Weekly Guidelines
Read this week's guidelines and be nourished as you journey with our Community in Cebu.
 “The constant dialogue with Jesus"February 19-25, 2018 General Objectives: The love of the Father, the voice of the Holy Spirit, the constant dialogue with Jesus and the attentive gaze of Mary, project our lives and urge us to apply them entirely to the Crucified Christ of today, the Mystical Body of Christ (VDC 75). Where do we project our lives? Where do we apply all our prayer—to the Crucified Christ of today. Objective of the week: The constant dialogue with Jesus—head and members in prayer. We unite ourselves with Jesus' head and then throughout the day, we continue our dialogue with Jesus’ body, in the different realities and people we are in contact.
INTRODUCTION In this second week of Lent, we are invited to ponder on our constant dialogue with Jesus—a dialogue that is a privilege. As Moses told Israel, “No other nation, no matter how great, has a god who is so near when they need him as the Lord our God is to us” (Dt. 4:7). Our dialogue with Christ gives us comfort, sense of self, strength, and reason to move on, so much so it gives us the reason to be joyful whatever circumstances we are in. This dialogue that we have with Christ does not stop just between the head and one part of the body but reaches out to all its parts especially those that we see as the least of all. We are part of the Mystical Body of Christ, and through our constant dialogue with the head, this further gives healing, hope, peace, salvation, unity, love, and faith. Our life as disciples of Christ is called to be in a constant dialogue with Jesus the risen and crucified Christ. MONDAY Jesus, my way to the Father Col. 1:21-23 “And you, that were sometime alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now hath he reconciled in the body of his flesh through death, to present you holy and unblameable and unreproveable in his sight if ye continue in the faith grounded and settled, and be not moved away from the hope of the gospel, which ye have heard, and which was preached to every creature which is under heaven, whereof Paul am made a minister.” Our constant dialogue with Jesus will bring us to the truth that He is the perfect image of the Father and of his mercy. He is the only bridge between God and humanity through His life, death, and resurrection. Who is Jesus for you in this moment of your journey? How can Lent help you to grow in the intimate dialogue with Jesus? TUESDAY Jesus, my head who I follow Col. 1:17-20 “He is before all things, and by him all things consist. And he is the head of the body, the church, who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in all things he might have the preeminence. For it pleased the Father that in him should all fullness dwell. And, having made peace through the blood of his cross, by him to reconcile all things unto himself by him, I say, whether they be things in earth, or things in heaven. Our dialogue with Jesus will bring us to the truth that He is our head, the one that leads us and moves us. As a Lenten good exercise, I invite you to dialogue with Jesus first than to the internet. Knowing Jesus as my head helps me to know myself and my place in His Mystical Body. Where is your place in Christ’s Mystical Body? Do I believe that my life has a unique place in His body and therefore a unique task? WEDNESDAY Be rooted and build up in Jesus Col 2:2,6-8 “That their hearts might be comforted being knit together in love and unto all riches of the full assurance of understanding to the acknowledgment of the mystery of God, and of the Father, and of Christ. As ye have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk ye in him, rooted and built up in him and established in the faith, as ye have been taught, abounding therein with thanksgiving. Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit after the tradition of men, alter the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ.” Our constant dialogue with Jesus will bring us to a deeper faith that will mold us and build us up, for it is in Christ that we find the whole mystery of God and our own mystery. All the fullness of God is in Christ in a human form. Is Christ and His gospel of life building your conscience, attitudes and options in life up? In which way is He inviting you to grow in love and faith? THURSDAY Jesus’ Passover is our passover (St. Peter's Chair Feast) Col 2:9-15 “For in him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily. And ye are complete in him, which is the head of all principality and power. In whom also ye are circumcised with the circumcision made without hands, in putting off the body of the sins of the flesh by the circumcision of Christ Buried with him in baptism, wherein also ye are risen with him through the faith of the operation of God, who hath raised him from the dead. And you, being dead in your sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh, hath he quickened together with him having forgiven you all trespasses. Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross. And having spoiled principalities and powers, he made a shew of them openly, triumphing over them in it. Our constant dialogue with Jesus will unite us with His Passover. All of us as members of the Mystical Body of Christ must strive to resemble him until Christ be formed in us. For this reason, we are taken up into the mysteries of His life that with Him we may be glorified. Have we allowed Christ to nail or let go of our old self so we can join with Him in the passing over from death to life? FRIDAY Jesus makes us the light and salt of the earth Mt. 5:13-14,16 You are the salt. But if salt has lost its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It has become useless. It can only be thrown away and people will on it. You are the light of the world. A city build on a mountain cannot be hidden. In the same way your light must shine before others so that they may see the good you do and praise your Father in heaven. Our constant dialogue with Jesus will lead us to the knowledge that as a part of the Mystical Body of Christ, we are called to be a seed of unity, hope, and salvation for the whole human race, thus making known to all that we are connected. The suffering of our brethren is our own suffering that needs healing. How has Jesus moved me to care for the rest of the part of His Mystical Body, which is also my body? How can we make a priority in life our faithfulness to the light that Jesus gives us in prayer? SATURDAY Jesus provides for our growth Col. 2: 11-13, 14 It was he who gave gifts to mankind, he appointed some to be apostles, others to be prophets, others to be evangelist, others to be pastors and teachers. He did this to prepare all God’s people for the work of Christ service, in order to build up the body of Christ. And so we shall all come together to that oneness in our faith and in our knowledge of the Son of God we shall become mature people, reaching to the very height of Christ’s full stature. Instead, by speaking the truth in a spirit of love, we must grow up in every way to Christ, who is the head. Our constant dialogue with Jesus will lead to our growth, to make us grow toward him. As our head, He provides in His Body, the Church, the gifts and assistance by which we help one another along the way of salvation. What are the gifts that Christ has provided us for our growth? Have we nourished that gift by sharing our life to others so we can help building the Resurrected Body of Christ? SUNDAY Second Sunday of Lent First Reading: Gen 22:1-2, 9a, 10-13, 15-18
Psalm: Psalm 116 Second Reading: Rom 8:31b-34 Gospel: Mark 9:2-10 |
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