Weekly Guidelines
Read this week's guidelines and be nourished as you journey with our Community in Cebu.
You will conceive and bear a Son.(Lk 1:31) December 4-10, 2017 GENERAL OBJECTIVE: To discover that living our mission God makes us part of his maternity and paternity. Children that are coming from the communion with God and they will be the new apostles that open the way to the Lord. Specific Objective: To become a spiritual father and mother for others who need to be reborn in Christ.
Introduction
How beautiful if we can discover deeply the will of God in our life. This week we are reminded that we are part of His plan of salvation for the whole humanity. We are the people to continue this plan to be in action. God is telling us this week that we have to recognize his appeal to us that he needs our life. He need us to assume his big project of salvation by accepting that we are a spiritual father and mother for others who need to be reborn in Christ. We can only perform that responsibility if we recognize and respond to the call that we are all "God bearers". Mother Mary is a great guide for us, especially as we start our advent journey, where we are invited to follow the footsteps as "God bearer" by bearing the word of God and bring it to others and be made flesh. Mary as a human person conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit in her womb and brought forth the Divine life into the world. How did this occur? Mary listened to the announcement of the Angel Gabriel and conceived in her heart before she conceived in her womb. In Verbum Domini No. 29, we find: "As we contemplate in the Mother of God a life totally shaped by the word, we realize that we too are called to enter into the mystery of faith whereby Christ comes to dwell in our lives. Every Christian believer, Saint Ambrose reminds us, in some way interiority conceives and gives birth to the word of God: even though there is only one Mother of Christ in the flesh, in the faith Christ is progeny of us all. Thus, what took place for Mary can daily take place in each of us, in the hearing of the word and in the celebration of the sacraments". How important is our listening because it is to receive the divine life of God in the womb of our hearts. When it is there we need to take care of it. The only way is to imitate Mary our Mother as said in Lk 2:19 "Mary kept all these things in her heart and reflected on them". Thus, during this week we will be pondering on the words announced to Mary in Lk.1:30-31. Monday "Don't be afraid, Mary" We are invited today to contemplate about the plan of God in our life. He is compassionately requesting us not to be afraid of His will and purpose. God is personally calling us to be the bearer of his words to others so that "these others" will know of His love. How can we become a brave bearers of His words? By making our life a good soil of a listening heart, where the words of God can take root and grow. We need to value the importance of listening, especially to our God, for He trusts our life so much because He loves us. God is now patiently waiting for us when we can listen to Him intently in order to see His sincerity and faithfulness. How beautiful to note that God mean so much of our life. How open is your heart and mind to His will? Mama Mary is inviting us to learn from her on the way she opens herself to the will of God for her life. Tuesday "God has been gracious to you" It is very important that we can always recognize what God has done for us. Why? Because to be aware of His goodness is the only way to find real joy and happiness even if our life is full of many challenges. How blessed we are if we welcome his plans for our life with an open heart. A heart that is penitent, humble, joyful and grateful. How often you ponder and count the blessings you received from God? Do you recognize His hands that are silently working behind your life? His goodness will always shine brightly in our lives. What we need is to recognize and accept it with an open heart for His blessings will last forever. Wednesday "You will conceive a Son" Today we are reminded that God wants us to be close to Him through a constant dialogue in prayers where the center is His words and be able to be of service to those words. These are two important ways in order that the plan of God will be conceived in our hearts. What we need is to learn from Mary our Mother in her ways of agreeing with the plan of God for salvation. She conceived in her heart the words of God before it becomes flesh in her womb. This is because Mary always listened to the words of God and pondered it in silence. How blessed are we to belong to a community where we are taught and formed in these ways of Mary. How is your prayer life these past few weeks? How much time do you spend on listening to the word of God each day? Thursday "You will bear a Son" We are to be grateful for the goodness of God in our life, because he loves us so deeply. How beautiful if our gratefulness will be shown in action. God wants us to concretize his plans with us by being partakers of his great love. Today we need to look around again, who are the people that God wants to give His love through our life. We are again invited to be a "disciple in action". Our world will become colorful and joyful if all of us will be partakers of the great love of God. Friday "You will name him, Jesus" God is now asking us to trust in Him; for it is in Him that we will be able to live the mission. The great mission that God wants us to do is to bring his HOPE to those who are hopeless, making them taste and see the LOVE of God in their life. How wonderful if we can identify the concrete mission God is calling us and be able to name our mission in life. This will give us the direction where to go in order that our efforts will not be wasted in bringing hope to others. Saturday "He will be great" Will I make myself available to God? This is a very important question to be asked in ourselves. We need to recognize the importance of our yes to God in his plan. He values our yes to Him, for He needs us. Our yes has a great effect to others. Let us learn from Mary our Mother as she teaches us on how to say yes to God. Let us also ask her to lead us on how to use the gift of trust in responding God's will. In this way God's love can continue to incarnate itself in our humanity, so that the love of God can continue to become flesh in the world of today through each of our lives. 2nd Sunday of Advent 1st Reading: Isaiah 40:1-5,9-11 Psalm 85:9-14 2n Reading: 2 Pet 38-14 Gospel:Mk 1:1-8 |
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