GOD’S WORD FOR THE DAY (based on Catholic Liturgical Readings) DATE: 25TH MARCH 2017 SOLEMNITY OF THE ANNUNCIATIONOF THE LORD FIRST READING: Isaiah 7:10-14; 8:10 PSALM: Ps 40: 7-11 SECOND READING: Hebrews 10, 4-10 GOSPEL: Luke 1:26-38 THEME: FULL OF GRACE

Grace is when the Lord takes the wheel of your life and leads you through the mountains and valleys of our earthly pilgrimage and imprints living testimonies on your memory. Grace makes you bear fruit even in an arid ground and enables you to run without getting weary. Where there is grace, all things are possible.

In the Gospel text for today, the angel Gabriel addresses a woman (Mary) with a title, “Hail, full of grace”. The title “full of grace” describes a favoured one upon whom, according to the angel, “the power of the Most High will overshadow” (cf. Lk 1:35). 

With reference to the expression “overshadow”, it is interesting to note that the same word is used in the Greek version of Ex 40:35 to describe how the cloud (symbolising the Lord’s presence) “overshadowed” the Tabernacle and the glory of the Lord filled it.

The person of Mary fulfils the prophecy of Isaiah – “The Lord himself shall give you a sign: Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Emmanuel” (cf. Isa 7:14). True to the prophetic words of Isaiah, Mary conceived and gave birth to the Saviour of the human race without any conjugal relation with a man – “How can this be, since I know no man?” (cf. Lk. 1: 34). Indeed grace made what is humanly impossible possible in Mary.

Taking Mary as a model, we can project what the plan of God is for each one of us. God desires to make us full of his grace. He wants to make possible in us what others think is not possible. For this to happen we need to connect to the source of grace.

Daily personal prayer, sharing the word of God with others, celebrating the Sacrament of reconciliation and frequent participation in the Eucharist are some of the key ways we tap into the grace of God. 

When a car runs out of gas (fuel), it cannot move and when a Christian runs out of grace, life comes to a standstill. May we therefore turn to the Lord in prayer and ask that he may continually fill us with his grace. Amen.

GOD’S WORD FOR THE DAY (based on Catholic Liturgical Readings) DATE: 24TH MARCH 2017 FRIDAY OF THE THIRD WEEK OF LENT FIRST READING: Hosea 14:2-10 PSALM: Psalm 81:6-11, 14,17 GOSPEL: Mark 12:28-34 THEME: SIN IS CURABLE

Sin is a sickness. It is a disease that afflicts the soul and therefore has a spiritual character. Understandably, our hospitals do not treat or offer a cure for sin. For this kind of ailment, we would need to turn to God in faith.

In today’s First Reading, the Lord speaks to Israel and by extension to each one of us, “I shall cure them of their disloyalty; I shall love them with my whole heart” (Hos 4:4). The Lord thus declares that he has the cure for sin and pledges to heal and give life to all those who turn to him.

When physical illness is not attended to and treated, it becomes worse and in the end the diseased becomes deceased. Similarly, when spiritual illness (sin) afflicts a person and the patient does not receive the needed treatment, it results in spiritual death. A major symptom of spiritual death is a life lived without love. On the other hand, when sin is treated, a person develops the capacity to love.

Jesus, in today’s Gospel text, places premium on love when he re-echoes the core value of the commandments: “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind, and with all your strength…You shall love your neighbor as yourself” (Mk 12:30-31).

God does not want us to die a spiritual death. Thanks be to God, sin is curable. All that we need to do is to turn to the Lord Jesus and be healed.

GOD’S WORD FOR THE DAY (based on Catholic Liturgical Readings) DATE: 23RD MARCH 2017 THURSDAY OF THE THIRD WEEK OF LENT: Jeremiah 7:23-28 PSALM: Psalm 95:1-2, 6-9; GOSPEL: Luke 11:14-23. THEME: THE KINGDOM OF GOD IS HERE

There are some people in this world who would never accept you no matter how good you are. Someone rightly said, “Haters will see you walking on water and say it’s because you can’t swim.”

In today’s Gospel text, Jesus makes a mute man speak by casting out an evil spirit. The miracle was clear – it was an act of the “finger of God”. However, the opponents of Jesus sharply criticized him accusing him of using the power of Satan, the prince of demons, to drive out demons. Others too sought to test him by demanding for a sign from heaven, in spite of the sign of a mute person speaking. Jesus responded, “If it is by the finger of God that I cast out demons, then the kingdom of God has come to you” (Lk. 11:20).

There are some lessons that we can draw out from the text. Firstly, the Lord gives each one of us enough signs to lead us into the Kingdom of God. Those who choose to enter the Kingdom need no more signs but for those who have made up their minds not to accept the message of the Kingdom, myriads of signs would not be enough to convince them. With reference to the second group, the prophet Jeremiah writes, “This is the nation that will neither listen to the voice of Yahweh its God nor take correction” (Jer. 7:28).

Secondly, anyone who decides to advance the message of the Kingdom of God should brace him/herself for opposition. It has always been like that from the beginning of the propagation of the Gospel. However, like Jesus, we ought not to be discouraged on account of the activities of detractors.

Thirdly, we need to take to heart the words of Jesus, “He who is not with me is against me, and he who does not gather with me scatters” (Lk. 11:23). We may be intelligent and gifted in many ways but the moment we begin to lose faith in Jesus, our words and deeds scatter rather than gather the flock of Christ.
 
What Jesus asks of us is to believe in him and the message he proclaims. The world says “seeing is believing” but Jesus says “believing is seeing”.

THE PURPOSE OF THE LAW: Wednesday of the Third Week of Lent, 2016 (Deuteronomy 4:1, 5-9; Matthew 5:17-19)

Laws are important. Lawlessness breeds chaos and any such state of affairs is a sure recipe for disaster. Important though they are, laws are means to an end. When we lose sight of their ultimate goal, laws easily become what the French realist novelist, Honore de Balzac, describes as “spider webs through which the big flies pass and the little ones get caught.”

In our First Reading, Moses sets before the people of Israel laws which would govern their way of life in the land they would possess. He tells them, “See, just as the LORD my God has charged me, I now teach you statutes and ordinances for you to observe in the land that you are about to enter and occupy. You must observe them diligently, for this will show your wisdom and discernment to the peoples, who, when they hear all these statutes, will say, ‘Surely this great nation is a wise and discerning people!’” (Deut. 4:5-6).

Jesus, in our Gospel text, reaffirmed the Law of Moses but redirects the focus of his audience to the ultimate goal of the Law. He said to his disciples, "Do not think that I came to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I did not come to abolish, but to fulfill. For truly I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not the smallest letter or stroke shall pass away from the Law, until all is accomplished” (Mat 5:17-18).  Reading further, Jesus would summarise the foundation and ultimate purpose of the law and prophets as love of God and neighbour (cf. Mt. 22:34-40).

Keeping in view the goal of any law, rule or prescription is vital for a healthy spirituality. During this season of Lent, the Church prescribes for us prayer, fasting and almsgiving to aid us in our spiritual journey. This prescription is meant to help us conquer sin in our lives and deepen our love for God and neighbour. What it means is that if my lenten observance of prayer, fasting and almsgiving is not making me more loving, then sorry, it is an exercise in vain.

Note: The picture insert from google.

The Work Must Continue!

My Kind audience,

My hearty apologies for the long silence.
My wish and hope is that this work continues now that I am a bit stable.
When you stop to say a prayer, please remember me!

I wish you well as we keep serving one another!

Francis.