Lordie, God's Message For You Today, May 17, 2011

Daily Bible Reflections for May 17, 2011 Dear Lordie, God has a great plan for your life?including this Tuesday. Praying for you, Bo Sanchez PS. Do you live in the Philippines? Sign up for Bo's weekly  cellphone message. This is FREE. (That is why you have to live in the Philippines to sign up for this service.) Text:   BOSEZ_<your full name>_ <your email address> and send to any of the following numbers: Globe (09178494444); Smart (09088949999); Sun (09228945555) And you'll start receiving Bo's inspiring message to encourage you, guide you, and bless your week.   17 May Tuesday TODAY'S READINGS: DIDACHE | COMPANION | SABBATH DIDACHE   17 never hopeless   “My sheep hear my voice; I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish. No one can take them out of my hand.” – John 10: 27-28   My friend has a problematic son named Rigor. She keeps saying, “I have been praying for him for years. I have grown old but my son remains like a boy who refuses to grow up, lost in the ways of the world.” Her son started taking drugs when he was 15. He would combine drugs with alcohol which made things even worse. Every time he gets picked up because of the fights and the noise he creates, he would promise not to do it again. But after three days, Rigor would go back to his old ways. My friend could no longer count the money she had spent paying off owners of cars or house windows broken by Rigor’s flying bottles, and hospital bills for his gashes and wounds from fights. And just as Jesus said, we must believe that He has given us eternal life and we will never perish, my friend always ends her prayers with, “Lord, I know that You will change him, pick him up from the gutter where he has sunk, clean him up and make him a new man. Because Rigor is Your son and no one can take him away from You.” Chelle Crisanto (ellehcmaria@yahoo.com)   REFLECTION: Never give up on the love and mercy of God.   I believe that You alone create miracles. Give me the miracle that I need in my life, that I may be released from the murk and dirt that envelop me. Free me, Lord. Love me, Lord. Keep me by Your side.     Didache | Companion | Sabbath | Top COMPANION   1st READING   Barnabas decides that now is the time to bring Paul back onto the scene as it has been established that the mission to the Gentiles is valid. Barnabas obviously believes that Paul has a central role to play in the mission to the Gentiles. He and Paul have been waiting about 15 years for this moment. As we will see in the rest of the Acts of the Apostles, Paul is indeed the man of the moment, the man for the job at hand.   Acts 11:19-26 19 Those who had been scattered by the persecution that arose because of Stephen went as far as Phoenicia, Cyprus, and Antioch, preaching the word to no one but Jews. 20 There were some Cypriots and Cyrenians among them, however, who came to Antioch and began to speak to the Greeks as well, proclaiming the Lord Jesus. 21 The hand of the Lord was with them and a great number who believed turned to the Lord. 22 The news about them reached the ears of the church in Jerusalem, and they sent Barnabas to go to Antioch. 23 When he arrived and saw the grace of God, he rejoiced and encouraged them all to remain faithful to the Lord in firmness of heart, 24 for he was a good man, filled with the Holy Spirit and faith. And a large number of people was added to the Lord. 25 Then he went to Tarsus to look for Saul, 26 and when he had found him he brought him to Antioch. For a whole year they met with the church and taught a large number of people, and it was in Antioch that the disciples were first called Christians.   P S A L M   Psalms 87:1-3, 4-5, 6-7 R: All you nations, praise the Lord. 1 His foundation upon the holy mountains 2 the LORD loves: The gates of Zion, more than any dwelling of Jacob. 3 Glorious things are said of you, O city of God! (R) 4 I tell of Egypt and Babylon among those that know the LORD; Of Philistia, Tyre, Ethiopia, “This man was born there.” 5 And of Zion they shall say: “One and all were born in her; and he who has established her is the Most High LORD.” (R) 6 They shall note, when the peoples are enrolled “This man was born there.” 7  And all shall sing, in their festive dance: “My home is within you.” (R)   G O S P E L   It is impor tant for us to learn to distinguish the voice of Jesus from among all the other voices that clamor for our attention in the busy world in which we live. There are many voices that will lead us astray if we follow them; we need to find the few voices of truth and listen to them and where they want to take us.   ALLELUIA R: Alleluia, alleluia My sheep hear my voice, says the Lord; I know them, and they follow me. R: Alleluia, alleluia   John 10:22-30 22 The feast of the Dedication was then taking place in Jerusalem. It was winter. 23 And Jesus walked about in the temple area on the Portico of Solomon. 24 So the Jews gathered around him and said to him, “How long are you going to keep us in suspense? If you are the Messiah, tell us plainly.” 25 Jesus answered them, “I told you and you do not believe. The works I do in my Father’s name testify to me. 26 But you do not believe, because you are not among my sheep. 27 My sheep hear my voice; I know them, and they follow me. 28 I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish. No one can take them out of my hand. 29 My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all, and no one can take them out of the Father’s hand. 30 The Father and I are one.”   my reflections t h i n k : It is important for us to learn to distinguish the voice of Jesus from among all the other voices that clamor for our attention.   God’s special verse/thought for me today________________ _________________________________________________________ T O D A Y ’ S BLESSING LIST Thank You Lord for: ____________________________________   _______________________________________________________   READ THE BIBLE IN ONE YEAR Tobit 1-3     Didache | Companion | Sabbath | Top SABBATH   HOW LONG ARE YOU GOING TO KEEP US IN SUSPENSE?   Last year, the Scorsese movie Shutter Island, starring Leonardo di Caprio, was finally shown. It was a thriller, albeit a little abstruse, for those who were not too familiar with psychopathological issues. A little long, the movie kept people in their seats (unless they got bored and gave up midway through). I remember asking myself, “How long is this movie going to keep us in suspense?” The Jews in today’s Gospel had a similar question. They could not wait. They could not understand why the Lord did not tell them who He really was, point blank. They were seeing wonders, but they were not hearing it from Him about His true identity as the much-awaited Messiah. And so they complained. But there are seekers and there are seekers. There are those who pay lip service to being in search, but who never really want to know the truth. And there are those who seek and find, for they are already open to the truth that stares them in the face. “I have told you, but you would not believe. The works I do in my Father’s name testify to me.” Sometime through the film, those who patiently followed the story, saw the handwritings on the wall. The actions of Edward Daniels (di Caprio) betrayed who he was – someone being haunted by his own demons of unaccepted reality. We need to see more such handwritings on the wall. We need to see the works that God, in Christ, does. The poet, Elizabeth Barrett Browning, complains about people  who, despite the fact that the world is filled with the glory of God and “every bush aflame with His love,” see nothing. She ruefully writes, “Only he who sees takes off his shoes and worships. The rest sit around and pluck blackberries.” How long is God going to keep us in suspense? It all depends on who is searching and looking. Ignatius of Loyola had a one-word advice for us who are in search: “Mira!” Look! And he who seeks, finds… for “the world is charged with the glory of God.” Fr. Chito Dimaranan, SDB   Reflection Question: Do I still search for God’s presence and action in my life?   Lord, grant me eyes that see and hearts that feel Your love for me.   St. Cathan, pray for us.   Didache | Companion | Sabbath | Top

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Lordie, God's Message For You Today, May 16, 2011

Daily Bible Reflections for May 16, 2011 Dear Lordie, Be God?s blessing to the world this Monday! Praying for you, Bo Sanchez PS. Do you live in the Philippines? Sign up for Bo's weekly  cellphone message. This is FREE. (That is why you have to live in the Philippines to sign up for this service.) Text:   BOSEZ_<your full name>_ <your email address> and send to any of the following numbers: Globe (09178494444); Smart (09088949999); Sun (09228945555) And you'll start receiving Bo's inspiring message to encourage you, guide you, and bless your week.   16 May Monday TODAY'S READINGS: DIDACHE | COMPANION | SABBATH DIDACHE   pricey restaurant   “There are other sheep which belong to me that are not in this sheep pen. I must bring them, too; they will listen to my voice, and they will become one flock with one shepherd.” – John 10:16   We were invited to dine at a pricey restaurant. Our nine-year-old daughter, Mac, asked me why there was only one table occupied. I raised my shoulders and gave her a blank stare. It was also my first time to dine in that place so I had no idea. Since Mac was hungry she immediately ordered spaghetti. She assumed that spaghetti was the easiest to order and prepare. She was surprised when the waiter asked her what type of pasta, sauce, side dish and meatballs she wanted. Mac pulled me aside as the waiter left our table. “Now I know why only a few eat here,” she said in her soft voice. “The food is expensive and it’s too hard to order.” Sometimes, we evangelize like those waiters in a pricey restaurant. We make it difficult for the person we want to invite. We recite to them all the Bible verses we know or tell them how big our community is. We show them all the pasta combinations but all our friend wants is a simple dish. Evangelization is a lot of work. But it can be more effective if we let others experience God’s love through us first.Alvin Fabella (alvinfabella@yahoo.com)   16 REFLECTION: Prepare a list of persons you want to evangelize. Pray over them every day and take specific actions to show them God’s love.   Lord, help me to keep things simple, especially when I’m sharing the Good News with others.     Didache | Companion | Sabbath | Top COMPANION   1st READING   Practices in the life of the Church may change, but the underlying doctrines will always stay the same. This can be a very difficult lesson to learn in that we can get so attached to various practices and even understandings that we do not want to let them go. This is what is happening in the life of the Church as recorded in the Acts of the Apostles. The Holy Spirit is making it progressively more apparent that the Gospel is meant for the Gentiles as well as the Jews.   Acts 11:1-18 1 The apostles and the brothers who were in Judea heard that the Gentiles too had accepted the word of God. 2 So when Peter went up to Jerusalem the circumcised believers confronted him, 3 saying, “You entered the house of uncircumcised people and ate with them.” 4 Peter began and explained it to them step by step, saying, 5 “I was at prayer in the city of Joppa when in a trance I had a vision, something resembling a large sheet coming down, lowered from the sky by its four corners, and it came to me. 6 Looking intently into it, I observed and saw the four-legged animals of the earth, the wild beasts, the reptiles, and the birds of the sky. 7 I also heard a voice say to me, ‘Get up, Peter. Slaughter and eat.’ 8 But I said, ‘Certainly not, sir, because nothing profane or unclean has ever entered my mouth.’ 9 But a second time a voice from heaven answered, ‘What God has made clean, you are not to call profane.’ 10 This happened three times, and then everything was drawn up again into the sky. 11 Just then three men appeared at the house where we were, who had been sent to me from Caesarea. 12 The Spirit told me to accompany them without discriminating. These six brothers also went with me, and we entered the man’s house. 13 He related to us how he had seen the angel standing in his house, saying, ‘Send someone to Joppa and summon Simon, who is called Peter, 14 who will speak words to you by which you and all your household will be saved.’ 15 As I began to speak, the Holy Spirit fell upon them as it had upon us at the beginning, 16 and I remembered the word of the Lord, how he had said, ‘John baptized with water but you will be baptized with the  Holy Spirit.’ 17 If then God gave them the same gift he gave to us when we came to believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, who was I to be able to hinder God?” 18 When they heard this, they stopped objecting and glorified God, saying, “God has then granted life-giving repentance to the Gentiles too.”   P S A L M   Psalms 42:2-3; 43:3, 4 R: Athirst is my soul for the living God. 1 [2] As the hind longs for the running waters, so my soul longs for you, O God. 2 [3] Athirst is my soul for God, the living God. When shall I go and behold the face of God? (R) 43: 3 Send forth your light and your fidelity; they shall lead me on and bring me to your holy mountain, to your dwelling-place. (R) 4 Then will I go in to the altar of God, the God of my gladness and joy; then will I give you thanks upon the harp, O God, my God! (R)   G O S P E L   The image of the Good Shepherd always invokes comfort and security in me. However, it is also true that the Good Shepherd will not hesitate to discipline an unruly sheep and there will be times when the Shepherd must lead His flock through dangerous paths because the alternative is disaster, or even worse, danger. Let us pray for the grace to be “willing to be led.” There is little more frustrating to a leader to know that those following him or her are doing so reluctantly.   ALLELUIA R: Alleluia, alleluia I am the good shepherd, says the Lord; I know my sheep, and mine know me. R: Alleluia, alleluia   John 10:11-18 11 Jesus said: “I am the good shepherd. A good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. 12 A hired man, who is not a shepherd and whose sheep are not his own, sees a wolf coming and leaves the sheep and runs away, and the wolf catches and scatters them. 13 This is because he works for pay and has no concern for the sheep. 14 I am the good shepherd, and I know mine and mine know me, 15 just as the Father knows me and I know the Father; and I will lay down my life for the sheep. 16 I have other sheep that do not belong to this fold. These also I must lead, and they will hear my voice, and there will be one flock, one shepherd. 17 This is why the Father loves me, because I lay down my life in order to take it up again. 18 No one takes it from me, but I lay it down on my own. I have power to lay it down, and power to take it up again. This command I have received from my Father.”   my reflections t h i n k : Let us pray for the grace to be “willing to be led.” God’s special verse/thought for me today________________ _________________________________________________________ T O D A Y ’ S BLESSING LIST Thank You Lord for: ____________________________________   _______________________________________________________   READ THE BIBLE IN ONE YEAR Nehemiah 10-13   Didache | Companion | Sabbath | Top SABBATH   LIFE-GIVING REPENTANCE   One thing about getting old (or should I say experienced?) is you get to look back at all the young people you had a hand in educating. And now, with them as fully grown adults, you see individuals you never thought would make it to the top and succeed — with or without what the world calls necessary talents! Success is obviously not the monopoly of the talented, the wise, the moneyed and the learned. I guess this is true about most everything in life, then as well as now. It was true during the times of the early Church, when Christians of Jewish extract would not know how to integrate with Christians who were not of Jewish descent. But as the telling lesson of Peter in the first reading shows us, salvation, repentance and justification were never to be the monopoly of a certain group of people. Being at peace with the God of all was never meant to be a closed issue for Gentile unbelievers (of the Jewish faith then). “God has granted life-giving repentance to the Gentiles, too.” It never occurred to me that repentance could be equated with life-giving. But that is precisely the point of the first reading. From the Biblical viewpoint, God, who raised Jesus from the dead, is seen and known as a God of life — a God of the living primarily, and of the dead. He has sent His Son “that we might have life, and have it to the full.” A memory I can never forget as a child is the experience of being sick. I remember the sense of helplessness, the feeling that everything you eat tastes bitter and unpalatable, the impression that you are barely alive – that you are actually half-dead, like a walking zombie even before Michael Jackson popularized it. And this is exactly what wallowing in sin is all about: being half-dead spiritually. But the good news of the Lord’s saving passion, death and resurrection is one of impartial and unconditional love, with only one condition: that we be open to God’s gift of life-giving repentance.  Fr. Chito Dimaranan, SDB   Reflection Question: How open am I to receiving and giving God’s unconditional love?   Lord of life, free me from my sins and let Your love flow through me.   St. Andrew Bobola, pray for us.   Didache | Companion | Sabbath | Top

Do You Want Your Friend To Receive This Email? Friend's Email: 1.  The FEAST is the one of the happiest places on earth. Find one near you! PICC Sunday (2 sessions) 8:00 a.m. - 10:00 a.m. 10:45 a.m. - 12:45 p.m. PICC, Roxas Blvd.   Pasig Sunday (2 sessions) 10:00 a.m. - 12 noon 1:00 p.m. - 3:00 p.m. Valle Verde Country Club (beside The ULTRA)   Quezon City Sunday 9:00 a.m. - 12 n.n. Convention Hall, Bureau of Soils, Visayas Ave., Q.C.   Saturday 5:00 p.m. - 7:00 p.m. GT-Toyota Asian Center, Magsaysay St. cor. Katipunan Ave.   Alabang  Sunday (3 sessions) 11:00 a.m - 12:30 p.m.  1:30 p.m. - 3:00 p.m.  4:00 p.m. - 5:30 p.m.      2/L X-site Entrance, Festival Mall, Alabang  Tel. No. 659-8299                        Laguna Sunday 9:00 a.m. - 12 n.n. Cinema 1, SM Sta. Rosa, Laguna   Taytay Sunday 9:00 a.m. - 11:30 a.m. Valley Fair Arcade, Ortigas Ext. Taytay, Rizal Valenzuela Sunday 1:30 p.m. - 4:30 p.m. Cinema 1, SM Valenzuela, Valenzuela Contact no. 09175789554   Ortigas Monday 7:30 p.m. - 9:30 p.m. Cinema 3, Robinsons Galleria, F. Ortigas Ave., Pasig City               Makati Thursday, 7:30 p.m. - 9:30 p.m. AIM Conference Center, Benavidez cor Paseo de Roxas   Manila (2 sessions) Friday, 4:30 p.m. - 7:00 p.m             7:00 p.m.. - 10:00 p.m. Cinema 4, SM Manila (near City Hall), Manila              Marilao (3 sessions) Friday  5:30 p.m. - 7:30 p.m. Barcelona Academy, Marilao, Bulacan Saturday, 5:30 p.m. - 7:00 p.m.                 7:30 p.m. - 9:00 p.m. Cinema 2, SM Marilao, Bulacan    Baliuag Saturday 6:00 p.m. - 9:00 p.m. Cinema 1, SM Baliuag, Bulacan Contact no. 09175332756/2920044   Cardona Saturday 5:30 p.m. - 7:30 p.m. Queen Mary Help of Christians Hospital, National Road, Calahan, Cardona   CEBU Tuesday 7:30 p.m. - 9:30 p.m. CAP Auditorium, Cebu City Contact nos. 4128142/09212413801/09232908009   DAVAO  Sunday 9:00 a.m. - 11:00 a.m. 4/L Alexian Brothers Health and Wellness Center, Matina, Davao City Contact nos. 0822865081/0922251822  2. Need Counseling?  Call a friend for counseling at  09228407031, 7266728, 7264709, and 7259999 Mon-Fri 24-hrs, Sat 6am-5pm, Sun 6am-10am.  3. Free Kerygma Magazine (the one on paper) from Bo. If you're a KerygmaFamily member who regularly supports this ministry with at least P300 or US$20 a month - you'll be receiving a one-year subscription of the KerygmaMagazine in the mail-automatically! If you haven't signed up for KerygmaFamily, join now! http://www.kerygmafamily.com 4. Its now easy to DONATE using the new GlobeTelecom GCASH at http://kerygmafamily.com. 5. DONATE using SMART MONEY - type KFAM_amount and send to 270 6. Put Preacher in Blue Jeans in your Blog or Friendster! Just copy the text in under next to the EMBED keyword under the video. Just like YOUTUBE! 7. Did you receive this email from someone else? To get Bo Sanchez to send it to you personally, log-on to http://kerygmafamily.com. Lots of surprises await. 8. To change your KerygmaFamily member/email settings. Please click here 9. To enter the Audio & Video Teachings, Please click here 10. Forward these to your friends - so they too can read God's Word and be invited to join the KerygmaFamily. They'll Thank you for opening this mountain of blessings to them! 11. Contact Person: Tina   (+632) 9312711 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting              (+632) 9312711      end_of_the_skype_highlighting    or   + 639178424101 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting              + 639178424101      end_of_the_skype_highlighting    or support@kerygmafamily.com

Lordie, God's Message For You Today, May 15, 2011

Daily Bible Reflections for May 15, 2011 Dear Lordie, Thank God for your loved ones this Sunday. Praying for you, Bo Sanchez PS. Do you live in the Philippines? Sign up for Bo's weekly  cellphone message. This is FREE. (That is why you have to live in the Philippines to sign up for this service.) Text:   BOSEZ_<your full name>_ <your email address> and send to any of the following numbers: Globe (09178494444); Smart (09088949999); Sun (09228945555) And you'll start receiving Bo's inspiring message to encourage you, guide you, and bless your week.   A Note from Tina: Thank you for your decision to support the work and ministry of your KerygmaFamily. Just in case you're having problems sending your love offering of , please email Tina at support@kerygmafamily.com or call at   (+632) 9312711  (+632) 9312711   or   +639178424101  +639178424101  .     15 May Sunday TODAY'S READINGS: DIDACHE | COMPANION | SABBATH DIDACHE   A Haven for the Weary   “I came that you may have life to the full.” – John 10:10   Our house caretaker caught a pigeon at the basement of our home. The pigeon looked tired and had found a resting place. The pigeon was no ordinary one; it had a wide breast and a long wing span. We concluded that this was a homing pigeon and had probably flown a great distance to find rest in our home. We also found out that the bird had its owner’s phone number on its foot but the number was no longer in service. We took care of the pigeon for several days until it recovered. We attached our cell number before we released the pigeon. It took less than an hour for the bird to fly from our home in Calamba to its owner in Quezon City. The owner texted back to thank us. We open our home as a spiritual resting place where family and friends can come for a retreat or simply to rest. Our guest book is filled with messages of how they have felt God’s love while visiting with us. God guided even the bird to our home to find rest. That thought exhilarated us and reinforced our resolve to help others “have life to the full” according to God’s will.  Donna España (donna.espana@yahoo.com) 15 REFLECTION: Jesus Christ holds the key to the abundance of blessings. Knock on His door and the floodgates of blessings will flow.   O Holy Spirit, lead me and guide me each day so I can soar with You. May live my life to the full and lead others to You along the way.     Didache | Companion | Sabbath | Top COMPANION   1st READING   The fourth Sunday of Easter is always Good Shepherd Sunday. One of the results of there being a good shepherd is that there ought to be many good sheep. I wonder how you and I qualify under this description? Do we behave like good sheep, always being obedient to following where the shepherd leads us? Or do we fight and struggle when God’s will is made known to us such that any progress in holiness that is made in our lives is both slow and labored?   Acts 2:14, 36-41 14 Then Peter stood up with the Eleven, raised his voice, and proclaimed: 36 “Let the whole house of Israel know for certain that God has made him both Lord and Christ, this Jesus whom you crucified.” 37 Now when they heard this, they were cut to the heart, and they asked Peter and the other apostles, “What are we to do, my brothers?” 38 Peter said to them, “Repentand be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you will receive the gift of the holy Spirit. 39 For the promise is made to you and to your children and to all those far off, whomever the Lord our God will call.” 40 He testified with many other arguments, and was exhorting them, “Save yourselves from this corrupt generation.” 41 Those who accepted his message were baptized, and about three thousand persons were added that day.   P S A L M   Psalms 23:1-3, 3-4, 5, 6 R: The Lord is my shepherd; there is nothing I shall want. 1 The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want. 2 In verdant pastures he gives me repose; beside restful waters he leads me; 3 he refreshes my soul. (R) He guides me in right paths for his name’s sake. 4 Even though I walk in the dark valley I fear no evil; for you are at my side with your rod and your staff that give me courage. (R) 5 You spread the table before me in the sight of my foes; you anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. (R) 6 Only goodness and kindness follow me all the days of my life; and I shall dwell in the house of the LORD for years to come. (R)   2nd READING   It is interesting to study the nature and dynamic of a flock of sheep. I come from a country where flocks of sheep can number in the tens of thousands, something that would not have really been in the mind of the Gospel writers of Jesus’ time where flocks were probably more like 20–50 sheep in size! However, there are some aspects of small flocks that still hold true for big flocks. One of these is that if you can get a few to move in a particular direction, very often the rest will follow. This is an important dynamic to understand if we want to be able to provide an example for the many through a small group. This is an important aspect of evangelization – one that is becoming ever more important considering the size of the task of evangelization today.   1 Peter 2:20-25 20 Beloved: If you are patient when you suffer for doing what is good, this is a grace before God. 21 For to this you have been called, because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example that you should follow in his footsteps. 22 “He committed no sin, and no deceit was found in his mouth.”  23 When he was insulted, he returned no insult; when he suffered, he did not threaten; instead, he handed himself over to the one who judges justly. 24 He himself bore our sins in his body upon the cross, so that, free from sin, we might live for righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed. 25 For you had gone astray like sheep, but you have now returned to the shepherd and guardian of your souls.   G O S P E L   Jesus is the Good Shepherd — He knows the voice of His sheep and they know His voice. I do not have any doubt about the first part of the above statement but I often wonder how well I, and most others, actually know or have the capacity to recognize the voice of Jesus in our lives? If we are truly disciples of Jesus we will cultivate a knowledge of the voice of our Master and Shepherd. Have we done this with the level of perseverance necessary for success? This is a question we can only answer as individuals.   ALLELUIA R: Alleluia, alleluia I am the good shepherd, says the Lord; I know my sheep, and mine know me. R: Alleluia, alleluia   John 10:1-10 1 Jesus said: “Amen, amen, I say to you, whoever does not enter a sheepfold through the gate but climbs over elsewhere is a thief and a robber. 2 But whoever enters through the gate is the shepherd of the sheep. 3 The gatekeeper opens it for him, and the sheep hear his voice, as he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. 4 When he has driven out all his own, he walks ahead of them, and the sheep follow him, because they recognize his voice. 5 But they will not follow a stranger; they will run away from him, because they do not recognize the voice of strangers.” 6 Although Jesus used this figure of speech, they did not realize what he was trying to tell them. 7 So Jesus said again, “Amen, amen, I say to you, I am the gate for the sheep. 8 All who came before me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not listen to them. 9 I am the gate. Whoever enters through me will be saved, and will come in and go out and find pasture. 10 A thief comes only to steal and slaughter and destroy; I came so that they might have life and have it more abundantly.”   my reflections t h i n k : I f you can get a few to move in a particular direction, very often the rest will follow. This is an important aspect of evangelization.   God’s special verse/thought for me today________________ _________________________________________________________ T O D A Y ’ S BLESSING LIST Thank You Lord for: ____________________________________   _______________________________________________________   READ THE BIBLE IN ONE YEAR Nehemiah 6-9 SABBATH PAUSE My weekly time with God THANK YOU LIST Things to be grateful for from the past week ________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________ SPECIAL NEEDS Things to ask God for in the coming week ________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________ HIDDEN TREASURE Most important word God told me this week                      _______________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________     in one year Didache | Companion | Sabbath | Top SABBATH   WHAT ARE WE TO DO, BROTHERS?    “What are we to do?” This was the question of many people last year in January right after a catastrophic earthquake hit Haiti and reduced almost the whole country to rubble. Sociologists call them luminal events. They are life-changing, not just earth-shattering. They make people change paradigms or make them question their time-tested convictions about things. The resurrection of the Lord was one such life-changing event, at least for the apostles who lived with Him in close proximity. The passage from the Acts tells us how, through the powerful kerygmatic preaching of Peter, it, too, became a life-changing experience for His hearers. They asked, “What are we to do, my brothers?” Again, we are back to the “listen, learn and obey” triad. Talk is cheap. The Christian proclamation is not just a rabble-rousing pep talk that warms the heart, but does not engage the will. Peter’s kerygmatic proclamation roused the crowds to the realization that such powerful words call for an equally powerful response — a response of commitment and determination. During the 1997 financial meltdown, it was enviable to see certain cultures face the “tough times with tough measures.” They did something unheard of in happier, more prosperous times. Many individuals and families donated their gold, jewelry and gems galore to help prime the economy and set it back on its feet again. They went right into action and that was the gate that led them to the sheepfold of recovery and prosperity. Maybe today we refer to this more as political will or the willingness and readiness to do whatever is necessary, as called for by the gravity of the event and situation at hand. But the Christ event, with the resurrection as centerpiece, calls for more than just political will. It is a call to “repent and be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ.” It is,  ultimately, a call to new life — “life in abundance.”  Fr. Chito Dimaranan, SDB   Reflection Question: How do I handle crisis in my life? Do I willingly accept and do the changes that it entails?   Lord, even if it isn’t easy, help me to see crisis situations as opportunities to get closer to You.   St. Nicholas the Mystic, pray for us.   Didache | Companion | Sabbath | Top

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