My reflections for Feb. 27, 2006 - Monday

February 27, 2006

Reading I
1 Peter 1:3-9

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,
who in his great mercy gave us a new birth to a living hope
through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,
to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading,
kept in heaven for you
who by the power of God are safeguarded through faith,
to a salvation that is ready to be revealed in the final time.
In this you rejoice, although now for a little while
you may have to suffer through various trials,
so that the genuineness of your faith,
more precious than gold that is perishable even though tested by fire,
may prove to be for praise, glory, and honor
at the revelation of Jesus Christ.
Although you have not seen him you love him;
even though you do not see him now yet you believe in him,
you rejoice with an indescribable and glorious joy,
as you attain the goal of faith, the salvation of your souls.

(Peter encourages us to keep the goal of our lives, the salvation of our souls, at the forefront of our minds in all that we do. We should always be reflecting upon this goal and referencing the events of lives to it. This will ensure that the devil has a difficult time in leading us astray. It is through daily reflection upon what we do that our lives will be tested in fire - tested against the true image of a Christian, namely Christ. It takes effort to reflect daily, but it is worth doing!)

Responsorial Psalm
Psalms 111:1-2, 5-6, 9 and 10c

R. The Lord will remember his covenant for ever.
I will give thanks to the LORD with all my heart
in the company and assembly of the just.
Great are the works of the LORD,
exquisite in all their delights.
R. The Lord will remember his covenant for ever.
He has given food to those who fear him;
he will forever be mindful of his covenant.
He has made known to his people the power of his works,
giving them the inheritance of the nations.
R. The Lord will remember his covenant for ever.
He has sent deliverance to his people;
he has ratified his covenant forever;
holy and awesome is his name.
His praise endures forever.
R. The Lord will remember his covenant for ever.


Gospel
Mark 10:17-27

As Jesus was setting out on a journey, a man ran up,
knelt down before him, and asked him,
“Good teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?”
Jesus answered him, “Why do you call me good?
No one is good but God alone.
You know the commandments: You shall not kill;
you shall not commit adultery;
you shall not steal;
you shall not bear false witness;
you shall not defraud;
honor your father and your mother.”
He replied and said to him,
“Teacher, all of these I have observed from my youth.”
Jesus, looking at him, loved him and said to him,
“You are lacking in one thing.
Go, sell what you have, and give to the poor
and you will have treasure in heaven; then come, follow me.”
At that statement, his face fell,
and he went away sad, for he had many possessions.

Jesus looked around and said to his disciples,
“How hard it is for those who have wealth
to enter the Kingdom of God!”
The disciples were amazed at his words.
So Jesus again said to them in reply,
“Children, how hard it is to enter the Kingdom of God!
It is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle
than for one who is rich to enter the Kingdom of God.”
They were exceedingly astonished and said among themselves,

“Then who can be saved?”
Jesus looked at them and said,
“For men it is impossible, but not for God.
All things are possible for God.”

(It is very important to note that Jesus looks at the rich young man with love before challenging him to become His disciple. It is always love that is at the basis of everything that God asks of us. It is always the call to love God and our neighbor that guides all the actions of our lives. At least, this is what the case should be! So often we forget to love people when we challenge them or corect them and thus it is not easy for them to accept what we have to say. Let us try to correct this fault within us.)

God's special verse/thought for me today.
I give myself to God's disposition.
"Take, Lord, and receive all my liberty, my memory, my intellect, and all my will - all that I have and possess. Thou gavest it to me: to Thee, Lord, I return it! All is Thine, dispose of it according to all Thy will. Give me Thy love and grace, for this is enough for me."
This prayer concisely expresses the spirit of true offering and total bestowing.
This prayer is an attitude that communicates the true gift of one's self and the conscious agreement to allow God to be in control of one's life and to direct it.

my reflections
think: So often we forget to love people when we challenge them or correct them and thus it is not easy for them to accept what we have to say.
It happens a lot of times when we try to scold the people we love because we care for them. We try to correct the wrong habits that we know that is hurting them. The people doesn't understand that we are telling them the truth even it hurts because we love them. We should always ask God to act through us so that the people we love sees Christ in us when we tell them what is the right thing to do.

thank You Lord for: the prayer St. Ignatius of Loyola.
thank You Lord for receving me for Your disposition.
thank You Lord for the humility for me to give up everything for you.
thank You Lord for taking control of my life and directing it.
thank You Lord for teaching me how to praise you.
thank You Lord for giving me the opportunity to reflect daily.