Your faith in Jesus saves you

Welcome to my blog.

For our daily spiritual nourishment, the Catholic Church, under the Spirit’s inspiration, gives us readings from the Scriptures. You will find them here along with a prayerful reflection upon them.

The Spirit who inspired the author, will also inspire us if we read his Word with an open and humble heart.

May God bless you as your read.

Monday 6 July 2020

Your faith in Jesus saves you

 Ps 47: 10-11

Your merciful love, O God,

we have received in the midst of your temple.

Your praise, O God, like your name,

reaches the ends of the earth;

your right hand is filled with saving justice.

Father in heaven, who through the abject humiliation

of your Son on the Cross,

have saved a world bent on self-destruction,

fill with holy joy all those

you have liberated from the yoke of sin

and grant them everlasting happiness

in your Kingdom.

We make our prayer through your Son,

Christ Jesus our Lord.

First reading

Hosea 2:16, 17c-18, 21-22 ·

I will espouse you to me forever.

Thus says the Lord:

I will allure her;

I will lead her into the desert

and speak to her heart.

She shall respond there as in the days of her youth,

when she came up from the land of Egypt.

On that day, says the Lord,

She shall call me “My husband,”

and never again “My baal.”

I will espouse you to me forever:

I will espouse you in right and in justice,

in love and in mercy;

I will espouse you in fidelity,

and you shall know the Lord.

THE WORD OF THE LORD

Prayerful reflection

This passage from Hosea expresses the deep desire of God to have a loving and intimate union with each person. He has made us like himself for this purpose. Though like the wife of Hosea we may have been unfaithful, yet nonetheless the love of God is everlasting and forgiving. He constantly reaches out to us and calls us back to himself.

Do you hear him calling you? He is, and if in silence we listen, we will hear his gentle voice. Let us remember Elijah on the mountain. Yahweh was in the silent breeze. How do you respond?

Psalm

Psalm 145:2-3, 4-5, 6-7, 8-9

The Lord is gracious and merciful.

Every day will I bless you,

and I will praise your name forever and ever.

Great is the Lord and highly to be praised;

his greatness is unsearchable.

The Lord is gracious and merciful.

Generation after generation praises your works

and proclaims your might.

They speak of the splendor of your glorious majesty

and tell of your wondrous works.

The Lord is gracious and merciful.

They discourse of the power of your terrible deeds

and declare your greatness.

They publish the fame of your abundant goodness

and joyfully sing of your justice.

The Lord is gracious and merciful.

The Lord is gracious and merciful,

slow to anger and of great kindness.

The Lord is good to all

and compassionate toward all his works.

The Lord is gracious and merciful.

____________________

 2 Timothy 1:10

Alleluia.

Our Saviour Jesus Christ has destroyed death

and brought life to light through the Gospel.

Alleluia.

____________________

Gospel

Matthew 9:18-26

My daughter has just died, but come and she will live.

While Jesus was speaking, an official came forward, knelt down before him, and said, “My daughter has just died. But come, lay your hand on her, and she will live.” Jesus rose and followed him, and so did his disciples. A woman suffering hemorrhages for twelve years came up behind him and touched the tassel on his cloak. She said to herself, “If only I can touch his cloak, I shall be cured.” Jesus turned around and saw her, and said, “Courage, daughter!  Your faith has saved you.” And from that hour the woman was cured.

When Jesus arrived at the official’s house and saw the flute players and the crowd who were making a commotion, he said, “Go away! The girl is not dead but sleeping.” And they ridiculed him. When the crowd was put out, he came and took her by the hand, and the little girl arose. And news of this spread throughout all that land. THE GOSPEL OF THE LORD

Prayerful reflection

Jesus is for people. He gives himself to everyone. Here is an official. He had a position in society and would have been a somewhat wealthy person. He is in distress. He has faith in Jesus. His daughter has died. “Lay your hand on her, and she will live” – what faith is this! Jesus responds immediately. “He rose and followed him”.

Then comes the woman. She has no position in society and is poor. Mark in his Gospel tells us that she had spent all she had on paying doctors who failed to heal her. Through the issue of blood, she is ritually unclean and should keep far away, lest she make others unclean. She too has faith, “If only I can touch his cloak, I shall be cured.” Jesus responds to her too. “Courage, daughter!  Your faith has saved you.”

What can he do for those who have no faith: ‘“Go away! The girl is not dead but sleeping.” And they ridiculed him.’ Those who have faith, do not die. They sleep in Christ and he will raise them too.

Let us pray to have a faith=filled relationship with Christ Jesus. He can then reach out to us too. Our faith will give us courage. Our faith in him, will save us.

Ps 33: 9

Taste and see that the Lord is good;

blessed the man who seeks refuge in him.

Prayer

Grant, we pray, O Lord,

that, having been nourished by your Word,

we may gain the prize of salvation

and never cease to praise you.

Through Christ our Lord.