 | Daily Bible Reflections
for December 19, 2010 |
|  Dear Lordie,
Grow closer to God this fourth Sunday of Advent!
Each Sunday is a Mini-Easter. Show that Jesus is alive today!
Praying for you,
Bo Sanchez
| | BLESSED DISTRACTION When his mother Mary was betrothed to Joseph but before they lived together, she was found with child through the Holy Spirit. – Matthew 1:18 Are you running at 120 kilometers per hour in a mad dash to finish your Christmas shopping, gather ingredients for your family’s Noche Buena meal, and still have time to attend all the parties you’re invited to? Let’s just say, if you’re in this kind of situation, part of you is probably thinking, “Out of my way, out of my way! I’m in a hurry!” In our Gospel today, someone was also looking forward to a busy and exciting season — marriage! That was Mary. But what’s this news that she hears? An out-of-wedlock pregnancy by some other man apart from Joseph? I can just imagine wringing my hands and losing sleep if I were in her shoes. Mary’s situation reminds us today that not all delays, distractions and unexpected events are bad. In fact, they might even be moments crafted by God for our eternal glory. A blessed distraction, so to speak. So when the going gets tough and you want to grumble or start a fight, just laugh at all the delays and follow Mary’s response. After all, you never know what great surprise awaits you along the way. Joy Sosoban (jsosoban@gmail.com) REFLECTION: “It is Christmas in the heart that puts Christmas in the air.“ (W.T. Ellis) Dear Jesus, You came at an unexpected moment in Mary’s life. Like her, I want to be open to Your coming in the midst of all that’s going on in my life. You’re welcome, dear Lord! | |
Didache | Companion | Sabbath | Top
| | COMPANION | 1st READING We are reminded of the prophecy of Isaiah as he prophesies the saving of Jerusalem under siege by Assyria. Jerusalem’s redemption occurs within the timeframe of the pregnancy of a woman. The Fathers of the Church see in this text an oblique reference to the promise of a Messiah. What we have here are the many levels at which Scriptures can be read and thus the ability to draw two completely separate meanings from a single text. Isaiah 7:10-14 10 The LORD spoke to Ahaz, saying: 11 “Ask for a sign from the LORD, your God; let it be deep as the nether world, or high as the sky!” 12 But Ahaz answered, “I will not ask! I will not tempt the LORD!” 13 Then he said: “Listen, O house of David! Is it not enough for you to weary men, must you also weary my God? 14 Therefore the Lord himself will give you this sign the virgin shall be with child, and bear a son, and shall name him Emmanuel. P S A L M Psalm 24:1-2, 3-4, 5-6 (7c, 10b) R: Let the Lord enter; he is king of glory. 1 The LORD’s are the earth and its fullness; the world and those who dwell in it. 2 For he founded it upon the seas and established it upon the rivers. (R) 3 Who can ascend the mountain of the LORD? Or who may stand in his holy place? 4 One whose hands are sinless, whose heart is clean, who desires not what is vain. (R) 5 He shall receive a blessing from the LORD, a reward from God his savior. 6 Such is the race that seeks for him, that seeks the face of the God of Jacob. (R) 2nd READING The phrase that always jumps out at me from this text is “obedience of faith.” It occurs again in Romans 16:26. Appearing at the beginning and end in such a manner seems to give us the right to assume that Paul is suggesting that all that is contained between these two references explains the meaning of the phrase “obedience of faith.” One day, when you have time, read the whole letter and see if this is true. Romans 1:1-7 1 Paul, a slave of Christ Jesus, called to be an apostle and set apart for the gospel of God, 2 which he promised previously through his prophets in the holy scriptures, 3 the gospel about his Son, descended from David according to the flesh, 4 but established as Son of God in power according to the spirit of holiness through resurrection from the dead, Jesus Christ our Lord. 5 Through him we have received the grace of apostleship, to bring about the obedience of faith, for the sake of his name, among all the Gentiles, 6 among whom are you also, who are called to belong to Jesus Christ; 7 to all the beloved of God in Rome, called to be holy. Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. G O S P E L Joseph found himself in a bit of a spot, so to speak, don’t you think? He knows he is not the father. And yet here is God asking him through an angel to act as though he is. I doubt we will ever find ourselves in a position quite as difficult as this when following the Lord in our faith. If you do, let me know because I am sure it will be quite a story. Matthew 1:18-24 18 This is how the birth of Jesus Christ came about. When his mother Mary was betrothed to Joseph, but before they lived together, she was found with child through the Holy Spirit. 19 Joseph her husband, since he was a righteous man, yet unwilling to expose her to shame, decided to divorce her quietly. 20 Such was his intention when, behold, the angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary your wife into your home. For it is through the Holy Spirit that this child has been conceived in her. 21 She will bear a son and you are to name him Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.” 22 All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: 23 “Behold, the virgin shall be with child and bear a son, and they shall name him Emmanuel,” which means “God is with us.” 24 When Joseph awoke, he did as the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took his wife into his home. my reflections t h i n k : Following the Lord can sometimes mean being put in a difficult position but we have to trust in God’s plan for our lives. 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 Amos 7-9 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 ________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________ | |
Didache | Companion | Sabbath | Top
| | SABBATH | COME , O ROOT OF JESSE Today’s “O Antiphon” brings to us the figure of the Root of Jesse: “O Root of Jesse, You stand for an ensign of mankind; before You kings shall keep silence, and to You all nations shall have recourse. Come, save us, and do not delay.” The text is taken from the book of the prophet Isaiah (see chapter 11, verses 1 and 10). Jesse, of course, is the father of King David. From their lineage would come Joseph, the husband of Mary. (Today’s Gospel passage is actually a repeat of yesterday’s, focusing on Joseph’s role in the birth of Jesus.) In reality, David’s royal line was dethroned with the exile and thereafter remained shrouded in oblivion — hence Jesse’s stump. But with Christ a new branch buds out of the old root; the throne of David is once again occupied. Christ is the root of Jesse, both as a descendant of David and as occupant of the royal throne. The origins of the Messiah are truly humble and unimpressive. Joseph, being the last man in this lineage, was “a righteous man” — but also lowly and unassuming, subject to nearly mistaken plans and intentions. Nevertheless, the Kingdom that Christ came to inaugurate powerfully embraces the whole world, drawing all nations to it, and placing high and low under its rule. Church history provides many instances of the fulfillment of this, from the Acts of the Apostles down to our own day. To note such cases is very gratifying and strengthens our faith. Sensational projects, politically correct strategies, triumphalist plans and schemes — the Catholic Church has admittedly also had her share of these. Perhaps they only show how she has, in fact, betrayed her Godgiven task of witnessing instead to a power-in-weakness. Rather, her might is precisely for those who humbly receive the grace she brings from God. For this, no obstacle is too great, no persecution too bloody. The Cross of Christ is truly the “ensign” of nations, the banner around which those who seek salvation gather. David feebly faltered, but nonetheless he repented. Joseph wrongly planned, but in the end he humbly obeyed. During this Advent season, let’s allow them to challenge us with their examples. Fr. Martin Macasaet, SDB Reflection Question: Do you despair when your days don’t turn out as well as you had planned them? Why not trust in the greater plans of God? Like David and Joseph, humble our hearts, O God, that we may be better followers of You. St. Bernard Valeara, pray for us. | |
Didache | Companion | Sabbath | Top
| | 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. Feast Builder: Bo Sanchez 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) Feast Builders: George Gabriel and Obet Cabrillas Quezon City Sunday 9:00 a.m. - 12 n.n. Convention Hall, Bureau of Soils, Visayas Ave., Q.C. Feast Builder: Eng Si Alabang Sunday (3 sessions) 11:00 a.m - 1:00 p.m. 1:30 p.m. - 3:30 p.m. 4:00 p.m. - 6:00 p.m. 2/L X-site Entrance, Festival Mall, Alabang Tel. No. 659-8299
Feast Builder: Arun Gogna
Laguna 9:00 a.m. - 12 n.n. SM Sta. Rosa, Laguna Feast Builders: Hermie Morelos & Jon Escoto Rizal Sunday 9:00 a.m. - 11:30 a.m. Valley Fair Arcade, Ortigas Ext. Taytay, Rizal Feast Builder: Pio Espanol
Bustos Sunday 2:30 p.m - 5:30 p.m. San isidro labrador Parish, Liciada, Bustos Feast Builder: Chito Manaois Valenzuela Sunday 1:30 p.m. - 4:30 p.m. Cinema 1, SM Valenzuela Feast Builder: Eng Si Contact no. 09175789554 Ortigas Monday 7:00 p.m. - 9:00 p.m. Roofdeck, Prestige Tower, F. Ortigas Ave., Pasig City
Feast Builder: Vic Espanol Makati Thursday, 7:30 p.m. - 9:30 p.m. AIM Conference Center, Benavidez cor Paseo de Roxas Feast Builder: Randy Borromeo Manila Friday, 7:00 p.m. - 10:00 p.m. Cinema 4, SM Manila (near City Hall), Manila Feast Builder: Obet Cabrillas Angeles 1st & 3rd Friday, 6:00 - 9:00 p.m. Angeles City Library, Angeles City Feast Builder: Marvin Tan Marilao (2 sessions) Saturday, 5:00 p.m. - 6:30 p.m. 7:00 p.m. - 8:30 p.m. Cinema 2, SM Marilao, Bulacan Feast Builder: Alvin Barcelona Baliuag Saturday 6:00 p.m. - 9:00 p.m. Cinema 1, Baliuag, Bulacan Feast Builder: Chito Manaois Contact no. 09174358746/09228190198 Cardona Saturday 5:30 p.m. - 7:30 p.m. Queen Mary Help of Christians Hospital, National Road, Calahan, Cardona CEBU 1st & 3rd Sunday of each month
9:00 a.m. - 11:30 a.m. University of San Carlos North Campus, Mango Ave., Cebu City Feast Builder: Oscar Alino Contact nos. 4128142/09212413801/09232908009 DAVAO Sunday 9:00 a.m. - 11:00 a.m. Labrecque Hall, San Pedro College, C. de Guzman St.,Davao City Feast Builder: Jing Sto. Domingo Contact nos. 0822865081/0922251822
2. Wake up to the new KERYGMA TV! on TV5! On a new time slot - Sundays 6-7 a.m. PLUS... MUSTARD (for kids) Saturdays 6-7 a.m FISHBOWL (for the youth) Saturdays 7-8 a.m. 3. Need Counseling? Call a friend for counseling at 09228407031, 7266728, 7264709, and 7259999 Mon-Fri 24-hrs, Sat 6am-5pm, Sun 6am-10am. 4. 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 5. Its now easy to DONATE using the new GlobeTelecom GCASH at http://kerygmafamily.com.
6. DONATE using SMART MONEY - type KFAM_amount and send to 270 7. 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! 8. 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. 9. To change your KerygmaFamily member/email settings. Please click here 10. To enter the Audio & Video Teachings, Please click here 11. 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! 12. 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
|
No response to “Lordie, God's Message For You Today, December 19, 2010”
Post a Comment