Weekly Guidelines
Read this week's guidelines and be nourished as you journey with our Community in Cebu.
 Bring My Children Back HomeMarch 25-31, 2019 General Theme: God the Father General Objective: To be led to the source of this love we’re looking for and discover our genuine identity as a child of God. Objective of the week: To discover the joy of the Father in seeing His children living in oneness and communion
INTRODUCTION This week is the best moment to listen to our God the Father telling us what he needs from us. He is inviting us to experience more of his love and to recognize our responsibility of calling his lost children to come back home. Our Father considers us the “kuyas” and “ates” of this big family of God. He wanted to tell us personally, “Will you help me bring your brothers and sisters back home?” As Verbum Dei disciples, we need to discover and understand our responsibility to bring each child of God to experience the loving embrace of the Father. Pope Francis was reminding us in his statements in front of his general audience at Vatican City on January 16, 2019 that : “God is looking for you, even if you do not seek Him. God loves you, even if you forget Him. God sees beauty in you, even if you think you have squandered all your talents in vain.” How wonderful if we will go out of our comfort zones and share to our brothers and sisters the message of the love of the God. This is one of the ways to help our Father gather the whole humanity in front of him. We are also invited to pray for each other for unity, solidarity, and peace. These are what we need to face all the chaos in our society today. Jesus is teaching us on how to pray for each other in order to be in the love of God our Father. Let us ponder his words as He is teaching us now: “I pray not only for them, but also for those who believe in me because of their message. I pray that they may all be one. Father! May they be in us, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they be one, so that the world will believe that you sent me. I gave them the same glory you gave me, so that they may be one, just as you and I are one. I in them and you in me, so that they may be completely one, in order that the world may know that you sent me and that you love them as you love me” (John 17:20-23). MONDAY “My Child, call me, Father” Jer 3:19 The Lord says, “Israel, I wanted to accept you as my child and give you a delightful land, the most beautiful land in all the world, I wanted you to call me father and never again turn away from me.” As a father, He is always ready to provide us what we need. What he is begging from us is not to turn away from him because we are his children. Have you realized that our God is our only true generous Father? Have you ever called God, “Papa”? Do you see in your eyes of faith how his hands supported you quietly behind your life? TUESDAY “My Child, with deep love I take you back” Is 54:7-8 For one brief moment I left you; with deep love I will take you back. I turned away angry for only a moment, but I will show you my love forever. So says the Lord who saves you. How beautiful if today we can enjoy and savor the merciful love of God our Father. His forgiveness is the strongest compassion of his mercy and love. His love is so great because there is no condition. Listen to him telling you today, “With deep love I take you back.” Are you an ordinary creation of God? Do you see your worth as a person? Do you realize that you are valuable as a human being? WEDNESDAY “My Child, come to my loving embrace and let us celebrate” Lk 15:32 “But we had to celebrate and be happy, because your brother was dead, but now he is alive, he was lost, but now he has been found.” Our God and Father rejoices every time we return to him. He doesn’t mind the tiredness and loneliness he experienced in waiting for us. What he wanted is for us to return to his fatherly love. Allow him to tell you today, “I miss you very much, my child.” Have you experienced having security and peace? Where can you find the greatest security in your life? Do you see the need of the fatherly love of God? When do you allow him to embrace you and experience his great love? THURSDAY “My Child, I’m pleased with you” Ps 116:12-15 What can I offer the Lord for all his goodness to me? I will bring a wine offering to the Lord, to thank him for saving me. In the assembly of all his people. I will give him what I have promised. How painful it is to the Lord when one of his people dies! Today is a great day of thanksgiving for the Lord for his faithful love to us. He is reminding us to experience always his love by being close to him through his words. Our heavenly father is asking us to fix our eyes in Jesus his son, for it is “He who reveals the face of the love of the father to the whole humanity.” How often do you connect to the loving arms of the Father through his words? How is your prayer life this week? Is your heart prepared to be part of the passion, death and resurrection of Christ? How? FRIDAY “My Child, help me to share my commands of love to my lost sons and daughters” Ps 51:13 I will teach sinners your commands, and they will turn back to you. As we experience more of God’s love, he is showing his great hope in our life as Christians. He is asking us to help him in letting the sinners return to him. As it is said, “Heaven rejoices if one sinner will return to the loving embrace of God our father.” Are you willing to submit your life to our God the Father to call back all his lost sons and daughters? Do you have concrete people in mind whom God wanted you to teach his commands of love? Do you see the urgency of the call of love of our Father to these people? When do you start to help? SATURDAY “My Child, help me gather all my children in front of me” Is 43:6 I will tell the north to let them go and the south not to hold them back. Let my people return from distant lands, from every part of the world. Our God and father are showing us today that he really wanted that all his children will be gathered together like a hen with her chicks. Our God wanted us to help him gather all his children back to him. Do you find time to offer a prayer for all our lost brothers and sisters? What concrete action does God ask you today in order to help him bring back his lost children? As a Verbum Dei disciple, what concrete action is God asking you to help him gather all his lost children in front of him? SUNDAY 4th SUNDAY of Lent 1st Reading: Jos 5:9-12
Resp Psalm 34:2-7 2nd Reading 2 Cor 5:17-21 Gospel: Lk.15:1-32 |
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