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.
12/24/2019
Daily Guidelines: December 24, 2019December 24, 2019 Tuesday
Gospel: Luke 1:67-79 “And you, child, will be called prophet of the Most High” How are you in your preparation for Christmas? Despite everyone being so busy waiting for the food to be cooked, waiting for the long lines in the shopping malls, may we never lose sight of what we shall truly spend time on waiting: Jesus’ coming, In this moment, let us be like Zechariah in the Gospel – while everyone was filled with joy by the coming of John, he did not forget that behind it all was the mighty power of the Lord’s hand in their lives. Like him, may we let the Holy Spirit fill us up with songs of praise and adoration for the real reason of the people’s celebration. Let earth receive her King. Let every heart prepare Him room. #PrayVD
12/23/2019
Daily Guidelines: December 23, 2019December 23, 2019 Monday
Gospel: Luke 1:57-66 “John is his name” In our society of today, we may sometimes be overwhelmed by all the voices around us – trying to tell and dictate us who we really are in this world. But just like Elizabeth and Zechariah in the Gospel, may we always end up finding and listening to the voice of God among others. Because after all, it is His voice that truly matters. You are what He made you to be. Mother Mary, may you continue to pray for our attentive hearts so that we can be able to use these to continuously seek for the Lord’s voice so we will never lose who we truly are. #PrayVD
12/22/2019
Daily Guidelines: December 22, 2019December 22, 2019 Sunday
Gospel: Matthew 1:18-24 “God is with us” What makes Christmas special? Beyond the festivities and the gifts, let us focus on the simplicity and humility during the first Christmas, when the Baby Jesus was born in a lowly manger. In our gospel today, we see that through the obedience of simple and ordinary individuals- Mary and Joseph- that the salvation of humankind came about; that God himself proved that He is with us. As we draw nearer and nearer the celebration of Christ’s birth, may we ask the Lord for the grace to also have such simple obedient faith. May Christ Himself be born in our humble hearts, so that we may be a living proof that indeed, God is with us always. #PrayVD
12/21/2019
Daily Guidelines: December 21, 2019December 21, 2019 Saturday
Gospel: Luke 1:39-45 “Leap for joy!” Today’s gospel is very simple in that it is about two cousins’ meeting- Mary and Elizabeth- after knowing about their pregnancy. Yet in that simple visit, we see God’s magnificent ambition: for the entire humankind to ‘leap for joy’ with His gift to us- His very own son Jesus. This genuine happiness expressed by John in Elizabeth’s womb was so contagious that Elizabeth ‘cried out in a loud voice, saying, ‘Most blessed are you among women!’’ As we let Jesus in our hearts daily, may we, too find this genuine joy, so that we may we transmit this authentic happiness to others as well. #PrayVD
12/20/2019
Daily Guidelines: December 20, 2019December 20, 2019 Friday
Gospel: Luke 1:26-38 “The power of the Most High will overshadow you.” Macchiato comes from the Latin word maculatus meaning ‘to stain’. Thus macchiato pertains to coffee stained with a few drops of milk, but not to the point of overpowering its taste. On the contrary, the reading for today retells the account of the ImMACULATE conception, that is how Mary, who was UNSTAINED by sin, fully dedicated herself to be the mother of Jesus. She give her plans, her personal ambitions, allowing God to fully empower her, and indeed, great things happened through her. Our dearest Mother, teach us how to allow ourselves to be fully overshadowed by God, so that He may truly expand our little ‘yes’ in unimaginable ways. #PrayVD
12/19/2019
Daily Guidelines: December 19, 2019December 19, 2019 Thursday
Gospel: Luke 1:5-25 "How shall I know this? For I am an old man.” Another key personality in Jesus’ birth is Zechariah, the father of John the Baptist. Though he and his wife Elizabeth were described as ‘righteous’ in our gospel reading today, he seemed doubtful when the angel announced that Elizabeth will conceive: “How shall I know this, for I am an old man?” Like Zechariah, do we sometimes fail to believe that for our Lord, nothing is impossible? Do we tend to make a lot of excuses, and cling to what’s logical, preventing us to see God’s wonders in our life? Mother Mary, increase our belief that the Lord can make wondrous things happen in our lives. #PrayVD
12/18/2019
Daily Guidelines: December 18, 2019December 18, 2019 Wednesday
Gospel: Matthew 1:18-25 "He was a righteous man, yet unwilling to expose her to shame.” The birth of our Lord Jesus came about not only because of the workings of the Holy Spirit, but also because of ordinary people who showed extraordinary faith. One of these is Joseph, who despite the scandalous situation he found his fiancè Mary in, chose to divorce her quietly. And yet he was further challenged to take a greater leap of faith as the angel asks him to take Mary as his wife. His immediate ‘yes’ makes him worthy to be chosen by God to accompany Mother Mary and witness the birth of our Savior. St. Joseph, give us courage to take a leap of faith especially in contradicting situations. #PrayVD
12/17/2019
Daily Guidelines: December 17, 2019December 17, 2019 Tuesday
Gospel: Matthew 1:1-17 "Of her was born Jesus who is called the Christ” Today’s reading tells of Jesus’ genalogy, or family history, from the time of Abraham. How far can we trace our own family origin? How amazing it is to see God’s hands at work, creating and linking Jesus’ family tree. In the same way, how amazing it is to realize that God has mapped out our lives long before our parents conceived the idea of our existence. Thus, each one’s life is no accident. He specifically chose us to be in this world for a purpose- to be His beloved children. Dear Mother Mary, help us to continue trusting the Lord whenever we doubt ourselves or question our life’s purpose. #PrayVD
12/16/2019
Daily Guidelines: December 16, 2019December 16, 2019 Monday
Gospel: Matthew 21:23-27 "Who gave you this authority?" In today’s gospel, Jesus is confronted by chief priests and elders, questioning Him under whose authority He preaches. Perhaps we too have experienced being challenged by others. How do we tend to react in those moments? Do we fight back in self-defense? Or do we keep silent but think badly of the one who confronts us? Jesus teaches us today the value of calmness. He demonstrates that not all adversity that comes our way needs to be reciprocated with harsh words and actions. On this first day of misa de gallo, we are reminded to anticipate the coming of Jesus in our hearts- so that like Him, we may face our adversities with wisdom and calmness. #PrayVD
12/15/2019
Daily Guidelines: December 15, 2019Sunday, December 15
Matt 11:2-11 The blind receive their sight and the lame walk This is the third Sunday of advent, gaudete Sunday. It is a time to give thanks and rejoice for Jesus has come to heal our iniquities and rescue us from sin. As we gather together today one Verbum Dei family, let us celebrate our Lord and Savior Jesus who is the reason for our joy. He has come to live among us, and raise us out of darkness! Lord, we rejoice today at the immeasurable gift of Your Son. May we allow Him to heal us of our spiritual blindness. #PrayVD |
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