Guidelines for prayer: May 23-29, 2016 - “Happy Are the Feet of the Messengers who bring Good News”5/24/2016
General Theme: “Our dedication is to believe and enjoy being children of God where the Holy Spirit brings us beyond frontiers.” General Objective: - to believe and enjoy being children of God in order to understand the Verbum Dei charism and Mission. - to allow the Holy Spirit to lead us beyond frontiers. Objective of the week: To let the Holy Spirit bring us beyond frontiers in the Verbum Dei Mission.
INTRODUCTION
How are we after the Pentecost? How are we as children of God guided by the Spirit? Is the way clear for us where to put this privilege into practice? This week we are invited to look at the value of our discipleship. How important it is, because as a Verbum Dei disciple, it is a concrete way where we can perform our role as children of God guided by the Holy Spirit. In this way, we can be open in heart and mind in allowing the Holy Spirit to bring us to the far-flung places with the courage to break barriers in order to perform the Verbum Dei mission. Now is our time to be thankful to God in giving us a community, The Verbum Dei. It is a family of God that leads us to perform our duty as Christians: “The laity should cooperate with the Church’s work of evangelization as witnesses and at the same time living instruments they share in her saving mission.” (Ad Gentes, 41) Therefore, it is very clear that it is our duty and responsibility to help in the work of evangelization in order to share the saving mission of the church where Christ Jesus is the head and all of us are part of His body, “The Mystical Body of Christ”. The question now is: What drives one in The Mission? LOVE! As Jesus said in John 21:15-18, “Do you love me?” asked Jesus, “then feed my sheep.” This is the very core of the heart of every disciple in order that the Holy Spirit can bring us beyond frontiers in the Verbum Dei Mission so “that the Nation will come to its light” (Revelations 21:24). Remember, we are called to bring the light of Christ as Jesus said, “You are the light of the world.” Let us be submissive to the Holy Spirit. He is the principal agent of the mission where his presence is signaled by fire as we listened to the experience of the Apostles during the Pentecost. Therefore, let us also learn from our founder Jaime Bonet when he said, “The Word is written with fire, but it is the fire of the speech of the preacher that inflames in the hearer. The hearts can take fire in the measure that the preacher is taken by the fire.” (A Heart on Fire, p. 78) MONDAY True happiness and courage comes to the one whose heart is open for the Holy Spirit Acts 1:7-8 7 He replied, 'It is not for you to know times or dates that the Father has decided by his own authority, 8 but you will receive the power of the Holy Spirit which will come on you, and then you will be my witnesses not only in Jerusalem but throughout Judaea and Samaria, and indeed to earth's remotest end.' John 16:33 33 I have told you all this so that you may find peace in me. In the world you will have hardship, but be courageous: I have conquered the world. It is our time to be grateful to God of his trust in each of our life. How good it is if we allow ourselves and be open to the Holy Spirit. God allows him to come in order for us to have the courage to be real in our function to the Catholic Church through evangelization. Are you the messenger whose feet are happy because you bring the good news to the ends of the earth for the Verbum Dei Mission? TUESDAY True happiness comes to the one who accomplishes the mission according to the ways of the Holy Spirit John 15:16-17 16 You did not choose me, no, I chose you; and I commissioned you to go out and to bear fruit, fruit that will last; so that the Father will give you anything you ask him in my name. 17 My command to you is to love one another. Acts 20:21-24 21 urging both Jews and Greeks to turn to God and to believe in our Lord Jesus. 22 'And now you see me on my way to Jerusalem in captivity to the Spirit; I have no idea what will happen to me there, 23 except that the Holy Spirit, in town after town, has made it clear to me that imprisonment and persecution await me. 24 But I do not place any value on my own life, provided that I complete the mission the Lord Jesus gave me -- to bear witness to the good news of God's grace. We can gain real joy from the mission. Not because it is easy and smooth to do, but in the hardships, we undergo together with the Holy Spirit. We surpass the hardships not of our own human ways but by the ways of the Holy Spirit. In this way, we are able to bear much fruit that will remain forever. WEDNESDAY True happiness comes to the one who shares what he receives from the Holy Spirit John 17:24-26 24 Father, I want those you have given me to be with me where I am, so that they may always see my glory which you have given me because you loved me before the foundation of the world. 25 Father, Upright One, the world has not known you, but I have known you, and these have known that you have sent me. 26 I have made your name known to them and will continue to make it known, so that the love with which you loved me may be in them, and so that I may be in them. Acts 20:32-35 32 And now I commend you to God and to the word of his grace that has power to build you up and to give you your inheritance among all the sanctified. 33 'I have never asked anyone for money or clothes; 34 you know for yourselves that these hands of mine earned enough to meet my needs and those of my companions. 35 By every means I have shown you that we must exert ourselves in this way to support the weak, remembering the words of the Lord Jesus, who himself said, "There is more happiness in giving than in receiving." ' Now it’s our time to rejoice for Jesus accepts us, as a gift from God to Him. How do we see ourselves as a gift to Jesus? How useful are we? Are we willing to give our life to Jesus for others in the Verbum Dei Mission? Are we cheerful givers? The Lord is very happy if we are a cheerful giver. This is the only way to be useful as a gift to Jesus from the Father. THURSDAY True happiness comes to the one who believes that Jesus Christ is alive through his words Being a missionary is not about proselytizing or mere strategy; mission is part of the “grammar” of faith something essential for those who listen to the voice of the Spirit who whispers “Come” and “Go forth”. Those who follow Christ cannot fail to be missionaries, for they know that Jesus walks with them, speaks to them breathes with them. They sense Jesus alive with them in the midst of the missionary enterprise”. (Evangelii Gaudium, 266) Acts 20:19 19 how I have served the Lord in all humility, with all the sorrows and trials that came to me through the plots of the Jews. Mark 9:23 23 But if you can do anything, have pity on us and help us.' Mark 9:29 29 He answered, 'This is the kind that can be driven out only by prayer.' What is the very secret of mission? Today we are reminded again of the gift of faith that we receive from God. Thus, it is shown in our acts of prayer. How is our prayer life as a VD disciple? Prayer is our connection to the Holy Spirit in order that he can bring us to all corners of the Verbum Dei mission. It is where our faith brings us to share that Jesus is alive in our life through his words and in this way we are missionaries, as mission is part and parcel of our faith. FRIDAY True happiness comes to the one who puts into practice the love, mercy and peace that comes from Jesus James 3:13-18 13 Anyone who is wise or understanding among you should from a good life give evidence of deeds done in the gentleness of wisdom. 14 But if at heart you have the bitterness of jealousy, or selfish ambition, do not be boastful or hide the truth with lies; 15 this is not the wisdom that comes from above, but earthly, human and devilish. 16 Wherever there are jealousy and ambition, there are also disharmony and wickedness of every kind; 17 whereas the wisdom that comes down from above is essentially something pure; it is also peaceable, kindly and considerate; it is full of mercy and shows itself by doing good; nor is there any trace of partiality or hypocrisy in it. 18 The peace sown by peacemakers brings a harvest of justice. Mark 10:21 21 Jesus looked steadily at him and he was filled with love for him, and he said, 'You need to do one thing more. Go and sell what you own and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; then come, follow me.' How wonderful to come to prayer today and be able to listen to Jesus with the faith that comes from the Holy Spirit. It is now the time to start again using the gifts of the Holy Spirit in order to gain its fruit. The fruits of the Holy Spirit: peace, love, hope, charity, compassion, humility, etc… These are riches that comes from heaven, these are fruits that will remain. These are the real sources of our strength and courage to follow Jesus through the Verbum Dei mission. SATURDAY True happiness comes to the one who is ready to serve the good news to many people 1 Peter 1:10-12 10 This salvation was the subject of the search and investigation of the prophets who spoke of the grace you were to receive, 11 searching out the time and circumstances for which the Spirit of Christ, bearing witness in them, was revealing the sufferings of Christ and the glories to follow them. 12 It was revealed to them that it was for your sake and not their own that they were acting as servants delivering the message which has now been announced to you by those who preached to you the gospel through the Holy Spirit sent from heaven. Even the angels long to catch a glimpse of these things. Mark 10:42-45 42 so Jesus called them to him and said to them, 'You know that among the gentiles those they call their rulers lord it over them, and their great men make their authority felt. 43 Among you this is not to happen. No; anyone who wants to become great among you must be your servant, 44 and anyone who wants to be first among you must be slave to all. 45 For the Son of man himself came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.' How good to be reminded about true happiness. A happiness that the world cannot give. This can be attained by the person who is willing to be a leader that is ready to serve not to be served? Today we are invited to perform our true task being Christians: to serve without limits especially bringing the good news of love and mercy of Jesus not only with words but in action. SUNDAY Solemnity of Corpus Christi 1st Reading: Genesis 14:18-20 Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 110 2nd Reading: 1 Corinthians 11:23-26 Gospel: Luke 9:11-17
Esther L. Salazar
5/25/2016 03:54:45 pm
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