Reflections of Faith
Read and be inspired by a reflection based on today's Gospel made by members of the Verbum Dei Family in Manila.
12/11/2019
Daily Guidelines: December 11, 2019Wednesday, December 11
Matthew 11:28-30 Take my yoke upon you Our responsibilities and troubles are things which we must carry. This is what a “yoke” represents. Jesus today compares the yoke that we usually carry and the yoke that He asks us to carry. Our own yokes are heavy and burdensome, maybe because they are not meant for us to carry them. But when we follow Christ and take His yoke upon us, it fits “just right” and Christ Himself helps us bear it. And we carry it with love and a sense of mission which gives us the strength and perseverance to push on. Lord, give us your yoke that we may carry it with You in trust and love. #PrayVD
12/10/2019
Daily Guidelines: December 10, 2019Tuesday, December 10
Matthew 18:12-14 Not one of these little ones shall perish Do you remember what is was like to be a child? We didn’t know our way around places and people. It was easy to get lost in our surroundings. If our parents were negligent, none of us would be here today, safe and sound! Yet, though we are all adults now, it is still easy to get lost and we still don’t know our way around tomorrow. Thank God for His abiding, guiding presence and for His promise that none of us should perish if we remain in his love. In this Advent season, Lord help us to be like lambs docile to be led by your loving guidance not to be lost in this busiest season. #PrayVD
12/9/2019
Daily Guidelines: December 9, 2019Monday, December 9
Luke 1:26-38 Feast of the Immaculate Conception Do not be afraid Mary, for you have found favor with God Our Blessed Mother’s story is all about faith and trust. So much in her life would change. She could foresee the difficulty and uncertainty she would go through. But she put her trust in the favor and provision of God and this gave her strength to say yes. Are we facing uncertainties and difficulties now? Our Mother herself is telling us not to be afraid because God is on our side. Mama Mary, teach us to live under the look of God’s favor over our life and trust in him. #PrayVD
12/8/2019
Daily Guidelines: December 8, 2019December 08, 2019 – Sunday
Gospel: Matthew 3:1-12 “Prepare the way of the Lord, make straight his paths.” The message of St John the Baptist consists of a precise imperative, “repent” and an equally clear reason: “for the kingdom of heaven is close at hand”. The fruits of repentance are to give new direction to one’s existence. Repentance is a turning towards “the kingdom of heaven”, towards something new which is imminent, together with its demands and prospects. It is a matter of giving a decisive turn to life in a new direction: the “kingdom of heaven” is the foundation and gives meaning to repentance and not just any human efforts. The expression “kingdom of heaven” says that God will reveal Himself to all. John says that this revelation of God is imminent, not distant. On this feast of the Immaculate Conception, let us run to Mama Mary for focus on holiness,, humility and faithfulness to our ultimate objective of “kingdom of heaven.” #PrayVD
12/7/2019
Daily Guidelines: December 7, 2019December 07, 2019 – Saturday
Gospel: Matthew 9:35----10:1, 5a, 6-8 “Go instead to the lost sheep of the House of Israel.” Jesus went to various towns and villages, and He found that the people felt rejected, confused and lost, much like sheep without a shepherd. So He asked the Apostles and disciples to go to all and cure the sick, cast out demons, and preach the Good News. His compassionate nature came out in the fore again, to reach out and console the people. Thus needing so many laborers for the many who are lost . He asks them not to start with teaching doctrine but to help by giving relief from their pain through services. We all receive the same mission given by Jesus to the disciples. Are you conscious and aware of this mission? How do you live your mission? In your life, have you had any contact with the lost sheep, with people who are tired, exhausted and searching? What lesson did you draw out of this? #PrayVD
12/6/2019
Daily Guidelines: December 6, 2019December 6, 2019 – Friday
Gospel: Matthew: 9: 27-31 “Let it done for you according to your faith.” We find so many instances of healing by Jesus: the woman bleeding for so many years, the blind and the mute who were healed, the servant of the centurion, etc. He says to each of them “Yout faith has healed you.” Thus the apostles who faltered in their faith, asked Jesus, “Increase our faith!” (Luke 17:9-10). If we live by faith, we will be able to move mountains, but first , faith must be deep in our hearts. Like Mary, who gave her yes to God, with serenity and confidence,accepted whatever is handed to her. Her faith kept her trusting the will of God for her and do what pleases Him. We pray for the same level of confidence and serenity when faced with trials, undiminished in our faith. #PrayVD
12/5/2019
Daily Guidelines: December 5, 2019December 5, 2019 – Thursday
Gospel: Matthew 7:21, 24-27 “... like a wise man who built his house on rock.” Jesus says that not all who hears his word will go to heaven, but only the one who does the will of the Father. If you listen to His word and act on it, it’s like building your house on solid rock. Build your faith and beliefs on strong foundation. Neither rain nor strong winds will run it aground, nor make it collapse. How do we see ourselves now in our level of spiritual maturity? Still lukewarm, sometimes hot, sometimes cold? Not fully convinced yet? Have we fully surrendered our hearts, minds and souls to Christ Jesus? If you have, no matter how heavy the trials we may face, we are not discouraged nor afraid. Do we greet it with a smile and say “Bring it on, problem!” We pray that we be made more sturdy and not crack along the way, to face the many storms of life with the help of Mama Mary and Jesus. #PrayVD
12/4/2019
Daily Guidelines: December 4, 2019December 4, 2019 – Wednesday
Gospel: Matthew: 15:29-37 “My heart is moved with pity for the crowd.....” He has compassion for the people who have been following Him and had nothing to eat . According to the disciples, the solution must come from outside: “Where to find bread to feed so many people?” According to Jesus, the solution must come from inside the people through His help: ”with 5 loaves of bread and fish, Jesus satisfies the hunger of all, and there are even some left over. If today people would share what they have, there would be no hunger in the world. Many things would be left over! Truly, another world is possible! Do I have the same compassion that Jesus has for me and the rest of mankind? Do I lead the lost and the least back to Jesus that they may be comforted? May we be made more compassionate and giving, more generious of whatever we have, big or small, little or plenty. #PrayVD
12/3/2019
Daily Guidelines: December 3, 2019December 3, 2019 - Tuesday
Gospel: Luke 10:21-24 “Blessed are the eyes that see what you see.” Blessed are our eyes that see beyond the physical, eyes that see with wisdom , which see in the spiritual realm. Those matters which the prophets of long ago could not see or understand, yet we are able to see as long as with childlike openness. St Paul wrote, "I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened, so that you may know the hope to which God has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints" (Ephesians 1:18). And again, "This is my prayer, that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight" (Philippians 1:9).... This is the true second sight: insight. We pray to the Holy Spirit that we may be enlightened to see what God wants us to see in all the things of the physical world. #PrayVD
12/2/2019
Daily Guidelines: December 2, 2019December 2, 2019 - Monday
Gospel: Matthew 8:5-11 “Amen I say to you, in no one in Israel have I found such faith.” How do we define or measure our faith? Jesus asks us “Do you believe that I can do this?” Faith is knowing that He can do anything, even move mountains, heal the unhealable, and we are able to overcome any challenges , without fear. Are you able to find joy in our moments of weakness? This is such a great obstacle to our faith: the anxiety, the worries that overwhelm us, our hesitancy to surrender completely to His will. Let us find ways to strengthen our faith, by being consistently “faithful” and obedient. Are we... full of faith? Do we practice it and is it seen in our daily manner of living, and speak about it? Our courage stems from a deep sense of faith, that no matter what we face, Jesus will lead us through it. Let us lead others too through the same path. Let us be like Mary and call on her for assistance, whose quiet demeanor, has given her strength of belief, and has carried her through so many trials. #PrayVD |
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