jesus advanced in wisdom and age and favour before God and man.” We knew that Joseph and Mother Mary had been obedient to God and sought for the will of God in their lives, and for sure the formative years of Jesus somehow were influenced by the attributes of HIS foster parents. Jesus grasped many things in His experience living with HIS biological parents in the very simple place called Nazareth, advanced in wisdom and found favour with God. It is very evident how Jesus showed us a deep rooted wisdom in Humility and Obedience. Humility when Jesus allowed John the baptist to officiate baptism to HIM when even John declared he is unworthy to do so. Obedience to the will of the Father in the most challenging times when Jesus was tempted by the devil not once but thrice, yet Jesus were able overcame it all. This week we are invited to learn and imitate Jesus, to take root on the love, truth and discover the plan of God for our lives. MondayJesus learn the will of the Father thru human mediation."Why were you looking for me? Did you not know that I must be in my Father's house?" 50 But they did not understand what he said to them. 51 He went down with them and came to Nazareth, and was obedient to them Luke 2:49-51 The fruits of our private conversations with our God is manifested and affirmed in our public life everyday where other people relate with us in the places where our life revolves. Do we recognize Gods promptings through other people? TuesdayThe hidden life of Jesus is for us a perfect model of humility51 He went down with them and came to Nazareth, and was obedient to them Luke 2:51 Jesus spent the longest and greatest part of his life for 18 years living with his poor parents at the poor place where the Jews considered obscure and despised by them ("Can anything good come out of Nazareth?" -John 1:46) Jesus just proved something good can happen so long as we live our life in humility. Do we grab every opportunity to practice humility? WednesdayBy His hidden life Jesus Christ teaches us to learn holiness and wisdom before we presume to teach others.52 And Jesus advanced (first) wisdom and age and favor before God and man Luke 2:52 In the Temple, at the early age of twelve, Jesus had proved His wisdom before the doctors of the law as it was written "And all who were listening to him were amazed at his understanding and his answers" (Luke 2:47). But did He continue after this unusual and favorable beginning; did He stay on to preach His doctrine? No; instead, He meekly followed His parents as a young child of that age, and went to live with them in obscurity in Nazareth, Jesus opted to become obedient and did experienced in practice all of HIS knowing and just waited for the right moment for HIS public life according to what the Father wills for HIS earthly life. Do we perceive God’s invitation to put into action what we receive from HIM? It is indeed WISDOM that awaits us if we put it into practice. Take advantage of this gift God has prepared for you. ThursdayHe teaches us, by living in obscurity, to fight against our vanity, which makes us desire to be doing only what seems great and important, which makes us desire to be praised and noticed. 3 But when you give alms, do not let your left hand know what your right is doing, 4 so that your almsgiving may be secret. And your Father who sees in secret will repay you. 6 But when you pray, go to your inner room, close the door, and pray to your Father in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will repay you. Matthew 6:3-4 17 But when you fast, annoint your head and wash your face, 18 so that you may not appear to be fasting, except to your Father who is hidden. And your Father who sees what is hidden will repay you. Matthew 6:17-18 We can obtain much merit before God without doing any striking actions, by merely being humble and obedient in the place of life in which it has pleased God to put us. If Christ the Son of God, God Himself, was contented to be humble, poor, and unknown, to do common tasks day by day for the greater part of His earthly life, is there any reason why we should be ever trying to exalt ourselves, to attract admiration, to feed our vanity? FridayBy His hidden life Our Lord teaches us to subdue our pride13 Then Jesus came from Galilee to John at the Jordan to be baptized by him. 14 John tried to prevent him, saying, "I need to be baptized by you, and yet you are coming to me?" 15 Jesus said to him in reply, "Allow it now, for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness." Then he allowed him. Matthew 3:13-15 Jesus is exemplary in his Wisdom in concrete demonstration of humility respecting each person place by God on every task necessary for the completion of his mission. We may not understand what is happening or what went through with our life now, fell it, don’t fight it so long as we are in God’s company and we acknowledged his presence in any situations, the best is yet to come at the most unexpected time, allow God to surprise you. Are we aware that God can do a huge transformation in our life? Allow God to enter into your life and let him subdue the pride within. SaturdayThe hidden life of Jesus Christ is for us a perfect model of obedience“and He was subject to them." Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the desert to be tempted by the devil. 2 He fasted for forty days and forty nights, and afterward she was hungry. 3 The tempter approached and said to him, "If you are the Son of God, command that these stones become loaves of bread." 4 He said in reply, "It is written: 'One does not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes forth from the mouth of God.'" Matthew 4:1-4 Jesus modeled us a deep rooted wisdom in obedience that no one can ever deceived even the trickiest enemy -the devil has no match, God is in control, allow him to give you wisdom, allow him to give you the grace that you need each day, allow him to give you the best of everything everyday. Do we aspire the kind of wisdom Jesus imparted to us to better our life each day? Sunday12th Sunday in Ordinary Time1st Reading: Job 38:1,8-11
Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 107: 24-26, 28-31. 2nd Reading: 2 Cor. 5:14-17 Gospel: Mark 4:35-41 Comments are closed.
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