 | Daily Bible Reflections
for March 26, 2011 |
|  Dear Lordie,
Be filled with God?s joy this Saturday.
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.
| | THE FORGIVENESS PROJE CT “Who is there like you, the God who removes guilt and pardons sin for the remnant of his inheritance?” – Micah 7:18 Anne Gallager was a young nurse during the Troubles, Northern Ireland’s violent civil strife. Her father and three brothers were interned without trial and when they retaliated, her brother Dominic was shot dead. But Anne couldn’t find it in her heart to bear a grudge. In the hospital’s ICU, she could see the pain and suffering of the victims from both sides of the divide. “Seeing them lying there, naked and attached to life support machines, I didn’t see a uniform. I just saw their hearts, their pain,” she recounted. She founded Seeds of Hope, an organization that facilitates storytelling based on the Troubles. They encourage people to listen to each other’s stories without judging them. Anne explained, “The idea is that when you hear my story and I hear your story, it becomes our story, and seeds of hope are sown. There is healing in that.” Our world has been wounded by too many conflicts. Like the father in Jesus’ parable, may we learn to focus on the importance of the people instead of judging them by their actions. Only then can healing and reconciliation begin.Cecil Lim (cez_lim@yahoo.com) 26 REFLECTION: “I’m beginning to realize that no matter which side of the conflict you’re on, had we all lived each other’s lives, we all could have done what the other did.” (Jo Berry) Forgive us our sins as we forgive those who sin against us. | |
Didache | Companion | Sabbath | Top
| | COMPANION | 1st READING Father, You want nothing whatsoever to do with sin. If we repent You are never interested in reminding us of our sins. Each of us needs to develop a similar attitude toward sin and then practice it in our relationship with others. This is not as easy as it sounds as it will involve acts of service and humility that may not be all that attractive to us. Micah 7:14-15, 18-20 14 Shepherd your people with your staff, the flock of your inheritance, that dwells apart in a woodland, in the midst of Carmel. Let them feed in Bashan and Gilead, as in the days of old; 15 as in the days when you came from the land of Egypt, show us wonderful signs. 18 Who is there like you, the God who removes guilt and pardons sin for the remnant of his inheritance; who does not persist in anger forever, but delights rather in clemency, 19 and will again have compassion on us, treading underfoot our guilt? You will cast into the depths of the sea all our sins; 20 you will show faithfulness to Jacob, and grace to Abraham, as you have sworn to our fathers from days of old. P S A L M Psalms 103:1-2, 3-4, 9-10, 11-12 R: The Lord is kind and merciful. 1 Bless the LORD, O my soul; and all my being, bless his holy name. 2 Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits. (R) 3 He pardons all your iniquities, he heals all your ills. 4 He redeems your life from destruction, he crowns you with kindness and compassion. (R) 9 He will not always chide, nor does he keep his wrath forever. 10 Not according to our sins does he deal with us, nor does he requite us according to our crimes. (R) 11 For as the heavens are high above the earth, so surpassing is his kindness toward those who fear him. 12 As far as the east is from the west, so far has he put our transgressions from us. (R) G O S P E L The story of the prodigal son turns into a story about the prodigal father. Let us take time out once in a while to reflect upon the more obscure and often overlooked element of this parable. The son’s conversion would be treated far more skeptically if the father was not so loving and forgiving. And this father’s love and mercy are nothing compared to that of our God. VERSE BEFORE THE GOSPEL I will get up and go to my father and shall say to him, Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you Luke 15:1-3, 11-32 1 The tax collectors and sinners were all drawing near to listen to him, 2 but the Pharisees and scribes began to complain, saying, “This man welcomes sinners and eats with them.” 3 So to them he addressed this parable. 11 “A man had two sons, 12 and the younger son said to his father, ‘Father, give me the share of your estate that should come to me.’ So the father divided the property between them. 13 After a few days, the younger son collected all his belongings and set off to a distant country where he squandered his inheritance on a life of dissipation. 14 When he had freely spent everything, a severe famine struck that country, and he found himself in dire need. 15 So he hired himself out to one of the local citizens who sent him to his farm to tend the swine. 16 And he longed to eat his fill of the pods on which the swine fed, but nobody gave him any. 17 Coming to his senses he thought, ‘How many of my father’s hired workers have more than enough food to eat, but here am I, dying from hunger. 18 I shall get up and go to my father and I shall say to him, “Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. 19 I no longer deserve to be called your son; treat me as you would treat one of your hired workers.” ’ 20 So he got up and went back to his father. While he was still a long way off, his father caught sight of him, and was filled with compassion. He ran to his son, embraced him and kissed him. 21 His son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you; I no longer deserve to be called your son.’ 22 But his father ordered his servants, ‘Quickly bring the finest robe and put it on him; put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. 23 Take the fattened calf and slaughter it. Then let us celebrate with a feast, 24 because this son of mine was dead, and has come to life again; he was lost, and has been found.’ Then the celebration began. 25 Now the older son had been out in the field and, on his way back, as he neared the house, he heard the sound of music and dancing. 26 He called one of the servants and asked what this might mean. 27 The servant said to him, ‘Your brother has returned and your father has slaughtered the fattened calf because he has him back safe and sound.’ 28 He became angry, and when he refused to enter the house, his father came out and pleaded with him. 29 He said to his father in reply, ‘Look, all these years I served you and not once did I disobey your orders; yet you never gave me even a young goat to feast on with my friends. 30 But when your son returns who swallowed up your property with prostitutes, for him you slaughter the fattened calf.’ 31 He said to him, ‘My son, youare here with me always; everything I have is yours. 32 But now we must celebrate and rejoice, because your brother was dead and has come to life again; he was lost and has been found.’ ” my reflections t h i n k : If we repent the Lord is never interested in reminding us of our sins. 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 2 Samuel 17-20 | |
Didache | Companion | Sabbath | Top
| | SABBATH | WHAT DOES GOD DO WITH OUR SIN? The above question is a very interesting one to contemplate; the answer is very satisfying to hear. God cannot abide the presence of sin at all so we can know for sure that He will be banishing all sin from His presence. The next question concerns what is meant by banishment. Well, this is where the news gets even better. The Scriptures use a number of metaphors to describe what God does to our sin. Here Micah talks about sending it to the depths of the sea; you cannot get any deeper than that. The psalmist speaks of casting our sins as far as the east is from the west; there are no two distances further apart than this. Isaiah tells us that God takes our scarlet sin (obvious for all to see) and makes them white as snow. You cannot get a bigger transformation than that. Do you get the story here? God is not at all interested in harboring judgment or unforgiveness against us; God is never petty and unforgiving. God wants us to be free from all the powers and effects of sin so that we can fulfill our potential as men and women created in His image and likeness; God is not threatened by our potential for holiness in any way as He is the source and fountain of all that is good so it is impossible for us to surpass Him. We see these attributes in the life of Jesus who reveals to us the love of God the Father. We do not have to go anywhere to find the love of God because He is the biggest beggar in the universe and has come to us in the person of His Son, Jesus. We could not ask for any greater incentive to repent of our sins than this. God has done all that it is in His power to redeem us while still respecting the gift of free will that He has given us. It is up to each person how to respond to His generosity. In today’s Gospel of the Prodigal Son we have an image of a father’s love. Let us sit with it awhile and reflect upon how much our Father in heaven loves us. Fr. Steve Tynan, MGL Reflection Question: When was the last time I took the opportunity to repent of my serious sins in the Sacrament of Reconciliation? Letus seek to use the sacrament more often. Holy Spirit, help me to embrace the call to repentance in an ever deeper way. Inspire me to entrust my life into the loving hands of the Father through repentance every day of my life. St. Theodore, 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. 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. 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
Bustos Sunday 2:30 p.m - 5:30 p.m. San isidro labrador Parish, Liciada, Bustos 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 Angeles 2nd & 4th Friday, 7:00 - 9:00 p.m. Angeles City Library Bldg. Santo Entiero St., Angeles City 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. 09174358746/09228190198 Cardona Saturday 5:30 p.m. - 7:30 p.m. Queen Mary Help of Christians Hospital, National Road, Calahan, Cardona CEBU
Monday 7:00 p.m. - 9:00 p.m. CAP Bldg., 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
|
No response to “Lordie, God's Message For You Today, March 26, 2011”
Post a Comment