General Theme: “He who began a good work in you will perfect it until the end” (Philippians 1:6) General Objective: To contemplate Jesus’ availability to God’s Plan during his public life and how He has come to understand along the way the strategy to reach it. Strategy with the greatest apostolic efficacy: to make disciples who in turn make other disciples. Objective of the week: To contemplate Jesus when He called and chose the disciples.
IntroductionWe are invited this week to contemplate Jesus when He called and chose the disciples. How did Jesus choose His disciples who then became His apostles? Are there specific qualifications that Christ set? Contemplating on the call of the first Disciples/Apostles of Christ, we see that Jesus has no specific qualification set, no racial discrimination, no educational background, no family background, not even based on the job that you have, not even on how righteous you were, and not even on what you have done great. There is just one thing that God requires and that is how much one have LOVED Him, and how much we can love others because of HIS love for us. When Jesus chooses his disciples long time ago He was thinking about us 2000 years ago. Even until now Jesus is thinking of the people behind us. MondaySeeing the need, he called and chose the disciplesIn those days he departed to the mountain to pray, and he spent the night in prayer to God. When day came, he called his disciples to himself, and from them he chose twelve, whom he also named apostles: Simon, whom he named Peter, and his brother Andrew, James, John, Philip, Bartholomew, Matthew, Thomas, James the son of Alphaeus, Simon who was called a Zealot, and Judas the son of James, and Judas Iscariot, who became a traitor, and he came down with them and stood on a stretch of level ground. A great crowd of his disciples and a large number of the people from all Judea and Jerusalem and the coastal region of Tyre and Sidon came to hear him and to be healed of their diseases; and even those who were tormented by unclean spirits were cured. Everyone in the crowd sought to touch him because power came forth from him and healed them all. (Luke 6:12-19) Jesus, since the beginning of his Ministry of the word, understood from His Father through his constant dialogue with HIM that he needs followers and community of believers to transmit the Good news to all so he chose those who have a heart to say “yes” to His call. TuesdayI have not come to call respectable people but outcasts.As Jesus passed on from there, he saw a man named Matthew sitting at the customs post. He said to him, “Follow me.” And he got up and followed him. While he was at table in his house, many tax collectors and sinners came and sat with Jesus and his disciples. The Pharisees saw this and said to his disciples, “Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?” He heard this and said, “Those who are well do not need a physician, but the sick do. Go and learn the meaning of the words, ‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice.’ I did not come to call the righteous but sinners.” (Matthew 9:9-13) You don’t have to be learned, respectable experienced to get the attention of Jesus. HE is looking at each one of us of who we really are, not of what we have done. Simply because we are all created in his likeness, Jesus came to restore that deformed image of us to the original image of which it was intently created. WednesdayFrom now on, you will be catching people(Feast of our Lady of Fatima) While the crowd was pressing in on Jesus and listening to the word of God, he was standing by the Lake of Gennesaret. He saw two boats there alongside the lake; the fishermen had disembarked and were washing their nets. Getting into one of the boats, the one belonging to Simon, he asked him to put out a short distance from the shore. Then he sat down and taught the crowds from the boat. After he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, “Put out into deep water and lower your nets for a catch.” Simon said in reply, “Master, we have worked hard all night and have caught nothing, but at your command I will lower the nets.” When they had done this, they caught a great number of fish and their nets were tearing. They signaled to their partners in the other boat to come to help them. They came and filled both boats so that they were in danger of sinking. When Simon Peter saw this, he fell at the knees of Jesus and said, “Depart from me, Lord, for I am a sinful man.” For astonishment at the catch of fish they had made seized him and all those with him, and likewise James and John, the sons of Zebedee, who were partners of Simon. Jesus said to Simon, “Do not be afraid; from now on you will be catching men.” When they brought their boats to the shore, they left everything and followed him. (Luke 5:1-11) Instead of magnifying our limitations, difficulties, weaknesses and allowing other people to label you of who you are, Magnify Jesus and let HIM get into your life, allow HIM to be the God of your life because as the owner of our life HE knows our capacities and HE looks at us with so much HOPE. ThursdayCheer up, Get up! He is calling you!(Feast of St. Matthias, Apostle) They came to Jericho and as he was leaving Jericho with his disciples and a sizable crowd, Bartimaeus, a blind man, the son of Timaeus, sat by the roadside begging. On hearing that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to cry out and say, “Jesus, son of David, have pity on me.” and many rebuked him, telling him to be silent. But he kept calling out all the more, “Son of David, have pity on me.” Jesus stopped and said, “Call him.” So they called the blind man, saying to him, “Take courage; get up, he is calling you.” He threw aside his cloak, sprang up, and came to Jesus. Jesus said to him in reply, “What do you want me to do for you?” The blind man replied to him, “Master, I want to see.” Jesus told him, “Go your way; your faith has saved you.” Immediately he received his sight and followed him on the way. (Mark 10:46-52) Jesus is calling us to look, see and recognize what is going on around us now, don’t just be scandalized of what is going wrong instead Cheer up, tell Jesus that you are willing to help and respond to the need of our society, to those who wait for healing, and those who wait for liberation. If Christ chooses you, what are you waiting for? Will you deprive the many people waiting for this great news? Will you turn away your back from Jesus? FridayCome and see!(Memorial of St. Isidore the farmer) The next day John was there again with two of his disciples, and as he watched Jesus walk by, he said, “Behold, the Lamb of God.” The two disciples heard what he said and followed Jesus. Jesus turned and saw them following him and said to them, “What are you looking for?” They said to him, “Rabbi” (which translated means Teacher), “where are you staying?” He said to them, “Come, and you will see.” So they went and saw where he was staying, and they stayed with him that day. It was about four in the afternoon. Andrew, the brother of Simon Peter, was one of the two who heard John and followed Jesus. He first found his own brother Simon and told him, “We have found the Messiah” (which is translated Anointed). Then he brought him to Jesus. Jesus looked at him and said, “You are Simon the son of John; you will be called Cephas” (which is translated Peter). (John 1:35-42) Responding to the call of Jesus is allowing Jesus to gradually transform us, somehow to see how Jesus responded to his call and inviting us to do the same to continue the work he did and let it transcend to as many generations as possible. SaturdayYou will see much greater things than this!The next day he decided to go to Galilee, and he found Philip. And Jesus said to him, “Follow me.” Now Philip was from Bethsaida, the town of Andrew and Peter. Philip found Nathanael and told him, “We have found the one about whom Moses wrote in the law, and also the prophets, Jesus, son of Joseph, from Nazareth.” But Nathanael said to him, “Can anything good come from Nazareth?” Philip said to him, “Come and see.” Jesus saw Nathanael coming toward him and said of him, “Here is a true Israelite. There is no duplicity in him.” Nathanael said to him, “How do you know me?” Jesus answered and said to him, “Before Philip called you, I saw you under the fig tree.” Nathanael answered him, “Rabbi, you are the Son of God; you are the King of Israel.” Jesus answered and said to him, “Do you believe because I told you that I saw you under the fig tree? You will see greater things than this.” And he said to him, “Amen, amen, I say to you, you will see the sky opened and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man. (John 1:43-51) Faithfully doing what Jesus has called us to do and seeing the repercussions of what Jesus did through our lives will bring us to the level of happiness far beyond our expectations. Sunday7th Sunday of Easter1st Reading: Acts 1:15-17, 20A, 20C-26 Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 103:1-2,11-12,19-20 2nd Reading: 1 John 4:11-16 Gospel: John 17:11B-19 OR Ascencion of the Lord1st Reading: Acts 1:1-11
Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 47 2nd Reading: Ephesians 1:17-23 Gospel: Mark 16:15-20 Comments are closed.
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