 
General Theme: Pilgrims of Hope General Objective: To live with faith and hope this Jubilee Year Objective of the week: To nurture a deeper understanding of faith and hope as we continue our pilgrimage during this Jubilee Year. MONDAY Exodus 32:15-24,30-34; Moses turned and went down the mountain with the two tablets of the covenant law in his hands. They were inscribed on both sides, front and back. The tablets were the work of God; the writing was the writing of God, engraved on the tablets. When Joshua heard the noise of the people shouting, he said to Moses, “There is the sound of war in the camp.” Moses replied: “It is not the sound of victory, it is not the sound of defeat; it is the sound of singing that I hear.” When Moses approached the camp and saw the calf and the dancing, his anger burned and he threw the tablets out of his hands, breaking them to pieces at the foot of the mountain. And he took the calf the people had made and burned it in the fire; then he ground it to powder, scattered it on the water and made the Israelites drink it. He said to Aaron, “What did these people do to you, that you led them into such great sin?” “Do not be angry, my lord,” Aaron answered. “You know how prone these people are to evil. They said to me, ‘Make us gods who will go before us. As for this fellow Moses who brought us up out of Egypt, we don’t know what has happened to him.’ So I told them, ‘Whoever has any gold jewelry, take it off.’ Then they gave me the gold, and I threw it into the fire, and out came this calf!” The next day Moses said to the people, “You have committed a great sin. But now I will go up to the Lord; perhaps I can make atonement for your sin.” So Moses went back to the Lord and said, “Oh, what a great sin these people have committed! They have made themselves gods of gold. But now, please forgive their sin—but if not, then blot me out of the book you have written.” The Lord replied to Moses, “Whoever has sinned against me I will blot out of my book. Now go, lead the people to the place I spoke of, and my angel will go before you. However, when the time comes for me to punish, I will punish them for their sin.” Matthew 13:31-35; He told them another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed, which a man took and planted in his field. Though it is the smallest of all seeds, yet when it grows, it is the largest of garden plants and becomes a tree, so that the birds come and perch in its branches.” He told them still another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like yeast that a woman took and mixed into about sixty pounds[a] of flour until it worked all through the dough.” Jesus spoke all these things to the crowd in parables; he did not say anything to them without using a parable. So was fulfilled what was spoken through the prophet: “I will open my mouth in parables, I will utter things hidden since the creation of the world.”[b] We are once again reminded in the gospel to live in the kingdom of heaven here on earth by nurturing our faith in the light of the gospel. Living in the kingdom of heaven means to live in simplicity and humility in a way of accepting our situation and status in life and not to crave for what is more pleasing and comfortable to us, but what is pleasing to God. Sometimes, we get out of living in the kingdom of heaven because of fear of simplicity and nothingness and we find ways to escape from it only to find out that we make things complicated. We are unaware that this is a call to trust in the Lord. As the response of the Responsorial Psalm, "Give thanks to the Lord for He is good." When we suffer because of our self-sufficiency, He does not abandon us, His mercy has no limit, yet He allows us to experience suffering as consequences of sins and mistakes. We can see Moses pleaded God's mercy for the wickedness of the people. He never sent His wrath on them but mercy. It is quite inspiring to see Moses leading God's people to the promised land despite their unfaithfulness to God and we see how God continues to accompany Moses as he leads the people. We are all meant to be "yeast" to accompany others to encounter Jesus in their darkest moment. This is a big challenge for all of us that we must continue to listen to Jesus and not to listen to our discouragement and disappointment that hinder our mission to accompany others. Let us deepen our faith in the hope that we will be able to survive as pilgrims of hope. Let the word of God be our light toward the kingdom of heaven.
TUESDAY 1 John 4:7-16; Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love. This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us. This is how we know that we live in him and he in us: He has given us of his Spirit. And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent his Son to be the Savior of the world. If anyone acknowledges that Jesus is the Son of God, God lives in them and they in God. And so we know and rely on the love God has for us. God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in them. John 11:19-27; And many Jews had come to Martha and Mary to comfort them in the loss of their brother. When Martha heard that Jesus was coming, she went out to meet him, but Mary stayed at home. “Lord,” Martha said to Jesus, “if you had been here, my brother would not have died. But I know that even now God will give you whatever you ask.” Jesus said to her, “Your brother will rise again.” Martha answered, “I know he will rise again in the resurrection at the last day.” Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die; and whoever lives by believing in me will never die. Do you believe this?” “Yes, Lord,” she replied, “I believe that you are the Messiah, the Son of God, who is to come into the world.” Our strong belief in the apostles' creed we recite every day is the profound expression of our faith, may this creed not only be a mere statement but a translation of how we live our life every day. We are always looking forward to bettering our life with the hope that God will always be with us, loving us, helping us all the way to a life worth living for, the way God wants us to live, to live a fulfilled and joyful life.
WEDNESDAY Exodus 34:29-35; When Moses came down from Mount Sinai with the two tablets of the covenant law in his hands, he was not aware that his face was radiant because he had spoken with the Lord. When Aaron and all the Israelites saw Moses, his face was radiant, and they were afraid to come near him. But Moses called to them; so Aaron and all the leaders of the community came back to him, and he spoke to them. Afterward all the Israelites came near him, and he gave them all the commands the Lord had given him on Mount Sinai. When Moses finished speaking to them, he put a veil over his face. But whenever he entered the Lord’s presence to speak with him, he removed the veil until he came out. And when he came out and told the Israelites what he had been commanded, they saw that his face was radiant. Then Moses would put the veil back over his face until he went in to speak with the Lord. Matthew 13:44-46; “The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field. When a man found it, he hid it again, and then in his joy went and sold all he had and bought that field. “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant looking for fine pearls. When he found one of great value, he went away and sold everything he had and bought it. Time with God can change us. Authentic communion with God should affect how we live, speak, and interact with others. True spiritual growth often works when we don’t seek attention or glory. Through humility, we become more like Christ without even realizing the impact we’re having on others. We are reminded that spiritual vitality isn’t a one-time event but a continual relationship. The more we abide in God, the more we reflect Him. We are invited to be drawn near to God, to be changed by Him, and reflect His glory in everyday life—not by striving for attention, but by humble obedience and consistent relationship. Jesus emphasizes that the Kingdom of Heaven is worth more than anything else. It’s not just good—it’s the greatest good. Whether we stumble upon it unexpectedly or seek it out, once we recognize its worth, everything else fades in comparison. Living for God sometimes involves real cost, but Jesus reminds us: it's always worth it.
THURSDAY Exodus 40:16-21,34-38; 16 Moses did everything just as the Lord commanded him. So the tabernacle was set up on the first day of the first month in the second year. When Moses set up the tabernacle, he put the bases in place, erected the frames, inserted the crossbars and set up the posts. Then he spread the tent over the tabernacle and put the covering over the tent, as the Lord commanded him. He took the tablets of the covenant law and placed them in the ark, attached the poles to the ark and put the atonement cover over it. Then he brought the ark into the tabernacle and hung the shielding curtain and shielded the ark of the covenant law, as the Lord commanded him. Then the cloud covered the tent of meeting, and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle. Moses could not enter the tent of meeting because the cloud had settled on it, and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle. In all the travels of the Israelites, whenever the cloud lifted from above the tabernacle, they would set out; but if the cloud did not lift, they did not set out—until the day it lifted. So the cloud of the Lord was over the tabernacle by day, and fire was in the cloud by night, in the sight of all the Israelites during all their travels. Matthew 13:47-53; “Once again, the kingdom of heaven is like a net that was let down into the lake and caught all kinds of fish. When it was full, the fishermen pulled it up on the shore. Then they sat down and collected the good fish in baskets, but threw the bad away. This is how it will be at the end of the age. The angels will come and separate the wicked from the righteous and throw them into the blazing furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. “Have you understood all these things?” Jesus asked. “Yes,” they replied. He said to them, “Therefore every teacher of the law who has become a disciple in the kingdom of heaven is like the owner of a house who brings out of his storeroom new treasures as well as old.” When Jesus had finished these parables, he moved on from there. The Gospel today on the Parable of the Net, tells us that all of us are being sought after by Jesus whether we are fit to His kingdom or not. He wants to save us all thus drawing us to Him-to His kingdom. At the same time, we are reminded that the kingdom of God is the reign of righteousness, and it cannot be compromised. In these modern times that can water down or sugar-coat sins such that many go with the flow, we as Verbum Dei missionary disciples, are invited to stand up for the truth. Righteousness must be upheld. Let us remember how radical our Master is in directing us to live on what is the truth and the eternal values of gospel. We are called for a radical following, one that will have to go against the current or flow if necessary. As much as we are messengers of hope to others, we should also preach repentance and conversion of sins. So many will receive salvation through us.
FRIDAY Leviticus 23:4-11,15-16,27,34-37; “‘These are the Lord’s appointed festivals, the sacred assemblies you are to proclaim at their appointed times: The Lord’s Passover begins at twilight on the fourteenth day of the first month. On the fifteenth day of that month the Lord’s Festival of Unleavened Bread begins; for seven days you must eat bread made without yeast. On the first day hold a sacred assembly and do no regular work. 8 For seven days present a food offering to the Lord. And on the seventh day hold a sacred assembly and do no regular work.’” The Lord said to Moses, “Speak to the Israelites and say to them: ‘When you enter the land I am going to give you and you reap its harvest, bring to the priest a sheaf of the first grain you harvest. He is to wave the sheaf before the Lord so it will be accepted on your behalf; the priest is to wave it on the day after the Sabbath. “‘From the day after the Sabbath, the day you brought the sheaf of the wave offering, count off seven full weeks. Count off fifty days up to the day after the seventh Sabbath, and then present an offering of new grain to the Lord. “The tenth day of this seventh month is the Day of Atonement. Hold a sacred assembly and deny yourselves,[a] and present a food offering to the Lord. “Say to the Israelites: ‘On the fifteenth day of the seventh month the Lord’s Festival of Tabernacles begins, and it lasts for seven days. The first day is a sacred assembly; do no regular work. For seven days present food offerings to the Lord, and on the eighth day hold a sacred assembly and present a food offering to the Lord. It is the closing special assembly; do no regular work. (“‘These are the Lord’s appointed festivals, which you are to proclaim as sacred assemblies for bringing food offerings to the Lord—the burnt offerings and grain offerings, sacrifices and drink offerings required for each day. Matthew 13:54-58; Coming to his hometown, he began teaching the people in their synagogue, and they were amazed. “Where did this man get this wisdom and these miraculous powers?” they asked. “Isn’t this the carpenter’s son? Isn’t his mother’s name Mary, and aren’t his brothers James, Joseph, Simon and Judas? Aren’t all his sisters with us? Where then did this man get all these things?” And they took offense at him. But Jesus said to them, “A prophet is not without honor except in his own town and in his own home.” And he did not do many miracles there because of their lack of faith. Sing with joy to God our help." (Ps 81: 1) This is the Psalm of today's Liturgy. A beautiful reminder for each one of us. Why do we need to be glad for our God? Is it because we can take refuge in Him being our God of help? Today we are invited by the Lord to enjoy his given religious festival, the Jubilee Year 2025. Where our Catholic Church helps us to experience the fullness of God's presence in our midst. But we need to gather together to worship God. As we pray today let us take advantage of the opportunity to express our heartfelt thanksgiving to our Lord and God. A God that is so compassionate and always ready to embrace us with His merciful love. This Jubilee Year 2025 is a great moment for us to develop a deeper understanding of God's faithfulness in our lives. This is a year that God is expressing again his hope that we may have a change of heart. God's desire for each one of us is to have an open heart to allow Him to cleanse us from our sins. We have offended Him many times. But still, He is always very willing to give us many chances. He doesn't hesitate to give us the grace of time, where we can go back to Him. What we need to do is just have a contrite heart in front of Him. He is asking us to be faithful in following His instructions. For this is the only way that we can go back to Him. Let us take advantage of the day of atonement from our sins that our God is giving us. As in Leviticus 23: 26 says, " The tenth day of this seventh month is the day of atonement, when you shall hold a sacred assembly and mortify yourselves and offer an oblation to the Lord." God's loving intention in us is to have a clean heart that is full of faith in Him. A heart that is trustful and hopeful of his great help. For in this way the resurrection of Jesus will be at work in our lives. In Matthew 13:57 says " A prophet is not without honor except in his native place and his own home." Why is Jesus not honored and recognized in his native place? Because they have a heart that doesn't believe in Him due to their lack of faith. That is even the reason why Jesus did not able to perform many miracles there. What about us? What is the condition of our hearts today? Jesus is very clear of His concern to us, "the condition of our hearts." For our hearts is the " own home" of Jesus. How can He perform miracles in our lives if our hearts are faithless. What is this miracle that Jesus wanted to perform in our lives? His saving power in each of us is a miracle. Where the source is the merciful love of God. A kind of love that makes Jesus the Lord and savior of our lives.
THE JUBILEE PRAYER Father in heaven,
may the faith you have given us in your son, Jesus Christ, our brother, and the flame of charity enkindled in our hearts by the Holy Spirit, reawaken in us the blessed hope for the coming of your Kingdom. May your grace transform us into tireless cultivators of the seeds of the Gospel. May those seeds transform from within both humanity and the whole cosmos in the sure expectation of a new heaven and a new earth, when, with the powers of Evil vanquished, your glory will shine eternally. May the grace of the Jubilee reawaken in us, Pilgrims of Hope, a yearning for the treasures of heaven. May that same grace spread the joy and peace of our Redeemer throughout the earth. To you our God, eternally blessed, be glory and praise for ever. Amen
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About the Guidelines SheetThe Guidelines sheet is a prayer guide with the Word of God to help us journey together and be one in our weekly prayer as one community. This contains daily passages from scriptures together with reflections focused on a common theme and intention for the week. Archives
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