For quite a long while this pandemic robbed us of our places of worship! But just as in today’s reading our Lord, the God of Heaven had provided us ways of ‘rebuilding’ or rather adapting to new measures so that we can once come together to worship and receive Him sacramentally. Indeed what marvels the Lord worked for us! Zoom and many other video conferencing software has united all of us around the world; such that Communion, our One Body with and in Him has greater depth for us.
And so are we grateful? Is the fire of our faith set aflame? Such that we have renewed zeal is to glorify the Lord, giving Him thanks and praise by shining His light for all to see. By our love and through our service of others!
Lord Jesus open our ears to hear Your soft promptings that we may live more fully, according to Your will for us; as we seek always to glorify You by our lives. Amen
First reading
Ezra 1:1-6
Cyrus king of Persia frees the Jews to return to Jerusalem
In the first year of Cyrus king of Persia, to fulfil the word of the Lord that was spoken through Jeremiah, the Lord roused the spirit of Cyrus king of Persia to issue a proclamation and to have it publicly displayed throughout his kingdom: ‘Thus speaks Cyrus king of Persia, “The Lord, the God of heaven, has given me all the kingdoms of the earth; he has ordered me to build him a Temple in Jerusalem, in Judah. Whoever there is among you of all his people, may his God be with him! Let him go up to Jerusalem in Judah to build the Temple of the Lord, the God of Israel – he is the God who is in Jerusalem. And let each survivor, wherever he lives, be helped by the people of that place with silver and gold, with goods and cattle, as well as voluntary offerings for the Temple of God which is in Jerusalem.”’
Then the heads of families of Judah and of Benjamin, the priests and the Levites, in fact all whose spirit had been roused by God, prepared to go and rebuild the Temple of the Lord in Jerusalem; and all their neighbours gave them every assistance with silver, gold, goods, cattle, quantities of costly gifts and with voluntary offerings of every kind.
Gospel
Luke 8:16-18
Anyone who has will be given more
Jesus said to the crowds:
‘No one lights a lamp to cover it with a bowl or to put it under a bed. No, he puts it on a lamp-stand so that people may see the light when they come in. For nothing is hidden but it will be made clear, nothing secret but it will be known and brought to light. So take care how you hear; for anyone who has will be given more; from anyone who has not, even what he thinks he has will be taken away.’
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