General Theme: Disciples – being true witnesses of Jesus’ love and self-giving. General Objectives: - to strengthen the relationship of us disciples with the person of Christ whose urgency of giving life and love is the basis of our missionary expansion. - to follow the footsteps of Jesus as closely as possible in his public ministry. - to allow Him to illumine our journey of missionary expansion and inspire us with His same sentiments towards others. Objective of the week: - to exercise the same power of Jesus of healing and freeing people through the Word. - To learn how to be true witnesses in the world.
INTRODUCTION
Many times we were reminded that as Christians we are God bearers for others. How? By sharing the word of God to others. This week is a follow-up of that reminder, that being a disciple of Christ, is a duty. This duty is not a demand or a command but it is SERVICE. This is not an ordinary duty because we are to be evangelizers and by this, we are to serve the word of God in order to become healers and liberators like Jesus. This service is effective if, “The joy of the Gospel fills the hearts and lives of all who encounter Jesus. Those who accept His offer of salvation are set free from sin, sorrow, inner emptiness and loneliness” (Introduction of Evangelii Gaudium). It is very clear that we can be healers and liberators of others if we also recognize and accept how we are also healed and liberated by Jesus in his words from our personal encounter with Him. There is a need for us to learn that the salvation we receive from Christ is the greatest healing and freedom. From there, we will share that love of Jesus to others. As we look around, many lives are in sin, sorrow, loneliness and emptiness. This our great calling now that as disciples, we carry the power of the Word of God in the world. The word of God is the only powerful medicine to heal the wounded hearts of people nowadays. Come! Let us work together as one community to heal and liberate people by bringing God to them through bringing to them the GOOD NEWS. MONDAY Be Responsive to the Call - It’s Urgent. (Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary) Luke 9:1-2 He called the Twelve together and gave them power and authority over all devils and to cure diseases, 2 and he sent them out to proclaim the kingdom of God and to heal. Jesus is really trusting each one of us. He is reminding us that he needs our life, as His followers to respond to the urgency of His call. He also needs us to receive in order to fight evil and to cure the wounded hearts. Jesus is now calling us - young and old, single or married; in all walks of life. Are you now ready to accept this gift of being an evangelizer? The world needs us today. TUESDAY Be Strong in Faith (Memorial of St. Cecilia) Luke 7:3-9 3 Having heard about Jesus he sent some Jewish elders to him to ask him to come and heal his servant. 4 When they came to Jesus they pleaded earnestly with him saying, 'He deserves this of you, 5 because he is well disposed towards our people; he built us our synagogue himself.' 6 So Jesus went with them, and was not very far from the house when the centurion sent word to him by some friends to say to him, 'Sir, do not put yourself to any trouble because I am not worthy to have you under my roof; 7 and that is why I did not presume to come to you myself; let my boy be cured by your giving the word. 8 For I am under authority myself, and have soldiers under me; and I say to one man, "Go," and he goes; to another, "Come here," and he comes; to my servant, "Do this," and he does it.' 9 When Jesus heard these words he was astonished at him and, turning round, said to the crowd following him, 'I tell you, not even in Israel have I found faith as great as this.' How wonderful if we recognize and appreciate the gift of faith God has given us. This faith can heal us and heal others as well. Yes, we too are also wounded but as we accept Christ in our lives, we also become healers. Jesus is asking our faith to be utilized by us for it is the only way that we can be bearers of God to the wounded and the affected by bringing the word of God to them. WEDNESDAY Be Wise But Humble in Heart (St. Clement I and St. Columban) Luke 8:26-39 26 They came to land in the territory of the Gerasenes, which is opposite Galilee. 27 He was stepping ashore when a man from the city who was possessed by devils came towards him; for a long time the man had been living with no clothes on, not in a house, but in the tombs. 28 Catching sight of Jesus he gave a shout, fell at his feet and cried out at the top of his voice, 'What do you want with me, Jesus, son of the Most High God? I implore you, do not torture me.' 29 For Jesus had been telling the unclean spirit to come out of the man. It had seized on him a great many times, and then they used to secure him with chains and fetters to restrain him, but he would always break the fastenings, and the devil would drive him out into the wilds. 30 Jesus asked him, 'What is your name?' He said, 'Legion' -- because many devils had gone into him. 31 And these begged him not to order them to depart into the Abyss. 32 Now there was a large herd of pigs feeding there on the mountain, and the devils begged him to let them go into these. So he gave them leave. 33 The devils came out of the man and went into the pigs, and the herd charged down the cliff into the lake and was drowned. 34 When the swineherds saw what had happened they ran off and told their story in the city and in the country round about; 35 and the people went out to see what had happened. When they came to Jesus they found the man from whom the devils had gone out sitting at the feet of Jesus, wearing clothes and in his right mind; and they were afraid. 36 Those who had witnessed it told them how the man who had been possessed came to be saved. 37 The entire population of the Gerasene territory was in great fear and asked Jesus to leave them. So he got into the boat and went back. 38 The man from whom the devils had gone out asked to be allowed to stay with him, but he sent him away saying, 39 'Go back home and report all that God has done for you.' So the man went off and proclaimed throughout the city all that Jesus had done for him. It is our time of thanksgiving to the Lord of his trust in us to evangelize. Jesus is teaching us today to be attentive and wise in identifying between temporary and permanent, important and essential, physical and spiritual. He is inviting us today not to be deceived by what is temporary, worldly and material. Jesus is asking us now to share to all the people around us the love of God that heals us. THURSDAY Be Trusting (St. Andrew Dung-Lac and Companion martyrs) Matthew 10:16-20 16 Look, I am sending you out like sheep among wolves; so be cunning as snakes and yet innocent as doves. 17 'Be prepared for people to hand you over to sanhedrins and scourge you in their synagogues. 18 You will be brought before governors and kings for my sake, as evidence to them and to the gentiles. 19 But when you are handed over, do not worry about how to speak or what to say; what you are to say will be given to you when the time comes, 20 because it is not you who will be speaking; the Spirit of your Father will be speaking in you. Jesus wants us to listen to Him attentively in order that we will be trustful to Him and to His words. We can never be brave in being an evangelizer without bringing the shield of love of God to us. Let us be courageous with the trust that Jesus remains with forever through His words, thus we also share the words of Jesus from our personal encounter with Him. FRIDAY Be a giver (St. Catherine of Alexandria) Luke 21:1-4 Looking up, he saw rich people putting their offerings into the treasury; 2 and he noticed a poverty-stricken widow putting in two small coins, 3 and he said, 'I tell you truly, this poor widow has put in more than any of them; 4 for these have all put in money they could spare, but she in her poverty has put in all she had to live on.' How beautiful is to recognize how appreciative Jesus is towards us. He never demands from us but is happy even how little is our life, yet, willing to give our all just for the word of God. Jesus never is picky, He wants all of us to serve for the word of God, for that is the greatest charity that we can give to others. SATURDAY Be a Performer of Miracles John 21:18 18 In all truth I tell you, when you were young you put on your own belt and walked where you liked; but when you grow old you will stretch out your hands, and somebody else will put a belt round you and take you where you would rather not go.' John 17:14-16 14 I passed your word on to them, and the world hated them, because they belong to the world no more than I belong to the world. 15 I am not asking you to remove them from the world, but to protect them from the Evil One. 16 They do not belong to the world any more than I belong to the world. How wonderful to note that Jesus is praying for all of us. In order that we Christians can respond to His call to be both discerning and wise as well as innocent and blameless. This is the kind of miracle that we can show to the world. Though we can also perform a miracle as disciple through our testimony of life on how the word of God transforms us which means, to live out the words we listened from Jesus. As we always have our daily personal encounter with Him from our daily prayers where the word of God is the center. SUNDAY 1st Reading – Isaiah 2:1-5 Responsorial Psalm – Psalm 122 2nd Reading – Romans 13:11-14 Gospel – Matthew 24:37-44 Comments are closed.
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