Reflections of Faith
Read and be inspired by a reflection based on today's Gospel made by members of the Verbum Dei Family in Manila.
11/4/2020
Daily Guidelines: November 4, 2020November 4, 2020 Wednesday
Lk 14:25-33 Whoever does not bear his own cross cannot be my disciple No servant is greater than his master. Instead the most a servant can do is to follow his master’s example and learn from him. And if Jesus is our master we cannot but do as he did: to put the Lord’s will and purposes at his highest priority and that is to carry the cross that was meant for Him. In our life, God has placed crosses for us to carry that we may honor Him and give our lives for those he has placed in our care. This is what it means to be a disciple! Lord give us the strength to carry our cross and follow you. #PrayVD
11/3/2020
Daily Guidelines: November 3, 2020November 3, 2020 Tuesday
Lk 14:15-24 Call people to come in, that my House may be filled In His house there are many rooms, we are told. There are as many rooms as God’s generosity would provide. And since His generosity knows no limits, there will always be rooms available. Yet in today’s parable, we see that many refuse the invitation to dwell in his house and there are many reasons they give. We must be discerning in our own lives that we do not fall prey to the same reasons to deny the Lord. He has prepared rooms for us. Let us respond to his invitation! #PrayVD
11/2/2020
Daily Guidelines: November 2, 2020November 2, 2020 Monday
Lk 14:12-14 Invite the poor, the lame, the blind As followers of Christ, we are called to follow His example and constantly make space in our lives to meet the needs of others. Today, Christ reminds us that we are to do this especially to the least of our brothers and sisters. To those who have no one to love them or to care for them, how do we respond? We respond by opening our hearts and hands to them. Lord Jesus, help us to consciously reach out to those who are in need! #PrayVD
11/1/2020
Daily Guidelines: November 1, 2020November 1, 2020 – Sunday
Gospel: Matthew 5:1-12a “Rejoice and be glad, for your reward will be great in heaven.” We are familiar with the Sermon on the Mount or the Beatitudes, wherein Jesus speaks on how we can lead holy lives in our journey to heaven. He speaks of humility, mourning our sins so we can renew our lives, to be meek and faithful to God’s will, hunger for righteousness, be merciful to those who suffer, be pure in heart and purpose, be a peacemaker, and don’t be afraid to be persecuted. We only have to seek God, ask for guidance, seek His will and plan, bring others to Him,and we are assured of heaven as our final destination. Thank you, Jesus for teaching us the Way. Showing us The Truth and being the Life for us. Amen. #PrayVD
10/31/2020
Daily Guidelines: October 31, 2020October 31, 2020 – Saturday.
Gospel: Luke 14:1,7-11 “...the one who humbles himself will be exalted.” Again humility is found to be a major factor in the presence of the Lord. When we recognize our limitations, our mistakes, our inabilities, Jesus props us up and eases our uncertainties. We regain our confidence and there’s courage because we know Jesus is with us. When we allow Him to take over our lives, there’s no need pride nor prestige, nor competition. These are not important anymore. We start to reset our priorities, on what’s important or what is not. We focus on our journey to Heaven, by being docile to God’s plan.. Let us be like Mary, who saw herself in such a lowly position: the Handmaid of the Lord is now Queen of Heaven and Earth. What can be more exalting than that..... #PrayVD
10/30/2020
Daily Guidelines: October 30, 2020October 30, 2020 – Friday
Gospel: Luke 14:1-4 “so He took the man, healed him and dismissed Him.” When we seek the presence of Jesus, and open ourselves to Him, with no pretenses, He accepts us fully, just like the man with dropsy. He need not apologize for his ailment, he stands before Jesus quietly, and awaits Jesus’ action. Much like the sick man, Jesus takes pity on us, He sees what’s in our hearts, the turmoil, the hurts, our intentions, We don’t need to be ashamed, or envious of others, no need to cover up and present a false image. Jesus knows, He understands, and will answer our prayers, in His time. Let not our faith waver, let’s not stagger and still be proud. Before the Lord, there’s no ego to contend with, Let’s live our lives as a testimony to Christ and make Him happy. Let others see our faith in our everyday lives, that way too we are able to convert the doubtful souls out there. #PrayVD
10/29/2020
Daily Guidelines: October 29, 2020October 29, 2020- Thursday
Gospel: Luke 13:31-35 “...as a hen gathers her brood under her wings....” Jesus assures us of his protection, love and concern if only we open our hearts to Him constantly. If only we have a deeper relationship with Him, we have someone who cares for us, we ought to know this by heart. We need not be worried unless we stray from him. He is always in the Tabernacle and waits for a visit from us, to tell Him of our day’s events, our moments of joy and happiness, what troubled us during the day, our anxiety for tomorrow. Let’s not be diverted to the fleeting enjoyments of the world: drinking, shopping, unwinding after work. Let’s instead look forward to be with Him and unload our heart. We praise Him, thank Him, whisper to Him, tell Him anything and everything. He awaits our story each day. #PrayVD
10/28/2020
Daily Guidelines: October 28, 2020October 28, 2020 – Wednesday
Gospel: Luke 6:12-16 “He spent the night in prayer to God.” Before making a major decision of choosing the 12 Apostles, Jesus spent the night praying to God. The need to get Apostles to continue His ministry has beome urgent with the growing number of followers and believers who look up to Him for refuge and healing. It was his habit to go alone to pray, and seek guidance, just like us who desperately need someone more powerful than us at tough times. The Apostles had to be trained and taught urgently in order to preach effectively. As they were slow in understanding the parables Jesus was saying, there was a high need to deepen their knowledge and train others too. And Jesus was continually praying for His ministry to grow through them. Let us too, ask for a deeper relationship with Jesus so that we may expand His Kingdom here on earth. #PrayVD
10/28/2020
Daily Guidelines: October 27, 2020October 27, 2020 – Tuesday
Gospel: Luke 13:18-21 “What is the Kingdom of God like?” The kingdom of God is like a man who sows a mustard seed in his garden and it grows until it is so large that the birds could nest in its branches. The point is that a little seed could produce this unusually large tree, so large that even the birds could find shelter there. Jesus will triumph through the sowing of the seed of the gospel through us. Our garden consists of the people with whom we have contact, to influence them for the sake of the kingdom of God. We should desire to see God use us to produce a harvest for Him in our garden. Our garden is now global, so we are able to touch so many lives with one click. The parable of the yeast is exactly the same analogy. Let us pray that we the harvesters, grow our tree and multiply tthe fruit of our discipleship a thousandfold. #PrayVD
10/26/2020
Daily Guidelines: October 26, 2020October 26, 2020 – Monday
Gospel: Luke 13:10-17 “Woman, you are set free of your infirmity.” When Jesus saw this woman with a bent back, He took pity and healed her immediately. She was so bent forward that she cannot look upwards, nor see the people around her. In the same manner, when we despair, we look downcast, feel sad, unable to see beyond the ground we are standing on. Let us seek Jesus to heal us and help us look towards heaven, regain our faith and seek courage to move on. Sometimes we are stuck in our everyday chores, unable to get out of running after material obligations, running a rat race all the time. Take a rest and seek what is beyond the present – our objective in life has to be greater than these daily chores. Let us seek Mama Mary in this lovely month of the Rosary, help us ease our journey. #PrayVD |
Archives
August 2021
CategoriesAll Daily Guidelines Reflections On The Word Of God School Of The Word Thoughts From A Disciple |