Effort to Pray

The WORD today inspires me to give more time and effort for prayer. 

Waking up in the morning is one of the challenges in my life. I really find it difficult to wake up in the morning – so much that sometimes three alarms can’t wake me up. Well, at least before our daughter came into our lives. This is why what Jesus did in the gospel struck me. After a busy and tiring day doing God’s work, he woke up early. In other translations, it says that he woke up early to pray. He did not just sleep and rested, knowing that he was doing God’s work anyway, and he deserves a little more rest. Jesus woke up early and prayed.

Isn’t is inspiring how Jesus lived? 

After a busy day doing God’s work, healing people and proclaiming God’s kingdom, Jesus woke up very early and went to a deserted time to pray, to have his alone time with God. Personally, kung ako yun, after doing God’s work, I probably would have slept longer, thinking that I need energy to continue doing His work and that my body needs to rest too… anyway, I’m doing God’s work, so ok lang naman siguro. Well, we see a big difference on how Jesus acted. Being the Son of God, He definitely is closer to God than any of us, yet that closeness, that relationship was not used as an excuse to pray a little less or to do other things. Kaya siguro lalo silang nagiging close ni God kasi ganun ang buhay nya. He gave priority to God – praying rather than sleeping… praying first thing in the morning. Ang galing, diba? Nakaka inspire. 

As a result of that prayer life of Jesus, he was always on track, his life always in focus and always in the right perspective. When the disciples told him that everyone Is looking for him, he told them that they need to go to the other village. Why? Because he already did what he should, and needs to move on to the next town. Sabi nila, baka di sya paalisin and they may even make him their leader, because of his works and power. Kaya din ayaw bumalik ni Jesus, kasi hindi yun yung gusto ni God for him, and that may put the glory on Jesus, not on God. So there, Jesus was always in focus because of his prayer life and relationship with God.

Prayer will keep us on track like Jesus. In the first reading, we see the reminders of St Paul to new followers of Christ. Baby Christians, as some would call. Prayer helps a lot. It helps keep us on track, it helps us mature and build our own personal and intimate relationship with God. 

During this pandemic, we know that a lot of people are worried and stressed. A lot are tired. Mental health is a big problem. There were news articles stating that a lot of health workers are asking for professional mental health support. Aside from what doctors prescribe, it was also mentioned that prayers help. Faith help. During this time, the more we should pray and ask God for strength. Guidance. And call unto him. 

How do I see prayer? Do I give prayer the time and effort it deserves? Do I spend quality and unhurried time for prayer? Is prayer useful in helping me build and strengthen my relationship with God? How can I pray more?

May we also aspire to have a prayer life as strong as Jesus. As we live our daily lives, may we not forget to put God above all things and to give him the best.

Father God,

Thank you for today. Thank you for another day to live. Thank you for another chance to love and serve you. Thank you for the reminder. Lord, sorry for the times I do not give prayer due importance and priority. Sorry for making up excuses. Sorry for being complacent. Lord, help me build my faith and relationship with you. Help me live right. Give me the desire and the will to pray. May I always be ready and willing to do things for You.  Amen. 

Blessed Day!

In Christ,

-g-

Ps

See related reflection:

http://mysimplereflection.blogspot.com/2016/08/he-cured-all.html

Daily Readings

• AUGUST 30, 2022
• August 31, 2022
• SEPTEMBER 1, 2022

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Wednesday of the Twenty-second Week in Ordinary Time

Lectionary: 433

Reading 1 

1 COR 3:1-9

Brothers and sisters, 
I could not talk to you as spiritual people,
but as fleshly people, as infants in Christ.
I fed you milk, not solid food,
because you were unable to take it.
Indeed, you are still not able, even now,
for you are still of the flesh.
While there is jealousy and rivalry among you,
are you not of the flesh, and walking 
according to the manner of man?
Whenever someone says, “I belong to Paul,” and another,
“I belong to Apollos,” are you not merely men?

What is Apollos, after all, and what is Paul?
Ministers through whom you became believers,
just as the Lord assigned each one.
I planted, Apollos watered, but God caused the growth.
Therefore, neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything,
but only God, who causes the growth.
He who plants and he who waters are one,
and each will receive wages in proportion to his labor.
For we are God’s co-workers; 
you are God’s field, God’s building.

Responsorial Psalm 

PS 33:12-13, 14-15, 20-21 

R. (12) Blessed the people the Lord has chosen to be his own.
Blessed the nation whose God is the LORD,
the people he has chosen for his own inheritance.
From heaven the LORD looks down;
he sees all mankind.
R. Blessed the people the Lord has chosen to be his own.
From his fixed throne he beholds
all who dwell on the earth,
He who fashioned the heart of each,
he who knows all their works.
R. Blessed the people the Lord has chosen to be his own.
Our soul waits for the LORD,
who is our help and our shield,
For in him our hearts rejoice;
in his holy name we trust.
R. Blessed the people the Lord has chosen to be his own.

 

 

Alleluia 

LK 4:18 

R. Alleluia, alleluia.
The Lord sent me to bring glad tidings to the poor
and to proclaim liberty to captives.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Gospel 

LK 4:38-44 

After Jesus left the synagogue, he entered the house of Simon.
Simon’s mother-in-law was afflicted with a severe fever,
and they interceded with him about her.
He stood over her, rebuked the fever, and it left her.
She got up immediately and waited on them.

At sunset, all who had people sick with various diseases
brought them to him.
He laid his hands on each of them and cured them.
And demons also came out from many, shouting, “You are the Son of God.”
But he rebuked them and did not allow them to speak
because they knew that he was the Christ.

At daybreak, Jesus left and went to a deserted place.
The crowds went looking for him, and when they came to him,
they tried to prevent him from leaving them.
But he said to them, “To the other towns also
I must proclaim the good news of the Kingdom of God,
because for this purpose I have been sent.”
And he was preaching in the synagogues of Judea.

More Than Just Knowing

The WORD today reminds me that it is not enough to just merely know God. 

In this world, connections are powerful. Knowing a high ranking law enforcement officer or a government official can sometimes get people out of some problems in traffic and maybe even bigger ones. Knowing top executives in companies may guarantee a high position or business deals. This works in the world, but not with God. 

What works in this world do not always work with God. 

In the gospel, we see Jesus proclaiming God’s word. He was teaching in the synagogue. That time, the people still did not know who Jesus was. However, someone knew. We see that the demon inside the man knew who Jesus was. He proclaimed it. He told people about it. But Jesus was not pleased with it, and instead told the demon to be quiet and come out of the person.

Merely knowing Jesus is not enough.

Jesus knew the intention of the demon for telling who he really was – to disrupt his work in proclaiming God’s kingdom. And though he proclaimed with the lips who Jesus was, of course the heart is not one with it. His actions are not consistent with what the lips say. Knowing and saying who is Jesus is not as important as living it through our lives. If we know with our lips that Jesus is the Holy One of God, then we should also live our lives proclaiming that truth.

We all know who Jesus is. We all know who God is. That is a good thing, but not enough. God wants us to go further. God wants us not only to tell the world with our lips, but more importantly, by our lives. We need more than knowing him, but have a personal relationship with him as well. A personal relationship that will move us into action. 

Hindi dapat puro realizations lang. We know Jesus. We have experienced him in our lives. But it should not stop there. Knowing and realizing God’s love and power and blessings are not enough. We should spread them as well. We should proclaim them as well. We should love others. We should be a blessing to others. We should remind others that God is well alive in this pandemic crisis we are in. 

Do I know who God is? How do I tell people about it? Do I tell others with my words and proclamations? Do I also tell people about God through my actions and my life? What is the best way to proclaim God? In this pandemic, how can I proclaim God and share him to others? 

May we be challenged and inspired to go beyond lip service and tell who Jesus is by our lives.

Father God,

Thank you for today. Thank you for another day to live. thank you for another day to love and serve you. thank you for the reminder. Thank you for reminding me that knowing you is not enough. Thank you for reminding me that telling others about you is not enough. Sorry for the times I think it is enough to just know you and tell others about you. Sorry for stopping at that level. I ask that you Help me live my faith and knowledge of you. Help me build a personal relationship with you. May it move me into action. may I share you to others not just with my words, but with my actions and through my life as well. Amen.

Blessed Day!

In Christ,

-g-

Daily Readings

• AUGUST 29, 2022
• August 30, 2022
• AUGUST 31, 2022

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Tuesday of the Twenty-second Week in Ordinary Time

Lectionary: 432

Reading 1 

1 COR 2:10B-16

Brothers and sisters:
The Spirit scrutinizes everything, even the depths of God.
Among men, who knows what pertains to the man
except his spirit that is within?
Similarly, no one knows what pertains to God except the Spirit of God.
We have not received the spirit of the world
but the Spirit who is from God,
so that we may understand the things freely given us by God.
And we speak about them not with words taught by human wisdom,
but with words taught by the Spirit,
describing spiritual realities in spiritual terms.

Now the natural man does not accept what pertains to the Spirit of God,
for to him it is foolishness, and he cannot understand it,
because it is judged spiritually.
The one who is spiritual, however, can judge everything
but is not subject to judgment by anyone.

For “who has known the mind of the Lord, so as to counsel him?”
But we have the mind of Christ.

Responsorial Psalm 

PS 145:8-9, 10-11, 12-13AB, 13CD-14 

R. (17) The Lord is just in all his ways.
The LORD is gracious and merciful,
slow to anger and of great kindness.
The LORD is good to all
and compassionate toward all his works.
R. The Lord is just in all his ways.
Let all your works give you thanks, O LORD,
and let your faithful ones bless you.
Let them discourse of the glory of your Kingdom
and speak of your might.
R. The Lord is just in all his ways.
Making known to men your might
and the glorious splendor of your Kingdom.
Your Kingdom is a Kingdom for all ages,
and your dominion endures through all generations.
R. The Lord is just in all his ways.
The LORD is faithful in all his words
and holy in all his works.
The LORD lifts up all who are falling
and raises up all who are bowed down.
R. The Lord is just in all his ways.

 

 

Alleluia 

LK 7:16 

R. Alleluia, alleluia.
A great prophet has arisen in our midst
and God has visited his people.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Gospel 

LK 4:31-37 

Jesus went down to Capernaum, a town of Galilee.
He taught them on the sabbath,
and they were astonished at his teaching
because he spoke with authority.
In the synagogue there was a man with the spirit of an unclean demon, 
and he cried out in a loud voice,
“What have you to do with us, Jesus of Nazareth?
Have you come to destroy us?
I know who you are–the Holy One of God!”
Jesus rebuked him and said, “Be quiet! Come out of him!”
Then the demon threw the man down in front of them
and came out of him without doing him any harm.
They were all amazed and said to one another,
“What is there about his word?
For with authority and power he commands the unclean spirits,
and they come out.”
And news of him spread everywhere in the surrounding region.

Stay Firm

The WORD today reminds me that I should stay firm as I serve God. 

Today, we commemorate the Passion of St John the Baptist. Jesus himself told his disciples that they should expect suffering just as He, their master, suffered on earth for doing God’s work. John the Baptist experienced this, and faced this head on. He did not shy away from doing God’s work, even if he knew he offended powerful people in the course of doing it. He continued to do God’s work, despite the opposition and challenges he faced. He stayed firm in his faith. 

Only a strong faith will enable us to stay firm in times if great challenges.

John had this, and we should aspire to have it too. He worked for God despite these challenges against him. He lived the first reading - setting a good example to others and working (for God), and in the process doing his best to earn the eternal great reward of life in eternity with God. 

In one way or another, we all suffer. We all experience problems and challenges. But we are also reminded that it is better to suffer for doing good, than suffer as a consequence of your actions and decisions. Doing God’s work, like St John the Baptist, caused him to suffer in the hands of powerful people at that time. We too can experience this in the form of oppression from others, mockery, among other things. These are sufferings, but because of doing good, and are temporary. St John the Baptist’s suffering was the end of his hardships here on earth and the beginning of his life eternal with God in heaven. However, some can also suffer for doing bad. A drug addict can suffer from addiction, torn family, financial problems, etc. these are also sufferings, but not caused by doing God’s work, but by our own decisions. 

During this time of pandemic, we should continue to stay firm. We see a lot of corruption and evil all around us. Sometimes it may make us question our decisions. Evil ones remain unpunished. However, we should stay firm in faith. God knows what he is doing. He is still in charge. And even if evil people remain free and unscathed in this world, it will not be the case when God comes to judge us. 

How do I look at sufferings and problems? Do I live right, or are my sufferings the result of my wrong decisions and lifestyle? Do I offer my sufferings to God, and keep my faith, continue doing good despite of these? How can I strengthen my faith in Him, especially amidst all the rampant evil in this world? 

May we be inspired by St John the Baptist’s focus on God, courage and strength as he experienced suffering in doing God’s work.

Father God,

Thank you for today. Thank you for another day to live. Thank you for another week. Thank you for another day to rest. Thank you for the reminder. Thank you for the inspiration. Lord, I am sorry for the many times I don't act like John the Baptist. Sorry for being scared and not staying firm when faced with powerful oppositions. And sorry for making bad decisions that cause my sufferings and hardships. Lord, I ask that you help me be like St John the Baptist. May I always find courage from and strength in you, especially as I experience challenges and suffering in doing your work. Help me be brave and strong in doing your work. Make me a firm soldier especially when evil propers around me. Use me for your kingdom wherever I may be. Amen.

Blessed Week!

In Christ

-g-

Daily Readings

• AUGUST 28, 2022
• August 29, 2022
• AUGUST 30, 2022

• Readings for the Memorial of the Passion of Saint John the Baptist

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Memorial of the Passion of Saint John the Baptist

Lectionary: 431/634

Reading 1 

1 Cor 2:1-5

When I came to you, brothers and sisters,
proclaiming the mystery of God,
I did not come with sublimity of words or of wisdom.
For I resolved to know nothing while I was with you
except Jesus Christ, and him crucified.
I came to you in weakness and fear and much trembling,
and my message and my proclamation
were not with persuasive words of wisdom,
but with a demonstration of spirit and power,
so that your faith might rest not on human wisdom
but on the power of God.

Responsorial Psalm 

Ps 119:97, 98, 99, 100, 101, 102

R. (97) Lord, I love your commands.
How I love your law, O LORD!
It is my meditation all the day.
R. Lord, I love your commands.
Your command has made me wiser than my enemies,
for it is ever with me.
R. Lord, I love your commands.
I have more understanding than all my teachers
when your decrees are my meditation.
R. Lord, I love your commands.
I have more discernment than the elders,
because I observe your precepts.
R. Lord, I love your commands.
From every evil way I withhold my feet,
that I may keep your words.
R. Lord, I love your commands.
From your ordinances I turn not away,
for you have instructed me.
R. Lord, I love your commands.

Alleluia 

Mt 5:10

R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Blessed are those who are persecuted for the sake of righteousness,
for theirs is the Kingdom of heaven.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Gospel 

Mk 6:17-29

Herod was the one who had John the Baptist arrested and bound in prison
on account of Herodias, 
the wife of his brother Philip, whom he had married.
John had said to Herod,
“It is not lawful for you to have your brother’s wife.”
Herodias harbored a grudge against him
and wanted to kill him but was unable to do so.
Herod feared John, knowing him to be a righteous and holy man,
and kept him in custody.
When he heard him speak he was very much perplexed,
yet he liked to listen to him.
She had an opportunity one day when Herod, on his birthday,
gave a banquet for his courtiers,
his military officers, and the leading men of Galilee.
Herodias’ own daughter came in
and performed a dance that delighted Herod and his guests.
The king said to the girl,
“Ask of me whatever you wish and I will grant it to you.”
He even swore many things to her,
“I will grant you whatever you ask of me,
even to half of my kingdom.”
She went out and said to her mother,
“What shall I ask for?”
She replied, “The head of John the Baptist.”
The girl hurried back to the king’s presence and made her request,
“I want you to give me at once
on a platter the head of John the Baptist.”
The king was deeply distressed,
but because of his oaths and the guests
he did not wish to break his word to her.
So he promptly dispatched an executioner with orders
to bring back his head.
He went off and beheaded him in the prison.
He brought in the head on a platter and gave it to the girl.
The girl in turn gave it to her mother.
When his disciples heard about it,
they came and took his body and laid it in a tomb.