Posts Tagged ‘light of the world’

On Today’s Gospel

Posted: June 9, 2020 by CatholicJules in Personal Thoughts & Reflections
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Fear of the unknown, of what might happen to us is often what prevents us from fully living in the grace and mercy of our most loving, merciful and generous Lord. So what do we do? We hoard for ourselves and for our family disregarding the needs of those of our brethren in need. We keep our gifts and talents only for those who employ us. Why should we waste time with church work unless there is a tax deduction of sorts. Why risk losing face in doing something out of my comfort zone for the Church?Are we then living a pseudo Christian identity and returning to a semblance of faith when encountering difficult, trying moments in our lives? How then are we witnesses to the love of God our Father who sent His only Begotten Son our Lord Jesus Christ; to save us from sin so that we might have life to the full in Him? Do we not realise that all we have even the comforts we now experience comes from the Lord our God?Lord Jesus heal our hearts, restore in us what was lost through our sinfulness and self centredness. Grant us the grace to be powerful witnesses to Your love and that Your glory will shine brightly in the sight of all who look upon us. Amen

First reading

1 Kings 17:7-16 ·
The widow gives food to Elijah, and is fedThe stream in the place where Elijah lay hidden dried up, for the country had no rain. And then the word of the Lord came to Elijah, ‘Up and go to Zarephath, a Sidonian town, and stay there. I have ordered a widow there to give you food.’ So he went off to Sidon. And when he reached the city gate, there was a widow gathering sticks; addressing her he said, ‘Please bring me a little water in a vessel for me to drink.’ She was setting off to bring it when he called after her. ‘Please’ he said ‘bring me a scrap of bread in your hand.’ ‘As the Lord your God lives,’ she replied ‘I have no baked bread, but only a handful of meal in a jar and a little oil in a jug; I am just gathering a stick or two to go and prepare this for myself and my son to eat, and then we shall die.’ But Elijah said to her, ‘Do not be afraid, go and do as you have said; but first make a little scone of it for me and bring it to me, and then make some for yourself and for your son. For thus the Lord speaks, the God of Israel:“Jar of meal shall not be spent,
jug of oil shall not be emptied,
before the day when the Lord sends
rain on the face of the earth.”’The woman went and did as Elijah told her and they ate the food, she, himself and her son. The jar of meal was not spent nor the jug of oil emptied, just as the Lord had foretold through Elijah.

Gospel

Matthew 5:13-16
Your light must shine in the sight of menJesus said to his disciples: ‘You are the salt of the earth. But if salt becomes tasteless, what can make it salty again? It is good for nothing, and can only be thrown out to be trampled underfoot by men.
‘You are the light of the world. A city built on a hill-top cannot be hidden. No one lights a lamp to put it under a tub; they put it on the lamp-stand where it shines for everyone in the house. In the same way your light must shine in the sight of men, so that, seeing your good works, they may give the praise to your Father in heaven.’

On Today’s Gospel

Posted: April 7, 2020 by CatholicJules in Personal Thoughts & Reflections
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‘Death before dishonour’ wow! I marveled at the tattoo on my camp mate’s arm about thirty years ago. Wondering would I be able to live up to such a gung-ho code? Was he? Seriously doubt that he was, but what did it matter to me if he was or not? Moreover I didn’t have it tattooed on my own arm. Still it played on mind from time to time over the years as I tried to live it out in my life.There is no doubt that sin leads to darkness and if we continue to live in sin then we have chosen to dishonour our relationship with the Lord our God. This ultimately leads us to death. It is therefore far better to endure physical death blameless so as to rise to eternal life with our Lord and saviour Jesus Christ. Who chose to honour His Father by doing His Will always. Jesus is indeed the light of all nations and He will drive all darkness away. The darkness that Judas Iscariot chose to succumb to and so the dark of night fell upon him.Jesus my Lord, illumine my heart, my mind, my soul. That I too may be a beacon of Your light for others. Amen

First reading

Isaiah 49:1-6 ·
I will make you the light of the nations so that my salvation may reach to the ends of the earth.Islands, listen to me, pay attention, remotest peoples. The Lord called me before I was born, from my mother’s womb he pronounced my name.He made my mouth a sharp sword, and hid me in the shadow of his hand. He made me into a sharpened arrow, and concealed me in his quiver.He said to me, ‘You are my servant (Israel) in whom I shall be glorified’; while I was thinking, ‘I have toiled in vain, I have exhausted myself for nothing’; and all the while my cause was with the Lord, my reward with my God. I was honoured in the eyes of the Lord, my God was my strength.And now the Lord has spoken, he who formed me in the womb to be his servant, to bring Jacob back to him, to gather Israel to him:‘It is not enough for you to be my servant,
to restore the tribes of Jacob and bring back the survivors of Israel; I will make you the light of the nations so that my salvation may reach to the ends of the earth.’

Gospel

John 13:21-33,36-38
‘What you are going to do, do quickly’While at supper with his disciples, Jesus was troubled in spirit and declared, ‘I tell you most solemnly, one of you will betray me.’ The disciples looked at one another, wondering which he meant. The disciple Jesus loved was reclining next to Jesus; Simon Peter signed to him and said, ‘Ask who it is he means’, so leaning back on Jesus’ breast he said, ‘Who is it, Lord?’ ‘It is the one’ replied Jesus ‘to whom I give the piece of bread that I shall dip in the dish.’ He dipped the piece of bread and gave it to Judas son of Simon Iscariot. At that instant, after Judas had taken the bread, Satan entered him. Jesus then said, ‘What you are going to do, do quickly.’ None of the others at table understood the reason he said this. Since Judas had charge of the common fund, some of them thought Jesus was telling him, ‘Buy what we need for the festival’, or telling him to give something to the poor. As soon as Judas had taken the piece of bread he went out. Night had fallen.
When he had gone Jesus said:‘Now has the Son of Man been glorified,
and in him God has been glorified.
If God has been glorified in him,
God will in turn glorify him in himself,
and will glorify him very soon.‘My little children,
I shall not be with you much longer.
You will look for me,
And, as I told the Jews,
where I am going, you cannot come.’Simon Peter said, ‘Lord, where are you going?’ Jesus replied, ‘Where I am going you cannot follow me now; you will follow me later.’ Peter said to him, ‘Why can’t I follow you now? I will lay down my life for you.’ ‘Lay down your life for me?’ answered Jesus. ‘I tell you most solemnly, before the cock crows you will have disowned me three times.’

On Today’s Gospel

Posted: January 6, 2020 by CatholicJules in Personal Thoughts & Reflections
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As much as we would like to, we don’t always live in the light all of the time. From time to time darkness overshadows us in many various forms and we find ourselves stumbling, hoping and praying for a way out.

How wonderful for us who have indeed seen the great light! Our Lord and saviour Jesus Christ is that very light and we know with certainty that He will surely come to drive all darkness away. His saving hand is upon us ever ready to heal and restore us. So that we can live fully in His light. It is our duty therefore to bring His light to those dwell in darkness. So that they might come to know Him and live in His light.

Let us offer our prayers today for the nations who are undergoing darkness today, may the light of Christ shine through bringing them comfort, healing and peace. We pray for Australia, Indonesia, Hong Kong and the rest of the world who face calamity, war and unrest. Amen

First reading

1 John 3:22-4:6
The Son of God has come and given us the power to know the true God

Whatever we ask God, we shall receive,
because we keep his commandments
and live the kind of life that he wants.
His commandments are these: that we believe in the name of his Son Jesus Christ and that we love one another as he told us to.
Whoever keeps his commandments
lives in God and God lives in him. We know that he lives in us by the Spirit that he has given us.

It is not every spirit, my dear people, that you can trust; test them, to see if they come from God, there are many false prophets, now, in the world.
You can tell the spirits that come from God by this: every spirit which acknowledges that Jesus the Christ has come in the flesh
is from God; but any spirit which will not say this of Jesus is not from God, but is the spirit of Antichrist, whose coming you were warned about.
Well, now he is here, in the world.
Children, you have already overcome these false prophets, because you are from God and you have in you one who is greater than anyone in this world; as for them, they are of the world, and so they speak the language of the world dand the world listens to them.
But we are children of God, and those who know God listen to us; those who are not of God refuse to listen to us.
This is how we can tell the spirit of truth from the spirit of falsehood.

Gospel

Matthew 4:12-17,23-25
The people that lived in darkness have seen a great light

Hearing that John had been arrested, Jesus went back to Galilee, and leaving Nazareth he went and settled in Capernaum, a lakeside town on the borders of Zebulun and Naphtali. In this way the prophecy of Isaiah was to be fulfilled:

‘Land of Zebulun! Land of Naphtali!
Way of the sea on the far side of Jordan,
Galilee of the nations!
The people that lived in darkness has seen a great light; on those who dwell in the land and shadow of death a light has dawned.’

From that moment Jesus began his preaching with the message, ‘Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is close at hand.’
He went round the whole of Galilee teaching in their synagogues, proclaiming the Good News of the kingdom and curing all kinds of diseases and sickness among the people. His fame spread throughout Syria, and those who were suffering from diseases and painful complaints of one kind or another, the possessed, epileptics, the paralysed, were all brought to him, and he cured them. Large crowds followed him, coming from Galilee, the Decapolis, Jerusalem, Judaea and Transjordania.

On Today’s Gospel

Posted: October 22, 2019 by CatholicJules in Personal Thoughts & Reflections
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Imagine if you can start over with no tainted past to haunt and shame you. To be made holy and pure just as if you had never sinned before. Innocent as a child bursting forth from its mother’s womb into the world. We have no need to imagine, for this reality is offered by our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ who laid down His life for us so that we may live freely in His love! A gift we did not merit given freely by God our Father through His only begotten Son.

How can we repay such kindness? By standing ready with our lamps lit ready to greet our Master when He returns. What does this mean for us? Well for one is to to be attentive to the soft promptings of the Holy Spirit through prayer and dwelling in the Word of God. To have our lamps lit is to be aware of the darkness that surrounds us, to live in the light and not succumb to the darkness of our old lives riddled with temptations and wanton desires. To light the way for others and to guide them as they enter into the dwelling place of our Master. This may take longer than we expect but through our patience, perserverance we will rejoice as One when our Master returns! His will be done always, not ours and thus our Master will recognise us as His very own.

My Saviour, my Lord it is far too easy to take shortcuts, to rationalise my lack of commitment and my inertia towards your call to greater Holiness by saying that you will qualify me in all the little that I do. Tear down all walls that prevent me from living fully in Your love Lord for my brethren. Amen

Dearest St John Paul II pray for us…

First reading

Romans 5:12,15,17-21 ·
Divine grace, coming through Jesus Christ, came as an abundant free gift

Sin entered the world through one man, and through sin death, and thus death has spread through the whole human race because everyone has sinned; but the gift itself considerably outweighed the fall. If it is certain that through one man’s fall so many died, it is even more certain that divine grace, coming through the one man, Jesus Christ, came to so many as an abundant free gift. If it is certain that death reigned over everyone as the consequence of one man’s fall, it is even more certain that one man, Jesus Christ, will cause everyone to reign in life who receives the free gift that he does not deserve, of being made righteous. Again, as one man’s fall brought condemnation on everyone, so the good act of one man brings everyone life and makes them justified. As by one man’s disobedience many were made sinners, so by one man’s obedience many will be made righteous. When law came, it was to multiply the opportunities of failing, but however great the number of sins committed, grace was even greater; and so, just as sin reigned wherever there was death, so grace will reign to bring eternal life thanks to the righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Gospel

Luke 12:36-38
Be dressed for action and have your lamps lit

Jesus said to his disciples:
‘See that you are dressed for action and have your lamps lit. Be like men waiting for their master to return from the wedding feast, ready to open the door as soon as he comes and knocks. Happy those servants whom the master finds awake when he comes. I tell you solemnly, he will put on an apron, sit them down at table and wait on them. It may be in the second watch he comes, or in the third, but happy those servants if he finds them ready.’

On Today’s Gospel

Posted: July 31, 2019 by CatholicJules in Personal Thoughts & Reflections
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I must shine for my Lord and saviour Jesus Christ!

No more shall I remain veiled in the darkness of my sins. For His light has shone through my darkness, He has healed and restored my soul.

I must shine for my Lord and saviour Jesus Christ!

For by His grace I have entered into full communion with Him and all the voids of my life have been filled. He is my shepherd there is nothing I shall want.

I must shine for my Lord and saviour Jesus Christ!

His word is a lamp unto my feet and I will pass on the light of His word; so that others may not falter and fall but rise up to live new lives fully in His love.

I must shine for my Lord and saviour Jesus Christ!

It is by my very own sufferings and sacrifices for His sake that I am cut, polished and refined. And so I gladly endure all for my Lord.

I must shine for my Lord and saviour Jesus Christ!

The Kingdom of heaven is indeed at hand, repent and hear His word. Let us share in the joy of the Gospel. Woe to me if I do not preach it.

I must shine for my Lord and saviour Jesus Christ!

Lord Jesus You are the Christ, the Son of the living God, lead me Lord into your Kingdom. Amen

First reading

Exodus 34:29-35 ·
Moses passes on to the people the orders given by the Lord

When Moses came down from the mountain of Sinai – as he came down from the mountain, Moses had the two tablets of the Testimony in his hands – he did not know that the skin on his face was radiant after speaking with the Lord. And when Aaron and all the sons of Israel saw Moses, the skin on his face shone so much that they would not venture near him. But Moses called to them, and Aaron with all the leaders of the community came back to him; and he spoke to them. Then all the sons of Israel came closer, and he passed on to them all the orders that the Lord had given him on the mountain of Sinai. And when Moses had finished speaking to them, he put a veil over his face. Whenever he went into the Lord’s presence to speak with him, Moses would remove the veil until he came out again. And when he came out, he would tell the sons of Israel what he had been ordered to pass on to them, and the sons of Israel would see the face of Moses radiant. Then Moses would put the veil back over his face until he returned to speak with the Lord.

Gospel

Matthew 13:44-46
He sells everything he owns and buys the field

Jesus said to the crowds: ‘The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field which someone has found; he hides it again, goes off happy, sells everything he owns and buys the field.
‘Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant looking for fine pearls; when he finds one of great value he goes and sells everything he owns and buys it.’