 | Daily Bible Reflections
for August 19, 2010 |
|  Dear Lordie,
This Thursday, remember that He knows you and loves you.
Praying for you,
Bo Sanchez
| | A HEART OF STONE “I will give you a new heart and place a new spirit within you, taking from your bodies your stony hearts and giving your natural hearts.” – Ezekiel 36:26 “I don’t miss them,” replied Kenneth when I asked him about his family. He ran away from home at the age of 17. He was not in good terms with his parents, so he left home to lead the life he wanted. With great talent and a burning passion, he landed his dream job. By working diligently to survive, he made it good in life. That was two decades ago, and Kenneth never returned home. No soft spot is left in his heart for his family. I asked if he would reconcile with his parents should one of them fall ill. His reply? A cold, outright “no.” It’s hard to tell what else runs in Kenneth’s mind. Though he appears apathetic, I do wonder if he still hurts deep down inside when he’s alone in the quiet of the night, or if he even talks to God about his family. No person has succeeded at convincing Kenneth to have a change of heart. That’s all up to God now, for He says, “I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh.” And I pray that Kenneth would one day let God work in him. REFLECTION: “The worst sin towards our fellow creatures is not to hate them, but to be indifferent to them; that’s the essence of inhumanity.” (George Bernard Shaw) Lord, take away all the anger that I keep deep down inside. | |
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| | COMPANION | 1st READING God will vindicate His actions if we have the patience to wait for His timing. It is sometimes difficult to wait as God’s timing rarely coincides with our expectations. Nevertheless, it is important that we trust He is working. He promises here that He will raise up a people with new hearts, hearts that will seek Him alone and do His will. This is a promise worth waiting for as it will only be accomplished by the work of the Holy Spirit. Ezekiel 36:23-28 23 Thus says the LORD: I will prove the holiness of my great name, profaned among the nations, in whose midst you have profaned it. Thus the nations shall know that I am the LORD, says the Lord GOD, when in their sight I prove my holiness through you. 24 For I will take you away from among the nations, gather you from all the foreign lands, and bring you back to your own land. 25 I will sprinkle clean water upon you to cleanse you from all your impurities, and from all your idols I will cleanse you. 26 I will give you a new heart and place a new spirit within you, taking from your bodies your stony hearts and giving you natural hearts. 27 I will put my spirit within you and make you live by my statutes, careful to observe my decrees. 28 You shall live in the land I gave your fathers; you shall be my people, and I will be your God. P S A L M Psalm 51:12-13, 14-15, 18-19 R: I will pour clean water on you and wash away all your sins. 10 [12] A clean heart create for me, O God, and a steadfast spirit renew within me. 11 [13] Cast me not out from your presence, and your Holy Spirit take not from me. (R) 12 [14] Give me back the joy of your salvation, and a willing spirit sustain in me. 13 [15] I will teach transgressors your ways, and sinners shall return to you. (R) 16 [18] For you are not pleased with sacrifices; should I offer a burnt offering, you would not accept it. 17 [19] My sacrifice, O God, is a contrite spirit; a heart contrite and humbled, O God, you will not spurn. (R) G O S P E L What are the excuses we give when we are unable to follow God’s will? Are they valid excuses? I doubt it as God’s call is always accompanied by the necessary grace to fulfill it. Jesus does not ask anyone to do something that is impossible – maybe it is impossible without His grace, but the grace is always there if we are willing to accept it and the call it accompanies. Matthew 22:1-14 1 Jesus again in reply spoke to the chief priest and the elders of the people in parables, saying, 2 “The kingdom of heaven may be likened to a king who gave a wedding feast for his son. 3 He dispatched his servants to summon the invited guests to the feast, but they refused to come. 4 A second time he sent other servants, saying, “Tell those invited: ‘Behold, I have prepared my banquet, my calves and fattened cattle are killed, and everything is ready; come to the feast.’ ” 5 Some ignored the invitation and went away, one to his farm, another to his business. 6 The rest laid hold of his servants, mistreated them, and killed them. 7 The king was enraged and sent his troops, destroyed those murderers, and burned their city. 8 Then he said to his servants, ‘The feast is ready, but those who were invited were not worthy to come. 9 Go out, therefore, into the main roads and invite to the feast whomever you find.’ 10 The servants went out into the streets and gathered all they found, bad and good alike, and the hall was filled with guests. 11 But when the king came in to meet the guests he saw a man there not dressed in a wedding garment. 12 He said to him, ‘My friend, how is it that you came in here without a wedding garment?’ But he was reduced to silence. 13 Then the king said to his attendants, ‘Bind his hands and feet, and cast him into the darkness outside, where there will be wailing and grinding of teeth.’ 14 Many are invited, but few are chosen.” my reflections t h i n k : God will vindicate His actions if we have the patience to wait for His timing. _________________________________________________________
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 Job 18-21 | |
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| | SABBATH | A NEW HEART AND MIND Imagine the tragedy and trauma experienced by the Jews as they were exiled from their own country. They would be banished from their land, the Temple, their livelihood for many years to come. As they moved into a foreign land, there was a huge transition and they sought to live life again. They had to survive with great suffering in unfamiliar territory. How many years did they have to wait to see their motherland again? As each year passed, I wonder if their hope diminished. By the time the exiles returned, many had been established in the foreign land and had adapted to a new culture and way of life. For many, having been influenced by the new culture, the God of Israel was absent from their minds. They became accustomed to cultic worship, paganism and various cults of the foreign land. In this reading we see a God of the covenant whose call is irrevocable. Yes, for a time they were exiled, but this was to show the people of Israel the glory of God. Whenever I meditate on this reading, I am always amazed at the tremendous goodness of God. Notice how many times God speaks in the first person. God always takes the initiative. He is the One who will prove His holiness, bring the people to their own land and cleanse and wash them from their sins and impurities. God will put His Spirit in them. God will do it. God does everything. It’s up to us to surrender to His grace. We see here a God who remembers His people. God wants to do the same with us, to renew our hearts and minds. He wants to fill us with His Spirit which is the transforming power within that brings us to the right relationship. All of us have been exiled, banished from his Kingdom. As St. Paul says, we have all sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. Yet God is into renewal and restoration. Let us be open to His spirit that initiates healing and restoration. Let us return again to the Father from the exile of sin and live again in the land promised to us.Fr. Brian Steele, MGL Reflection Question: Have you given in to sin? Do you feel banished from the presence of God? Create in me a clean heart, O Lord, and put a new and right spirit within me. Amen. Blessed Emily Bicchieri, pray for us. | |
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