Weekly Guidelines
Read this week's guidelines and be nourished as you journey with our Community in Cebu.
|
5/21/2017
Guidelines for prayer: The Word of God and the breaking of the bread open our eyes to Him! - May 22- 28, 2017 The Word of God and the breaking of the bread open our eyes to Him!May 22- 28, 2017 General Theme: Jesus himself drew near and walked along with them.” (Lk.24:15) General Objective: To teach the apostles to accompany the new people with their life and their words based on how Jesus accompanied His apostles after the resurrection. Objectives of the week:
INTRODUCTION
Last week we were invited to learn from Jesus how he accompanied his disciples, so as to better accompany the ones whom God has placed on our way. This week we are invited to allow Jesus to nourish us as a Christian, in our discipleship through His Word and His self-giving in the Eucharist i. . Jesus, our Good Shepherd, our Lord and our Best Friend, has His eyes fixed on us as we journey everyday in our discipleship. He gives what we need the most - our spiritual food: His Words and His self-giving in the Eucharist. He knows that we need strength for the journey. Importantly, He knows our different processes: with full of faith or lack of it, with fire or without, with convictions or with doubts just like the two disciples who were walking to Emmaus (Luke 24:13-48). Jesus has shown His dedication to bring back the fire, conviction and faith to His disciples as He walked with them, explained and broke the bread with them after which, the eyes of the two disciples were opened and their faith restored. As the disciples and apostles of Jesus of today, we find that each day brings different challenges and situations at home, in our work place, in school, in our community and with our friends. Many times we are faced with many questions and we don’t have all the answers. “What is the best recourse in this problem? Why is this person like this? Is there a way out in this situation?’ As Jesus walked with His disciples and explain to them the scriptures (cf. Luke 24:27), Jesus is also walking with us explaining the different process of life. He wants us to allow His Word to light our path as we discern and make different decisions in our daily life. Furthermore, we need wisdom to know God’s will and we need His courage and strength to do it. Where can we get these? Jesus comes to us, walks with us, sits at table with us and breaks the bread with us (cf. Luke 24:30-32). He continues to nourish us through His self-giving in the Eucharist. As we listened to Him through His Words and received Him in the Eucharist as a Family, we can see Him more clearly and His ways of love more distinctly. MONDAY Feast of St. Rita of Cascia “ALL WHAT HAS HAPPENED TO JESUS IS ACCORDING TO THE SCRIPTURES” 1 Corinthians 15:2-10 3 I passed on to you what I received, which is of the greatest importance: that Christ died for our sins, as written in the Scriptures; 4 that he was buried and that he was raised to life three days later, as written in the Scriptures; 5 that he appeared to Peter and then to all twelve apostles. 6 Then he appeared to more than five hundred of his followers at once, most of whom are still alive, although some have died. 7 Then he appeared to James, and afterward to all the apostles. 8 Last of all he appeared also to me—even though I am like someone whose birth was abnormal.[a] 9 For I am the least of all the apostles—I do not even deserve to be called an apostle, because I persecuted God's church. 10 But by God's grace I am what I am, and the grace that he gave me was not without effect. On the contrary, I have worked harder than any of the other apostles, although it was not really my own doing, but God's grace working with me. Jesus did what the Father willed Him to do as it was written in the Scriptures. His appearance to the apostles as the risen Christ restored their faith. He gave each apostle sufficient grace to carry on the mission entrusted to them. What grace would you like to ask for yourself and for others so that each of us can be faithful and fruitful in carrying out the mission given to us? “Most Holy Sacred Heart of Jesus, help my heart to persevere in all that is holy.” St. Rita of Cascia TUESDAY “THEY GATHERED TOGETHER LISTENING TO THE WORD OF GOD AND TO THE BREAKING OF THE BREAD” Acts 2:46-47 46 Day after day they met as a group in the Temple, and they had their meals together in their homes, eating with glad and humble hearts, 47 praising God, and enjoying the good will of all the people. And every day the Lord added to their group those who were being saved. The essential of our discipleship which we are called to defend everyday is our relationship with God and with others as shown in the prayer and fraternal life of the early Christian community. Let us be faithful in listening to the Word of God and taking the Bread of Life for our daily sustenance. In what way the Word of God and the Eucharist have been sustaining you? How are you defending your and other’s prayerful and fraternal life? “As bread that is broken use our lives, as wine that is poured out a willing sacrifice. Empower us Father to share the love of Christ. As bread that is broken, Lord, use our lives.” WEDNESDAY “BE READY TO GIVE AN EXPLANATION TO OUR HOPE” 1 Peter 3:14-16 14 But even if you should suffer for doing what is right, how happy you are! Do not be afraid of anyone, and do not worry. 15 But have reverence for Christ in your hearts, and honor him as Lord. Be ready at all times to answer anyone who asks you to explain the hope you have in you, 16 but do it with gentleness and respect. Keep your conscience clear, so that when you are insulted, those who speak evil of your good conduct as followers of Christ will become ashamed of what they say. You and I have questions in life. We have found some of the important answers as we followed Jesus. Others still have many unspoken questions. Let us go out of our way and share the answers that we found and explain to others the Truth that we found in Jesus. What do you think are the unspoken questions that people have in life?Let us be ready to share to them Jesus, the one who has given us hope as we live our daily life. ‘Jesus, teach us to go to you to be enlighten with the questions that we all carry in our hearts. Help us to persevere even if the answers are not yet given. Help us to believe and to trust in You.’ THURSDAY Feast of St. Gregory VII, et. al. “ACCOMPANY THE ‘EUNUCH’ TO UNDERSTAND THE WORD OF GOD” Acts 8:27-35 So Philip got ready and went. Now an Ethiopian eunuch, who was an important official in charge of the treasury of the queen of Ethiopia, was on his way home. He had been to Jerusalem to worship God and was going back home in his carriage. As he rode along, he was reading from the book of the prophet Isaiah. 29 The Holy Spirit said to Philip, “Go over to that carriage and stay close to it.” 30 Philip ran over and heard him reading from the book of the prophet Isaiah. He asked him, “Do you understand what you are reading?” 31 The official replied, “How can I understand unless someone explains it to me?” And he invited Philip to climb up and sit in the carriage with him. … 35 Then Philip began to speak; starting from this passage of scripture, he told him the Good News about Jesus. There are many ‘Eunuchs’ around us who desire to understand what the Word of God means. As Jesus explained to us the Scriptures, let us also do our mission in making the Word of God to be understood and be loved by others. “Learn the heart of God from the Word of God.”( St. Gregory the Great) ‘Holy Spirit, grant us the grace to be attentive to your Voice and to be obedient to your insinuation.’ FRIDAY Feast of St. Philip Neri “DO NOT BE AFRAID BUT KEEP ON SPEAKING THE WORD OF GOD” Acts 18:9-11 One night Paul had a vision in which the Lord said to him, “Do not be afraid, but keep on speaking and do not give up, 10 for I am with you. No one will be able to harm you, for many in this city are my people.” 11 So Paul stayed there for a year and a half, teaching the people the word of God. “Cast yourself into the arms of God and be very sure that if He wants anything of you, He will fit you for the work and give you strength.” Philip Neri There are many people who want to hear God’s Word and His message. We are called to continue to speak and not to stop. Let us be the voice that speaks God’s Word where we are and as we are. “Here I am Lord. You have called me in the night and I have heard you. Into your hands I put my life for everybody. I will be the voice that speaks your WORD. Do what you want to with my life, Lord.’ SATURDAY Feast of St. Augustine of Canterbury “WE HAVE SAVED SOMEONE IN TEACHING HIM/HER HOW TO PRAY” The exercise of the ministry of the Word in its diverse forms aspires to a process of drawing people to Christ, in the measure of the capacities and possibilities of each listener. It is a patient labor of teaching and learning to pray, through which the apostle takes the disciples by the hand towards the person of Christ rather than providing theoretical expla-nations. We have saved someone when we have taught him/her to pray. Christ will have a new disciple when he/she, through prayer, “comes to know Him” personally, not by hearsay but by personal experience. The fullness of our missionary joy will consist in tis. (Constitutions of the Verbum Dei Missionary Fraternity 48) “A Christian is: a mind through which Christ thinks, a heart through which Christ loves, a voice through which Christ speaks, and a hand through which Christ helps.” Saint Augustine SUNDAY 7th Sunday of Easter The Solemnity of the Ascension of the Lord 1st Reading – Acts 1:1-11 Responsorial Psalm – Psalm 47 2nd Reading – Ephesians 1:17-23 Gospel – Matthew 28:16-20 |
Archives
July 2021
Categories |
||||||
RSS Feed
