Finding God in our life

Welcome to my blog.

The Catholic Church provides each day with God’s Word. If we put aside time each to read, meditate and pray over his Word we will come to know the truth and grow in love.

Here in my blog, you will find the readings from Bible chosen for us by the Church. The New Testament was written by members of the Church. It was the Catholic Church, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, which decided which books were inspired and which not. We should read the Scripture listening to the Spirit, who inspired those who first wrote these words. May he speak to you too.

Friday 26 June 2020

Finding God in our life

Ps 27: 8-9

The Lord is the strength of his people,

a saving refuge for the one he has anointed.

Save your people, Lord, and bless your heritage,

and govern them for ever.

Prayer

Father in heaven, grant

that we may always reverence and love you,

for you never deprive of your guidance

those whose life is firmly founded on love for you.

We make our prayer through your Son,

Christ Jesus our Lord.

First reading

2 Kings 25:1-12 ·

Thus was Judah exiled from her land (2 Kings 25:21).

In the tenth month of the ninth year of Zedekiah’s reign, on the tenth day of the month, Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, and his whole army advanced against Jerusalem, encamped around it, and built siege walls on every side. The siege of the city continued until the eleventh year of Zedekiah. On the ninth day of the fourth month, when famine had gripped the city, and the people had no more bread, the city walls were breached. Then the king and all the soldiers left the city by night through the gate between the two walls that was near the king’s garden. Since the Chaldeans had the city surrounded, they went in the direction of the Arabah. But the Chaldean army pursued the king and overtook him in the desert near Jericho, abandoned by his whole army.

The king was therefore arrested and brought to Riblah to the king of Babylon, who pronounced sentence on him. He had Zedekiah’s sons slain before his eyes. Then he blinded Zedekiah, bound him with fetters, and had him brought to Babylon.

On the seventh day of the fifth month (this was in the nineteenth year of Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon), Nebuzaradan, captain of the bodyguard, came to Jerusalem as the representative of the king of Babylon. He burned the house of the Lord, the palace of the king, and all the houses of Jerusalem; every large building was destroyed by fire. Then the Chaldean troops who were with the captain of the guard tore down the walls that surrounded Jerusalem.

Then Nebuzaradan, captain of the guard, led into exile the last of the people remaining in the city, and those who had deserted to the king of Babylon, and the last of the artisans. But some of the country’s poor, Nebuzaradan, captain of the guard, left behind as vinedressers and farmers. THE WORD OF THE LORD

Prayerful reflection

587 BC. It looked as if that was the end of everything. Nothing worse could happen to the Jews. In response to the king Zedakiah’s rebellion the Babylonians came in force and in rage. After a siege of more than a year, they broke down the walls of Jerusalem and destroyed everything they could and those who remained were taken as captives into exile. Jerusalem was abandoned and in ruins. There was no Temple, no worship, no priests, and the nation was captive in a foreign and pagan land.

Did God really abandon them? Or was this the only way that they would come back to the faith and so be the race in which his Son could be born? For those who love him, God can turn everything for their good. There were those in Jerusalem who sincerely loved God. They are the ones who will keep the faith alive in Babylon. They will return in God’s time and reconstruct not only Jerusalem but the faith of the chosen people. God was present with them, even in the worst days in their history.

Let us not ask, ‘why has God done this to me?’, but rather, ‘where is the loving God in this?’ If we love him, he will bring out of our suffering the very best for us. Can you believe this? He has given his Word.

Psalm

Psalm 137:1-2, 3, 4-5, 6

Let my tongue be silenced, if I ever forget you!

By the streams of Babylon

we sat and wept

when we remembered Zion.

On the aspens of that land

we hung up our harps.

Let my tongue be silenced, if I ever forget you!

Though there our captors asked of us

the lyrics of our songs,

And our despoilers urged us to be joyous:

“Sing for us the songs of Zion!”

Let my tongue be silenced, if I ever forget you!

How could we sing a song of the Lord

in a foreign land?

If I forget you, Jerusalem,

may my right hand be forgotten!

Let my tongue be silenced, if I ever forget you!

May my tongue cleave to my palate

if I remember you not,

If I place not Jerusalem

ahead of my joy.

Let my tongue be silenced, if I ever forget you!

Let my tongue be silenced, if I ever forget you!

Matthew 8:17

Alleluia, alleluia.

Christ took away our infirmities

and bore our diseases.

Alleluia, alleluia.

Gospel

Matthew 8:1-4

If you wish, you can make me clean.

When Jesus came down from the mountain, great crowds followed him. And then a leper approached, did him homage, and said, “Lord, if you wish, you can make me clean.” He stretched out his hand, touched him, and said, “I will do it.  Be made clean.” His leprosy was cleansed immediately. Then Jesus said to him, “See that you tell no one, but go show yourself to the priest, and offer the gift that Moses prescribed; that will be proof for them.”

Prayerful reflection

Jesus preaches by WORD and DEED. So, should we. Faith without good works is dead (James). ‘Blessed are the merciful’. Because of his disease the leper is an outcast. He has nothing - no family, no possessions, no place to stay. Everyone jeers at him and runs away. His life is misery. But there is one person who will not run away, one person who will receive him with ‘the tender mercy of God’ (Luke 1:), embrace him and see through his external repugnance to the beauty of his soul. That person is Jesus, Son of God. Not only for the leper, but for you too and me. We are all ‘lepers’. He looks through the repugnance of our situation to the beauty of who we really are.

There is one person who can break the chains of our leprosy, - sin and misery, and give us the happiness which we seek. That person is Jesus, Son of God. He reveals the tender mercy of God to us too. He will embrace us too and make us clean. We need to approach him simply, sincerely, as we are, in our chains. He waits for you. Dare you come close? The solution: Lord I will come, and I will never leave you either. Jesus will do what it takes.

 If we want to be his disciples, we too will do the same for everyone. The leper was bound by the chains of his leprosy. He longed to be free. Sinners bound by the chains of sin search for happiness. But there is no happiness in sin. Others have other chains, sickness, loneliness, social ostracization, substance abuse, and the list goes on. Let us be the love and mercy of Jesus for them today. Are you willing to be his disciple? Can you be Jesus to someone today? Let them meet Jesus, the true God, in you. That is to believe. That is living your faith.

Ps 144: 15

The eyes of all look to you, Lord,

and you give them their food in due season.

Prayer

Father in heaven, through the Bread of your Word

and the Bread of your Holy Eucharist,

you constantly nourish us.

We pray that we may receive this food

wholeheartedly and so receive the eternal salvation

you promise us.

We may our prayer through your Son,

Christ Jesus our Lord.