 | Daily Bible Reflections
for February 27, 2010 |
|  Dear Lordie,
Be inspired with His message to you this Saturday!
Praying for you,
Bo Sanchez
| | DIFFICULT PEOPLE “... love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you.” – Matthew 5:44 A senior manager used to tease me a lot. He would jeeringly call me “father” in front my colleagues because I carried the Bible and wouldn’t laugh at inappropriate jokes. A few months later, that person had a crisis in his career and personal life. I had a chance to work with our president and GM. He was a nice guy but there were times he would verbally abuse people, me included. I later found out that he drank a lot and he died at an early age. An officemate of mine likes to shout at people when things go wrong. It just irritated me. I later found out that his children had rare diseases. A priest would be irritable at Mass or even during confession and had very little patience. This bothered me. I later discovered that he was a cancer patient. The Lord sends people who steal my peace as His way of calling me to pray for them — for their salvation or their special needs. Sometimes, it’s easier to just react with the same irritation or annoyance they cause me. But the Lord calls me to be a channel of blessing to them — to love them. This way, I become more like Jesus. Ariel Driz (adriz77@yahoo.com) REFLECTION: Do I take the opportunity to pray when a difficult person comes my way? Lord Jesus, grant me the grace to respond with prayer when difficult people come my way. Remind me that they are a blessing to me as I am called to be a blessing to them. Amen. | |
Didache | Companion | Sabbath | Top
| | COMPANION | 1st READING The Jewish religion had a deep focus on the Law. In many ways, that was the greatest gift they had received from God that they could cling to once they had lost their land to the conquest of foreign nations. We know that the physical Promised Land is but an intermediary promise; the Law, too, is not yet in its fullest state. All this changes with the Messiah, Jesus, who fulfills the promises and Law of God with the gift of salvation and the promise of eternal life. Deuteronomy 26:16-19 16 Moses spoke to the people, saying: “This day the LORD, your God, commands you to observe these statutes and decrees. Be careful, then, to observe them with all your heart and with all your soul. 17 Today you are making this agreement with the LORD: he is to be your God and you are to walk in his ways and observe his statutes, commandments and decrees, and to hearken to his voice. 18 And today the LORD is making this agreement with you: you are to be a people peculiarly his own, as he promised you; and provided you keep all his commandments, 19 he will then raise you high in praise and renown and glory above all other nations he has made, and you will be a people sacred to the LORD, your God, as he promised.” P S A L M Psalm 119:1-2, 4-5, 7-8 R: Blessed are they who follow the law of the Lord! 1 Blessed are they whose way is blameless, who walk in the law of the LORD. 2 Blessed are they who observe his decrees, who seek him with all their heart. (R) 4 You have commanded that your precepts be diligently kept. 5 Oh, that I might be firm in the ways of keeping your statutes! (R) 7 I will give you thanks with an upright heart, when I have learned your just ordinances. 8 I will keep your statutes; do not utterly forsake me. (R) G O S P E L Jesus calls us to nothing less than perfection. We are not to settle for a Christianity that is reasonably OK but not yet at the cutting point of conversion and holiness. Perfection is the goal for us to have as it will not allow us to settle for second best. God is perfect. He demands perfection and we should not settle for anything less either. Of course, this is a journey for us, we are not yet at the state of perfection but this should not cause us to doubt. God calls us to perfection and we should believe that following His call is always possible. Otherwise He would not ask that of us. Matthew 5:43-48 43 Jesus said to his disciples: “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ 44 But I say to you, love your enemies, and pray for those who persecute you, 45 that you may be children of your heavenly Father, for he makes his sun rise on the bad and the good, and causes rain to fall on the just and the unjust. 46 For if you love those who love you, what recompense will you have? Do not the tax collectors do the same? 47 And if you greet your brothers only, what is unusual about that? Do not the pagans do the same? 48 So be perfect, just as your heavenly Father is perfect.” my reflections t h i n k : God calls us to perfection and we should believe that following His call is always possible. Otherwise He would not ask that of us. _________________________________________________________
God’s special verse/thought for me today________________
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T O D A Y ’ S BLESSING LIST Thank You Lord for: ____________________________________ _______________________________________________________ READ THE BIBLE IN ONE YEAR 2 & 3 John and Jude | |
Didache | Companion | Sabbath | Top
| | SABBATH | Whaaaat ? Love my Enemy ? Isn’t Jesus asking too much? Isn’t it inhuman and even perverse to love an enemy? He knows very well that it is “natural” and “human” to get even and severe all ties with persons who have done us evil. But He also knows very well that forgiving and loving make us more human because we are created in the image and likeness of God who forgives and loves us even though we offend and hurt Him so often with our sins. What does Jesus mean with “loving” our enemy? To clarify this point, allow me to mention the Greek words Matthew uses in his Gospel. The Greeks had three words for “love”: eros, philia and agape. Eros, of course, has something to do with sexual attractions. Philia is the kind of love that comes naturally, when we love a friend or our parents. Agape, the word Matthew uses here, is a kind of love that does not come naturally; it is the result of reasoning out that I have no right to hate that person, that he/she is also a child of God and loved by God and so I have to make an effort to love that person also. Agape is more a kind of good will, of concern, of positive action. This distinction makes us aware that we may not always be able to like a person but we can love that person. At least, we can pray for a person who has become our enemy. A second point Jesus makes is that His followers should be distinct from others by doing more than non-followers. The ancient pagans are said to have wondered what kind of people these Christians are. “Look, how they love each other,” they said and so were attracted to Christianity. After having said all this, I realize that it is still not easy to do what Jesus demands from us. We might not be able to reach the ideal immediately but when we accept the challenge and try hard, we will grow and mature as human beings. We also grow and mature spiritually and do a giant step towards our eternal goal.Fr. Rudy Horst, SVD Reflection Question: Is there someone whom I have not yet forgiven? What could I do for the person I just don’t like? Lord, thank You for this important reminder. I needed it. But I feel so weak when it comes to forgiving and loving somebody who has hurt me. Your example on the Cross, when You prayed for Your executioners, will surely help me. St. Anne Line, pray for us. | |
Didache | Companion | Sabbath | Top
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Sunday 9:00 a.m. - 11:30 a.m. Valley Fair, Taytay, Rizal Preacher: Pio Espanol Bustos Sunday 2:30 p.m - 5:30 p.m. San isidro labrador Parish, Liciada, Bustos Preacher: Chito Manaois Ortigas Monday 7:00 p.m. - 9:00 p.m. Roofdeck, Prestige Tower, F. Ortigas Ave., Pasig City
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