Bible Reflections from Kyregma
HEAVEN ON EARTH
“I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me will never hunger, and whoever believes in me will never thirst.” – John 6:35
“The Mass — and I mean every single Mass — is heaven on earth.” That’s what Scott Hahn said in his book, The Lamb’s Supper: The Mass as Heaven on Earth.
Even if I try to attend Mass regularly, I sure don’t feel that way every time. I get sleepy, distracted, numb. Of course, I also feel great — sometimes.
But I try to attend Mass daily, not because of my feelings, but because I believe I meet Jesus there. When I’m happy, I give thanks. And when I’m tempted or down, then I literally run to Mass for help. Afterwards, I get insight, a sense that everything will turn out right or that I am not alone.
When Jesus promised to nourish us with Himself in the Eucharist, it covered every area of our lives: emotional, spiritual and financial.
Next time we go to church, let’s be more aware where we are and Who we’re seeing. We might just see heaven come down. Joy Sosoban
REFLECTION:
“It would be easier for the world to exist without the sun than without the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass.” (Padre Pio of Pietrelcina)
Don’t let me attend Mass only out of duty, Lord. Let me love You in it.
WE LOSE PEOPLE WE LOVE
No one is dispensable. Each one of us counts. This is how God regards us. We are precious to Him. He loves us more than we know.
We only lose people we love. People we do not love do not count for us. We do not lose them because they do not matter to us in the first place. We do not notice the absence of people we do not love.
God loses us because He loves us. He loses us not because He does not care about us. He wants all men and women to be saved. But, as St. Augustine said, “God who created you without asking you will not save you without consulting you.” No matter how much God loves us, He does not force us to love Him back. If we stay away from Him, He follows us, He runs after us, and He even haunts us, but He never coerces us to remain in Him. His will is to love us, only to love us, always to love us.
Jesus came to personally tell us how much God loves us and so He wills that all men and women be saved. The Father’s will is for Jesus to save us and that not one of us be lost. Jesus gathers us in the Father’s love.
When we strive to preserve the gains of our salvation, we are like Jesus. When we exert effort not to lose anyone in our Christian community, we are like Jesus. When we value one another and never consider anyone dispensable, we are like Jesus. The name “Jesus” literally means, “God saves.” We continue to make the meaning of His name happen whenever we search out for the lost among us and love those who remain so that we may never lose them. For we lose only those we love. Fr. Bobby Titco
Reflection Question:
Is there anyone in my communitythat I am actually missing? Why?
Dear Jesus, You gather us together in the Father’s loving embrace. Preserve us from anything that may cause the Father to lose us. Deliver us from those who may snatch us from the Father’s love. Help us to search and bring back whoever He has lost and may we never be the cause of the Father’s losing any of His beloved children. Amen.
St. Gaucherius, abbot, pray for us.
1st READING
The persecution in Jerusalem will result in the preaching of the Gospel. Here we see that God is able to use even evil circumstances to spread the Good News. God will cause all things to work for the good of those who love and trust Him.
Acts 8: b-8
1 There broke out a severe persecution of the church in Jerusalem, and all were scattered throughout the countryside of Judea and Samaria, except the apostles. 2 Devout men buried Stephen and made a loud lament over him. 3 Saul, meanwhile, was trying to destroy the church; entering house after house and dragging out men and women, he handed them over for imprisonment. 4 Now those who had been scattered went about preaching the word. 5 Thus Philip went down to [the] city of Samaria and proclaimed the Messiah to them. 6 With one accord, the crowds paid attention to what was said by Philip when they heard it and saw the signs he was doing. 7 For unclean spirits, crying out in a loud voice, came out of many possessed people, and many paralyzed and crippled people were cured. 8 There was great joy in that city.
P S A L M
Psalm 66: – a, 4- , 6-7a
R: Let all the earth cry out to God with joy.
1 Shout joyfully to God, all you on earth, 2 sing praise to the glory of his name; proclaim his glorious praise. 3 Say to God, “How tremendous are your deeds!” (R) 4 “Let all on earth worship and sing praise to you, sing praise to your name!” 5 Come and see the works of God, his tremendous deeds among the children of Adam. (R) 6 He has changed the sea into dry land; through the river they passed on foot; therefore let us rejoice in him. 7 He rules by his might forever. (R)
G O S P E L
The ultimate vindication for men and women of faith is the promise of the life to come. Faith helps make our worldly concerns seem small compared to the hope of heaven. Let us therefore fix our eyes on the things that await us in eternity rather than the things of earth.
John 6: -40
35 Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me will never hunger, and whoever believes in me will never thirst. 36 But I told you that although you have seen [me], you do not believe. 37 Everything that the Father gives me will come to me, and I will not reject anyone who comes to me, 38 because I came down from heaven not to do my own will but the will of the one who sent me. 39 And this is the will of the one who sent me, that I should not lose anything of what he gave me, but that I should raise it [on] the last day. 40 For this is the will of my Father, that everyone who sees the Son and believes in him may have eternal life, and I shall raise him on the last day.”
my reflections
think:Let us focus on the things that await us in eternity rather than the things of this earth.
