Daily Gospel & Reflection, Tuesday, June 5, 2012

St. Boniface, bishop and martyr

2 Peter 3:12-15a, 17-18, 1^st Reading

Psalm 90

Mark 12:13-17

Call to Worship Song

Shine Jesus Shine http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4UIR0VJlK6k

Entrance Antiphon

This holy man fought to the death for the law of God of his God, never cowed by the threats of the wicked; his house was built on solid rock.

Opening Prayer

Lord, your martyr Boniface spread the faith by his teaching and witnessed to it with his blood. Keep us loyal to our faith like St. Boniface and give us the courage to profess it in our lives. We ask this…

Alleluia

Alleluia, alleluia. May the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ enlighten the eyes of our hearts, that we may know what is the hope that belongs to his call. Alleluia, alleluia.

Paying Taxes to the Emperor

13They sent some Pharisees and Herodians to him to ensnare him in his speech. 14They came and said to him, “Teacher, we know that you are a truthful man and that you are not concerned with anyone’s opinion. You do not regard a person’s status but teach the way of God in accordance with the truth. Is it lawful to pay the census tax to Caesar or not? Should we pay or should we not pay?”15Knowing their hypocrisy he said to them, “Why are you testing me? Bring me a denarius to look at.”16They brought one to him and he said to them, “Whose image and inscription is this?” They replied to him, “Caesar’s.”17So Jesus said to them, “Repay to Caesar what belongs to Caesar and to God what belongs to God.” They were utterly amazed at him.

Reflection

“We wait for … new heavens and a new earth, where righteousness will be at home.” ~ 2 Peter 3:13, 1^st Reading

Building a world of righteousness is not just a question of preaching God’s Word to the world. It is also a question of building up God’s Kingdom in the world. It is a question of combating those structures in society that militate against God’s Kingdom. It is a question of declaring outright war on attitudes, structures, and procedures that exploit the poor, oppress minorities, and allow special interest groups to prevail over the common good of all.

What am I doing to combat evil structures in society? What keeps me from taking a more aggressive stand against them?

Reflection Credits: Mark Link, SJ; Daily Homilies

Prayer Response

Lord, may the mysteries we receive give us the spiritual courage which made your martyr St. Boniface faithful in your service and victorious in his suffering. We ask this…

For Action

What can you easily do to combat the evils in our society? Answer: You can refuse to be a part of it. A more aggressive way is to join a religious group that condemns and works against a particular evil you also dislike.

“Everybody was asked to do it. Everybody was sure somebody would do it. Anybody could have done it. But nobody did it.” ~ Christopher News Notes

Silencing

We cannot know God unless we have listened to him in the silence of our hearts. Rest in the loving arms of the Lord with an open mind and an open heart.

For the other readings today, please go to http://www.usccb.org/nab/

Daily Gospel & Reflection, Monday, June 4, 2012

2 Peter 1:2-7, 1^st Reading

Psalm 91

Mark 12:1-12

Call to Worship Song

Worthy of Worship http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WMpbm2p-1mo&feature=related

Entrance Antiphon

O look at me and be merciful, for I am wretched and alone. See my hardship and my poverty, and pardon all my sins. (Psalm 35:16-18)

Opening Prayer

Father, your love never fails. Hear our call. Keep us from danger and provide all our needs. Grant this…

Alleluia

Alleluia, alleluia. Jesus Christ, you are the faithful witness, the firstborn of the dead; you have loved us and freed us from our sins by your Blood. Alleluia, alleluia. (Revelation 1:5ab)

Parable of the Tenants

1He began to speak to them in parables. “A man planted a vineyard, put a hedge around it, dug a wine press, and built a tower. Then he leased it to tenant farmers and left on a journey. 2At the proper time he sent a servant to the tenants to obtain from them some of the produce of the vineyard. 3But they seized him, beat him, and sent him away empty-handed.4Again he sent them another servant. And that one they beat over the head and treated shamefully.5He sent yet another whom they killed. So, too, many others; some they beat, others they killed.6He had one other to send, a beloved son. He sent him to them last of all, thinking, ‘They will respect my son.’7But those tenants said to one another, ‘This is the heir. Come, let us kill him, and the inheritance will be ours.’8So they seized him and killed him, and threw him out of the vineyard.9What [then] will the owner of the vineyard do? He will come, put the tenants to death, and give the vineyard to others.10Have you not read this scripture passage:

‘The stone that the builders rejected

has become the cornerstone;

11by the Lord has this been done,

and it is wonderful in our eyes’?”

12They were seeking to arrest him, but they feared the crowd, for they realized that he had addressed the parable to them. So they left him and went away.

Reflection

“‘The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone; by the Lord has this been done, and it is wonderful in our eyes’?” ~ vv. 10-11

Piety, virtue, discernment, self-control, care – these are the cornerstones of a fruitful life, a life that is lived to the fullest. Yet the builders of the life in this world tend to reject such qualities in favor of those that will result in worldly gain: shrewdness, competitiveness, ruthlessness, an appetite for the things money will buy, and a willingness to profit at all costs. But this is where we have to answer one of life’s fundamental questions: who made us? If the world made us, then we should embrace worldly values. Then, once having gained the world, the world will pass away and we will pass away with it, and that will be that. But if God made us, then we ought to perhaps consider what will give us lasting value.

Prayer Response

You made me, O Lord. You have revealed the truth about your creation. I know I miss the point so often. I think the money you give me is for my own comfort. Help me to know and live the truth.

For Action

Take a good stock of all you possess; bank accounts, house, furniture, car. Then spend some time remembering who made it all possible.

Reflection Credits: Fr. Paul Boudreau, Between Sundays

Silencing

We cannot know God unless we have listened to him in the silence of our hearts. Rest in the loving arms of the Lord with an open mind and an open heart.

“Acquire inward peace, and a multitude around you will find their salvation.” ~ St. Seraphim

For the other readings today, please go to http://www.usccb.org/nab/

Daily Gospel & Reflection, Sunday, June 3, 2012

Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity

Deuteronomy 4:32-34, 39-40, 1^st Reading

Psalm 33

Romans 8:14-17, 2^nd Reading

Matthew 28:16-20

Call to Worship Song

City of God http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eAECgrj_wSY

Entrance Antiphon

Blessed be God the Father and his only begotten Son and the Holy Spirit for he has shown that he loves us.

Opening Prayer

Father, you sent your Word to bring us truth and your Spirit to make us holy. Through them we come to know the mystery of your life. Help us to worship you, one God in three Persons, by proclaiming and living our faith in you. Grant this…

Alleluia

Alleluia, alleluia. Glory to the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit; to God who is, who was, and who is to come. Alleluia, alleluia. (Revelation 1:8)

The Commissioning of the Disciples

16The eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain to which Jesus had ordered them.17When they saw him, they worshiped, but they doubted.18Then Jesus approached and said to them, “All power in heaven and on earth has been given to me.19Go, therefore,^* and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the holy Spirit, 20teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, until the end of the age.”

Reflection

When we examine the life of Jesus, we soon notice how intensely he was bound to his Father and to the Holy Spirit. Let us reflect on this idea for a short time, beginning with Jesus’ relationship with his Father.

All the gospel writers, but particularly John, show Jesus in constant communication with his Father. And because of his closeness to the Father, Jesus knows very clearly who his Father is and how he works. He tells the Jews, for example, “it was not Moses who gave you bread from heaven, my Father gives you the true bread from heaven” (John 6:32). On another occasion, he assures the people, “Everyone who listens to my Father and learns from him comes to me” (John 6:45). We are also aware, of course, how Jesus always seeks to do his Father’s will. In the garden of Gethsemane, he prays: “My Father, if it is not possible that this cup pass without my drinking it, your will be done” (Matthew 26:42).

At this point, let us ask ourselves a simple question: Jesus we know, was God, but he was also man. Being a man, he would come to know the Father as any human would. How is it possible that as man he came to know the Father as well? The answer, I think, is through the power of the Holy Spirit. Through his prayers Jesus opened his heart, so much so that the Holy Spirit found a way, as it were, to come to him and reveal to him the love of the Father and the Father’s will. Perhaps another way to put all this is to say that in dialogue, that is to say, in constant communication made possible through the Holy Spirit, Jesus came to know the Father. And in knowing the Father, he also came to know the Holy Spirit.

The key word is “dialogue.” Jesus was in continuous dialogue with the Father. In this way, he came to know not only the Father but also the Holy Spirit.

Our present Superior General, Fr. Anthony Pernia, has written some marvelous things about the importance of dialogue and the desperate need we have today of dialogue. Through dialogue we come to understand one another. It is the bridge that we build between ourselves and those who in some way or another, may be different.

God, as we know, exists as a Triune God. This tells us that the persons of the Trinity are always in dialogue. Through constant dialogue Jesus is able to discern what the Father wants him to do, just as he becomes aware of the Father’s deep love for him. And in the process, the Holy Spirit acts as a kind of intermediary, making the communication between Jesus and his Father easier to understand and carry out.

In our daily life, we find that it is easier to communicate with some people more than others. At the same time, we also discover that when we do approach someone who may be a little difficult to speak to, if we speak to them with good intentions, inevitably some good comes of it, whether it be clearer understanding of the other person’s position, a clarifying of our own, or a feeling of greater closeness to the other person. As previously mentioned, our model is the Trinity and the marvelous way each person in the Trinity communicates with the others.

Let us ask God to help us as we dialogue with one another. May we imitate the Trinity in their love for one another and in our realization that we are all children of the same heavenly Father.

Reflection Credits: Fr. John Seland, SVD; New Reflections on the Sunday Gospels

Prayer Response

Thank you for being with us, Lord Jesus Christ, and for making it possible for us to be with your Father and the Holy Spirit. Help us to imitate the Trinity when we dialogue with one another.

For Action

After his conversion, St. Ignatius of Loyola’s life was focused on God. He writes in his Spiritual Exercises that, “Human beings are created to praise, reverence, and serve God our Lord, and by means of doing this to save their souls.” God, says Ignatius, is the center of everything and provides meaning for our lives.

Let us proclaim the gospel by the way we live!

Silencing

Rest in the loving arms of the Lord with an open mind and an open heart. Pray in silence for your personal intentions. You may also pray the Lord’s Prayer or some other formulary prayer.

“The more faithfully you listen to the voice within you, the better you hear what is sounding outside.” ~ Dag Hammarskjold

For the other readings today, please go to http://www.usccb.org/nab/

Daily Gospel & Reflection, Saturday, June 2, 2012

Jude 17:20b-25, 1^st Reading

Psalm 63

Mark 11:27-33

Call to Worship Song

How Great Thou Art http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DcF75h4BHk8

Entrance Antiphon

The Lord has been my strength; he has led me into freedom. He saved me because he loves me (Psalm 18:19-20).

Opening Prayer

Father in heaven, form in us the likeness of your Son and deepen his life within us. Send us as witnesses of gospel joy into a world of fragile peace and broken promises. Touch the hearts of all men with your love that they in turn may love one another. We ask this…

Alleluia

Alleluia, alleluia. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly; giving thanks to God the Father through him. Alleluia, alleluia. (Colossians 3:16a, 17c)

The Authority of Jesus Questioned

27They returned once more to Jerusalem. As he was walking in the temple area, the chief priests, the scribes, and the elders approached him 28and said to him, “By what authority are you doing these things? Or who gave you this authority to do them?” 29Jesus said to them, “I shall ask you one question. Answer me, and I will tell you by what authority I do these things. 30Was John’s baptism of heavenly or of human origin? Answer me.” 31They discussed this among themselves and said, “If we say, ‘Of heavenly origin,’ he will say, ‘[Then] why did you not believe him?’ 32But shall we say, ‘Of human origin’?”—they feared the crowd, for they all thought John really was a prophet. 33So they said to Jesus in reply, “We do not know.” Then Jesus said to them, “Neither shall I tell you by what authority I do these things.”

Reflection

“Keep yourselves in the love of God.” ~ Jude 21, 1^st Reading

That’s quite a tall order, isn’t it? How in the world are we supposed to keep ourselves in God’s love? Isn’t that more something God does for us?

Well, yes and no. It’s true that only God can sustain us. It’s true that we can’t earn God’s love or do anything to make him love us any more – or any less, for that matter. But Jude isn’t telling us to keep working hard to make sure that our Father still loves us. Instead, his words speak more directly to the way we use the precious gift of our memories. His words tell us to do all we can to keep the memory of God’s love for us alive so that we can continue to think and act in a way that honors the Lord.

Of course, we may experience some feelings of joy and happiness when we pray, but these feelings can fade, and difficult times can threaten our peace. And this is precisely where memory comes in. As we recall past events that proved God’s love for us – past times of prayer or situations where we really felt God’s hand on us – we build up our database of trust and faith in him. Then, during those darker times when God feels a little more distant we can draw upon this database to help us stay faithful to the Lord and to remain rooted in his love.

Throughout Scripture, God calls us to remember him and his love. He gave the Israelites the feast of Passover to remind them how he delivered them from slavery in Egypt (Exodus 12:14). And at the Last Supper, Jesus gave us the Eucharist and told us: “Do this in memory of me” so that we can remember and relive the miracle of the death and resurrection every day (Luke 22:19).

It is vital that we keep our memories clear and active so that we can stand on the truths of the Lord. Worshipping him at Mass and listening to him in personal prayer can do wonders in awakening the memory of God’s covenant with us. If we nourish our memories every day, we’ll find it easier to remain in God’s love, no matter what happens.

Prayer Response

Jesus, I trust in your mercy and love. Help me to remember you every day – you are my Lord, my Savior, and my Friend!

Reflection Credits: the WORD  among us

For Action

Recall the times or situations when you felt God’s love for you. Write these situations in your spiritual journal.

“To reach the port of heaven, we must sail sometimes with the wind and sometimes against it, but we must sail and not drift; nor lie in anchor.” ~ Oliver Wendell Holmes

Silencing

“Escape from your everyday business for a while…. Enter your minds chamber. Shut out everything but God and say with your whole heart … “Lord, my God … teach me to seek you, and when I seek you, show yourself to me.” ~ Saint Anselm

For the other readings today, please go to http://www.usccb.org/nab/

Daily Gospel & Reflection, Friday, June 1, 2012

St. Justin, martyr

1 Peter 4:7-13, 1^st Reading

Psalm 96

Mark 11:11-26

Call to Worship Song

Make me a Channel of your Peace http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZI1Gst7pEqc

Entrance Antiphon

The wicked tempted me with their fables against your law, but I proclaimed your decrees before kings without fear or shame. (Psalm 118:85, 46)

Opening Prayer

Father, through the folly of the cross you taught Saint Justin the sublime wisdom of Jesus Christ. May we too reject falsehood and remain loyal to the faith. We ask this…

Alleluia

Alleluia, alleluia. I chose you from the world, to go and bear fruit that will last, says the Lord. Alleluia, alleluia. (John 15:6)

The Barren Fig Tree

He entered Jerusalem and went into the temple area. He looked around at everything and, since it was already late, went out to Bethany with the Twelve.12The next day as they were leaving Bethany he was hungry.13Seeing from a distance a fig tree in leaf, he went over to see if he could find anything on it. When he reached it he found nothing but leaves; it was not the time for figs.14And he said to it in reply, “May no one ever eat of your fruit again!” And his disciples heard it.

15They came to Jerusalem, and on entering the temple area he began to drive out those selling and buying there. He overturned the tables of the money changers and the seats of those who were selling doves.16He did not permit anyone to carry anything through the temple area.17Then he taught them saying, “Is it not written: ‘My house shall be called a house of prayer for all peoples’? But you have made it a den of thieves.” 18The chief priests and the scribes came to hear of it and were seeking a way to put him to death, yet they feared him because the whole crowd was astonished at his teaching.19When evening came, they went out of the city.

20Early in the morning, as they were walking along, they saw the fig tree withered to its roots. 21Peter remembered and said to him, “Rabbi, look! The fig tree that you cursed has withered.” 22Jesus said to them in reply, “Have faith in God. 23Amen, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, ‘Be lifted up and thrown into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart but believes that what he says will happen, it shall be done for him. 24Therefore I tell you, all that you ask for in prayer, believe that you will receive it and it shall be yours.25When you stand to pray, forgive anyone against whom you have a grievance, so that your heavenly Father may in turn forgive you your transgressions.”

Reflection

“Have faith in God.” ~ Jesus in v. 22

A walk-in customer came to the office and bought a product we were selling. He was a businessman, and when he saw the crucifix, he started to talk about religion. I found out he had a different belief. He believed he did not need to go to Church. What was important to him was to live a righteous life and that’s it. No Jesus and no Holy Spirit.

It saddened me, and I could not let him leave our office without telling him the truth about Jesus as being the only way to our salvation. I could not stop myself from telling him about my greatest blessing – Jesus Christ my Savior.

Many times, we meet people who do not believe that Jesus is our only way to salvation. Many are misled, so we have to pray for them. Let us be sensitive to opportunities to share the truth with them. ~ Shared by Sis. Annie

Prayer Response

Dear Lord, I thank you that you found me and I found you. I pray I will always have an opportunity to share this blessing. Amen

For Action

“What others most need is to see in you a reflection of what God is like and of the transforming power of the Gospel. Your life can create hunger and thirst for God in others’ lives and can be a powerful instrument in the hand of the Holy Spirit to draw their hearts to Christ.” ~ Nancy Leigh DeMoss

Reflection Credits: Living Water, 2012

Silencing

“Escape from your everyday business for a while…. Enter your minds chamber. Shut out everything but God and say with your whole heart … “Lord, my God … teach me to seek you, and when I seek you, show yourself to me.” ~ Saint Anselm

For the other readings today, please go to http://www.usccb.org/nab/

Daily Gospel & Reflection, Thursday, May 31, 2012

Visitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary

Zephaniah 3:14-18a, 1^st Reading

Isaiah 12

Luke 1:39-56

Call to Worship Song

You Are Mine http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sgm9lkTNQmc

Entrance Antiphon

Come, all you who fear God, and hear the great things the Lord has done for me. (Psalm 65:16)

Opening Prayer

Eternal Father, you inspired the Virgin Mary, mother of your Son, to visit Elizabeth and assist her in her need. Keep us open to the workings of your Spirit, and with Mary may we praise you forever. We ask this…

Alleluia

Alleluia, alleluia. Blessed are you, O Virgin Mary, who believed that what was spoken to you by the Lord would be fulfilled. Alleluia, alleluia. (Luke 1:45)

Mary Visits Elizabeth

39During those days Mary set out and traveled to the hill country in haste to a town of Judah, 40where she entered the house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth.41When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the infant leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth, filled with the holy Spirit, 42cried out in a loud voice and said, “Most blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb. 43And how does this happen to me, that the mother of my Lord^* should come to me? 44For at the moment the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the infant in my womb leaped for joy. 45Blessed are you who believed that what was spoken to you by the Lord would be fulfilled.”

The Canticle of Mary.

46And Mary said:^* “My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord;

47my spirit rejoices in God my savior.

48For he has looked upon his handmaid’s lowliness;

behold, from now on will all ages call me blessed.

49The Mighty One has done great things for me, and holy is his name.

50His mercy is from age to age to those who fear him.

51He has shown might with his arm,

dispersed the arrogant of mind and heart.

52He has thrown down the rulers from their thrones

but lifted up the lowly.

53The hungry he has filled with good things;

the rich he has sent away empty.

54He has helped Israel his servant,

remembering his mercy,

55according to his promise to our fathers,

to Abraham and to his descendants forever.”

56Mary remained with her about three months and then returned to her home.

Reflection

“Mary remained with Elizabeth about three months and then returned to her home.” ~ V. 56

How deeply moving is this story of Mary and Elizabeth sharing their awesome news together! God offers Mary an intimate friend with whom she can share what seems incommunicable. Elizabeth, like Mary, has experienced divine intervention and has been called to a response of faith. She can be with Mary in a way no one else possibly could. Amid an unbelieving, doubting, pragmatic and cynical world, two women meet each other and affirm in each other the promise given to them. For three months Mary and Elizabeth are linked and encourage each other to truly accept the motherhood given them. Neither had to wait in isolation. They could wait together and so deepen in each other their faith in God.

This surely is the rationale for Christian friendship and community. How can I ever let God’s grace fully work in my life unless I live with people who can affirm it, deepen it and strengthen it? We cannot live this new life of faith alone. God does not want to isolate us when grace comes. Instead, God wants us to be linked.

Reflection Credits: Fr. Henri J. M. Nouwen, The Road to Damascus

Prayer Response

Loving Father, grant us the insight to see your work in the events of the day, Teach us also, Lord, to support, affirm, and strengthen each other in this journey of faith. We ask this in the name of your Son.

For Action

Make a list of friends and people close to you who need your support. What can you do to affirm, deepen, and strengthen their faith?

“Do not be afraid; just have faith.” ~ Jesus in Mark 5:36

Silencing

We cannot know God unless we have listened to him in the silence of our hearts. Rest in the loving arms of the Lord with an open mind and an open heart.

For the other readings today, please go to http://www.usccb.org/nab/