Posts Tagged ‘ever presence of God in our lives’

On Today’s Gospel

Posted: August 12, 2024 by CatholicJules in Personal Thoughts & Reflections
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Why do many not experience the glory of the Lord when they enter into the church hall! Where the Tabernacle of our Lord is present and His glory resides in the real presence.

If they were not so distracted by their phones, social media, messages, or even their social or business plans. They would not only genuflect but prostrate themselves before their Lord and God! They would teach their children’s too! To put away their phones and bask in the Holy presence of our Lord.

In today’s Gospel I marvel at the teaching of our Lord Jesus Christ! He who was God did not consider
he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death. He taught His disciples to follow the laws of man in humility, but more so the laws of God written on their hearts.

Lord I want to be more like You in every way. Teach me Your ways. Amen

Saint Jane Frances de Chantal, pray for us…


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First reading
Ezekiel 1:2-5,24-28


Ezekiel’s vision of the glory of the Lord

On the fifth of the month – it was the fifth year of exile for King Jehoiachin – the word of the Lord was addressed to the priest Ezekiel son of Buzi, in the land of the Chaldaeans, on the bank of the river Chebar.
    There the hand of the Lord came on me. I looked; a stormy wind blew from the north, a great cloud with light around it, a fire from which flashes of lightning darted, and in the centre a sheen like bronze at the heart of the fire. In the centre I saw what seemed four animals. They looked like this. They were of human form. I heard the noise of their wings as they moved; it sounded like rushing water, like the voice of Shaddai, a noise like a storm, like the noise of a camp; when they halted, they folded their wings, and there was a noise.
    Above the vault over their heads was something that looked like a sapphire; it was shaped like a throne and high up on this throne was a being that looked like a man. I saw him shine like bronze, and close to and all around him from what seemed his loins upwards was what looked like fire; and from what seemed his loins downwards I saw what looked like fire, and a light all round like a bow in the clouds on rainy days; that is how the surrounding light appeared. It was something that looked like the glory of the Lord. I looked, and prostrated myself.



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Gospel
Matthew 17:22-27


‘They will put the Son of Man to death’

One day when they were together in Galilee, Jesus said to his disciples, ‘The Son of Man is going to be handed over into the power of men; they will put him to death, and on the third day he will be raised to life again.’ And a great sadness came over them.
    When they reached Capernaum, the collectors of the half-shekel came to Peter and said, ‘Does your master not pay the half-shekel?’ ‘Oh yes’ he replied, and went into the house. But before he could speak, Jesus said, ‘Simon, what is your opinion? From whom do the kings of the earth take toll or tribute? From their sons or from foreigners?’ And when he replied, ‘From foreigners’, Jesus said, ‘Well then, the sons are exempt. However, so as not to offend these people, go to the lake and cast a hook; take the first fish that bites, open its mouth and there you will find a shekel; take it and give it to them for me and for you.’

On Today’s Gospel

Posted: October 19, 2020 by CatholicJules in Personal Thoughts & Reflections
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Don’t know about you, but I can hardly wait for the day to stop talking about this pandemic or use the proper name Co-vid 19 for a long, long time. When will it be become a history lesson for us? And just like every history lesson in the past, what would the take away be?

For many life is resuming to what it was before, and so have already started living as though ‘history’ had already begun. Pity if this rare God-given opportunity and time to draw even closer to Him is simply squandered away. Back to our worldly self centred lives of desiring and seeking more opportunities for ourselves and to have more only ‘me’ and ‘family’ time! ‘The Lord our God will understand”,’ afterall He knows how much we suffered.” “Our community, ministry, our brethren too can wait a little while more, there is always tomorrow!” Are we really that shallow in our faith? How foolish indeed are we to take all that we have for granted once again!

O dearest Lord Jesus I thank God our Father for the opportunity to draw even closer to You and Him during this challenging times. My heart so yearned for the gifts of Your Sacraments of Love for which I had taken for granted. It leapt for joy when I could once again partake in Your loving embrace through them. You showed us that You had never left us and provided for us new ways to gather in Your love as a community. You filled us with Your ever loving presence in our prayer meetings whether its was via Zoom, Google-meet, hangout, Skype etc.  Through the guidance of the Holy Spirit we pray to remain steadfast in our desire to grow in Holiness and in our love for You and for one another. Your Will be done now and forever. Amen

First reading
Ephesians 2:1-10 ·
Sinners are saved in Christ Jesus

You were dead through the crimes and the sins in which you used to live when you were following the way of this world, obeying the ruler who governs the air, the spirit who is at work in the rebellious. We all were among them too in the past, living sensual lives, ruled entirely by our own physical desires and our own ideas; so that by nature we were as much under God’s anger as the rest of the world. But God loved us with so much love that he was generous with his mercy: when we were dead through our sins, he brought us to life with Christ – it is through grace that you have been saved – and raised us up with him and gave us a place with him in heaven, in Christ Jesus.
    This was to show for all ages to come, through his goodness towards us in Christ Jesus, how infinitely rich he is in grace. Because it is by grace that you have been saved, through faith; not by anything of your own, but by a gift from God; not by anything that you have done, so that nobody can claim the credit. We are God’s work of art, created in Christ Jesus to live the good life as from the beginning he had meant us to live it.


Gospel
Luke 12:13-21
Fool! This very night your soul will be demanded of you

A man in the crowd said to Jesus, ‘Master, tell my brother to give me a share of our inheritance.’ ‘My friend,’ he replied, ‘who appointed me your judge, or the arbitrator of your claims?’ Then he said to them, ‘Watch, and be on your guard against avarice of any kind, for a man’s life is not made secure by what he owns, even when he has more than he needs.’
    Then he told them a parable: ‘There was once a rich man who, having had a good harvest from his land, thought to himself, “What am I to do? I have not enough room to store my crops.” Then he said, “This is what I will do: I will pull down my barns and build bigger ones, and store all my grain and my goods in them, and I will say to my soul: My soul, you have plenty of good things laid by for many years to come; take things easy, eat, drink, have a good time.” But God said to him, “Fool! This very night the demand will be made for your soul; and this hoard of yours, whose will it be then?” So it is when a man stores up treasure for himself in place of making himself rich in the sight of God.’