The Lord’s friendship is for those who revere him

Welcome to my blog. You will find the daily readings from the Bible which the Catholic Church under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit has chosen and provides for our spiritual nourishment. If we use them seriously each day, we will grow in our relationship with God – ‘in whom we live, move and have our being’ – and come to know Jesus who loved us and gave his life for us on the Cross. He gives us life and gives it in abundance.

How to pray with the Bible. 1. Set aside a time each day when alone or in a group, you can in silence listen to God speaking to you. He speaks gently as with Elijah (1 Kings 19:12), Jesus, (Rev 3:20). 2.Sit comfortably where you will not be distracted or disturbed. You are to enter into the presence of God who loves and cares for you. 3.Pray for the Holy Spirit who teaches us how to pray (Rom 8:26-27). Ask Mary to intercede with her Son to send the Spirit upon you. (Luke 11:13). 4. Read slowly in the Spirit who inspired the reading, asking him to speak to you too. Phrases will strike you. “Speak Lord your servant is listening” (1 Sam 3:11). “All Scripture is inspired and profitable for teaching… and instruction in righteousness” (2 Tim 3:16”. 5. Pray to Jesus with gratitude for the inspiration he has given you. 6. Go back in the Spirit of Jesus to your ordinary life.

Thursday 4 June 2020

The Lord’s friendship is for those who revere him

 Ps 24: 16, 18

Turn to me and have mercy on me, O Lord,

for I am alone and poor.

See my lowliness and suffering

and take away all my sins, my God.

Prayer

Father in heaven, you care for your children at all times

we humbly ask you to keep us free from all harm in soul and body

and grant that everything that happens may become a source of good for us.

We make our prayer through your Son, Christ Jesus our Lord.

First reading

2 Timothy 2:8-15 ·

If we have died with Christ then we shall live with Christ

Remember the Good News that I carry, ‘Jesus Christ risen from the dead, sprung from the race of David’; it is on account of this that I have my own hardships to bear, even to being chained like a criminal – but they cannot chain up God’s news. So I bear it all for the sake of those who are chosen, so that in the end they may have the salvation that is in Christ Jesus and the eternal glory that comes with it.

Here is a saying that you can rely on:

If we have died with him, then we shall live with him.

If we hold firm, then we shall reign with him.

If we disown him, then he will disown us.

We may be unfaithful, but he is always faithful,

for he cannot disown his own self.

Remind them of this; and tell them in the name of God that there is to be no wrangling about words: all that this ever achieves is the destruction of those who are listening. Do all you can to present yourself in front of God as a man who has come through his trials, and a man who has no cause to be ashamed of his life’s work and has kept a straight course with the message of the truth.

Prayerful reflection

Jesus is risen from the dead. Paul met him on the road to Damascus and since then has preached fearlessly that Jesus is the Risen Lord. As a result, he is now in prison bound with chains. Though suffering, he is confident. He knows the suffering is temporary and the glory to follow eternal. He quotes a Christian hymn, which encourages us to persevere in our fidelity to Jesus, for it holds out a great reward. By being unfaithful to Jesus we will suffer the loss of everything. Jesus will be forced to acknowledge the truth, namely that we have disowned him.

Let us find our security in the Risen Lord. Then, however others treat us, we will come through the trials and not be ashamed of our life of faith.

Let us be as certain of the Risen Lord as St. Paul. May he become the centre of our life. This truth will make us unafraid and unashamed of our faith, whatever the atmosphere in which we live. Let it be openly or covertly hostile, or one of indifference or mockery, we will persevere regardless, because we know the ultimate victory is ours in our Risen Lord.

Do you experience the presence of the Lord Jesus in your life, as you live among those who do not share your faith? Is the Risen Lord a real person for you or just some vague person you believe exists somewhere?

Psalm

Psalm 24(25):4-5,8-10,14

Lord, make me know your ways.

Lord, make me know your ways.

Lord, teach me your paths.

Make me walk in your truth, and teach me:

for you are God my saviour.

Lord, make me know your ways.

In you I hope all day long

The Lord is good and upright.

He shows the path to those who stray,

He guides the humble in the right path,

He teaches his way to the poor.

Lord, make me know your ways.

His ways are faithfulness and love

for those who keep his covenant and law.

The Lord’s friendship is for those who revere him;

to them he reveals his covenant.

Lord, make me know your ways.

____________________

Jn6:63,68

Alleluia!

Your words are spirit, Lord, and they are life;

you have the message of eternal life.

Alleluia!

Gospel

Mark 12:28-34

'You are not far from the kingdom of God'

One of the teachers of religious law was standing there listening to the debate. He realized that Jesus had answered well, so he asked, “Of all the commandments, which is the most important?”

Jesus replied, “The most important commandment is this: ‘Listen, O Israel! The LORD our God is the one and only LORD.  And you must love the LORD your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your mind, and all your strength.’  The second is equally important: ‘Love your neighbour as yourself.’ No other commandment is greater than these.”

The teacher of religious law replied, “Well said, Teacher. You have spoken the truth by saying that there is only one God and no other.  And I know it is important to love him with all my heart and all my understanding and all my strength, and to love my neighbour as myself. This is more important than to offer all of the burnt offerings and sacrifices required in the law.”

Realizing how much the man understood, Jesus said to him, “You are not far from the Kingdom of God.” And after that, no one dared to ask him any more questions. (NLT). THE GOSPEL OF THE LORD.

Prayerful reflection

“You must love the LORD your God with all your heart” Everything we have and everything we are, is God’s gift to us. Once without any kind of existence, in his love he brought me into existence and gave me everything I have. So naturally, I should love him with all my heart, soul, mind and strength. We understand this and try to do this, though we may often fail. God is invisible, silent, and apparently inactive. It is easy to forget him and do what appeals to our feelings at the time.

But how can Jesus say The second is equally important: ‘Love your neighbour as yourself.’ Since God is invisible, silent and apparently distant, how can I show my love to him directly in a concrete human way? I pray, I offer gifts in church or at a shrine. They are for God and surely, he sees them, but he doesn’t take them.

But God has become an incarnate God, he has appeared in true flesh and blood like one of us. He has died and risen and remains with us. In his love he makes himself present in our sisters and brothers. “I was hungry, thirsty, naked, homeless, in prison etc. You reached out to me in my need” (Matthew 25:31 ff). Now when I reach out to others with spiritual or physical works of love, I touch God. As any loving parent suffers in the suffering of their child born from them, so God suffers in the pain of his children. When we relieve this pain, we give joy to God.

Love God in prayer and in church and love him with all your heart. When you come out, search for him and love him in a concrete way in those you meet. The mystery is that he is there. The wisdom is to recognize him. Do you?

Mk 11: 23, 24

Amen, I say to you: Whatever you ask for in prayer,

believe you will receive it,

and it will be yours, says the Lord.

Prayer

Father in heaven, you feed us day by day,

with the food of your Word

and with the food of the Eucharist,

help us to love not only in words

but also in works.

We make our prayer through your Son,

Christ Jesus our Lord.