glory of God

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Wednesday, 29 May 2013 : 8th Week of Ordinary Time (First Reading)

Sirach 36 : 1-2a, 5-6, 13-19

Have mercy on us, Master, God of all, and look on us; make every nation stand in fear of You. Take action against pagan nations.

Give new signs, do fresh wonders, stretch out Your hand and be glorified in Your strength. Kindle Your fury and rouse Your anger, destroy Your opponents, crush Your enemy.

Fill Zion with the fame of Your wonders, and Your people with Your glory. Confirm the promises made to Your people long ago and fulfill the promises made in Your Name. Reward those who wait for You and fulfill the words of Your prophets.

Hear the prayer of Your servants, Lord; hear Your priests giving Aaron’s blessing to Your people. So that all on earth may acknowledge that You are Lord and everlasting God.

The stomach takes in all kinds of food but one food is better than another. Just as the tongue can distinguish the flavour of meat, so does the alert mind detect lies.

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Tuesday, 28 May 2013 : 8th Week of Ordinary Time (Scripture Reflection)

Brothers and sisters in Christ, God wants us, Christ wants all of us, God’s children, to be truly His own. He wants us to give of ourselves, fully and entirely to God, in love. He wants us to follow Him, and follow His teachings of love, the commandments of love He had given to all of us, through His apostles, whom He first called to follow Him and became His disciples.

God loves all of us, and God wants our love to Him too. That was why, in the Book of the prophet Sirach, we were told that the best offerings are the offering of our hearts, and our full dedication of ourselves to God, in love. This offering of pure love from our hearts is what the Lord truly wants from all of us. Not the animal burnt offerings and fragrant offerings of fats and meat that had been offered by the people of Israel in the past.

God asked the people of Israel to offer animals and their fats to Him, with all the various regulations and types of sacrifice, because He wanted to teach them the need to offer thanksgiving and praise to Him who created all things and who made all life possible. But His true intention is not the offering itself, because an offering given to God, out of ignorance and indifference will not be accepted by God. Rather, it is the love that accompanies the offerings, the true and pure love for God that God desires from all His children.

Remember the earliest record of sacrifice ever made by mankind, in the sacrifice of Cain and Abel to God. Cain and Abel offered their products of the world to God, the fruits of their labour. Cain, a farmer, offered the first fruits of his harvest from his farm, and Abel, who was a shepherd, offered the offering of his best lamb. The offering of Abel was accepted while the offering of Cain was rejected by God. Why? It is because Abel simply offered the very best to the Lord, and was sincere in his offering to God, while Cain did not offer his very best, and kept the best to himself, showing that he is insincere in his love for God.

That shows that God desires exactly not what is being offered by man, but the hearts of the people who offer those gifts themselves, their love for Him, is what He truly desires. That we love Him just as He has loved us, ever since He created us, and saw the perfection that was in us, but was lost because of our rebellion.

But He did not give us up to damnation with Satan in hell. He gave us His salvation, through Christ His own Son, whom He sent into the world to be our Saviour. Through His death on the cross, He redeemed all mankind and brought us into a new hope for salvation, if we accept the ultimate love He had offered us from that cross in Calvary.

Just as Christ had offered Himself in love, and out of His pure and perfect love for all of us, even the greatest of sinners among us, so then we too should love Him who loves us, and who gave up even His life for us that all of us may be saved, and be reunited with Him in the bliss of eternal life with Him. Offer our hearts and our pure, unadulterated love for Him, and show our love for God who has given so much for us, our lives, and our hope.

Therefore, brothers and sisters, do not hesitate, and do not be afraid! Bare ourselves and our heart and let God see within us, the love that we have for Him. Even if we have nothing of value to give to Him, our love for Him is good enough for Him, and in fact is priceless. Strive to always love God with all our hearts, and our whole beings. Do not forget to also love our brothers and sisters, those who are least among us, because by doing that, we also show our love for God. God bless us all. Amen.

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Tuesday, 28 May 2013 : 8th Week of Ordinary Time (First Reading)

Sirach 35 : 1-15

Keeping the Law is worth many offerings. Being faithful to the commandments is like a peace offering. Returning kindness is an offering of fine flour; giving alms is a sacrifice of praise.

Renouncing sin pleases the Lord, and shunning injustice is a sacrifice of atonement. Do not appear before the Lord with empty hands. The commandment requires that you bring an offering.

When the offering of the righteous is burnt on the altar, the fat drips down and a fragrant aroma rises to the Most High. The sacrifice of the just man pleases God and will not be forgotten. Honour the Lord with a generous heart and do not be stingy with the first fruits of your harvest.

Offer your gifts with a smiling face and when you pay your tithes do it gladly. Give to the Most High as He has given to you; give generously to the Lord according to what you have; the Lord will repay, He will reward you sevenfold.

If you attempt to bribe Him with gifts He will not accept them; do not rely on offerings from dishonest gain. The Lord is judge and shows no partiality. He will not disadvantage the poor, He who hears the prayer of the oppressed.

He does not disdain the plea of the orphan, nor the complaint of the widow. When tears flow down her cheeks, is she not crying out against the one who caused her to weep?

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Monday, 27 May 2013 : 8th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Augustine of Canterbury, Bishop (First Reading)

Sirach 17 : 20-28

Their misdeeds cannot be hidden from Him, all their sins are before the Lord. He holds a man’s almsgiving dear as a priceless signet ring; He cherishes a good deed like the apple of His eye.

One day He will rise and reward them; He will place their prize on their heads. He allows those who repent to return; He comforts those whose hopes are fading.

Be converted to the Lord and give up your sins, plead with Him to lessen your offense. Return to the Almighty, turn aside from wrongdoing and totally detest evil.

For who in the grave will praise the Almighty, if the living do not give Him glory? The dead man is as if he did not exist and cannot give praise; He who has life and health can praise the Lord.

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Sunday, 26 May 2013 : Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity, Trinity Sunday (Gospel Reading)

John 16 : 12-15

I still have many things to tell you, but you cannot bear them now. When He, the Spirit of truth comes, He will guide you into the whole truth.

He has nothing to say of Himself, but He will speak of what He hears, and He will tell you of the things to come. He will take what is Mine and make it known to you; in doing this, He will glorify Me.

All that the Father has is Mine; because of this, I have just told you that the Spirit will take what is Mine, and make it known to you.

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Sunday, 26 May 2013 : Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity, Trinity Sunday (First Reading)

Proverbs 8 : 22-31

YHVH created Me first, at the beginning of His works. He formed Me from of old, from eternity, even before the earth.

The abyss did not exist when I was born, the springs of the sea had not gushed forth, the mountains were still not set in their place nor the hills, when I was born before He made the earth or countryside, or the first grains of the world’s dust.

I was there when He made the skies and drew the earth’s compass on the abyss, when He formed the clouds above and when the springs of the ocean emerged; when He made the sea with its limits, that it might not overflow.

When He laid the foundations of the earth, I was close beside Him, the designer of His works, and I was His daily delight, forever playing in His presence, playing throughout the world and delighting to be with humans.

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Saturday, 25 May 2013 : 7th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Bede the Venerable, Priest and Doctor; Pope St. Gregory VII, Pope; and St. Mary Magdalene de’ Pazzi, Virgin (First Reading)

Sirach 17 : 1-13

The Lord created man from the earth and let him return to earth. He settled a fixed time for them and a set number of days, giving them power over everything on earth. He endowed them with a strength like His own, making them in His own image.

He put the fear of them in all living things, thus they had mastery over the animals and birds. He endowed them with knowledge; He gave them tongue and eyes, ears and a mind to think with.

He filled them with wisdom and knowledge; He taught them good and evil. He put His own eye in their hearts so they would understand the greatness of His works. They will praise His Holy Name and relate the magnificence of His creation.

He gave them revealed knowledge as well and handed over to them the Law of Life. He established an everlasting covenant with them and let them know His judgments. Human eyes saw the splendour of the Glory of God; their ears heard the grandeur of His voice.

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Sunday, 12 May 2013 : 7th Sunday of Easter (Psalm)

Psalm 96 : 1 and 2b, 6 and 7c, 9

The Lord reigns; let the earth rejoice; let the distant islands be glad. Justice and right are His throne.

The heavens proclaim His justice, all peoples see His glory. Let all spirits bow before Him.

For You are the Master of the universe, exalted far above all gods.

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Sunday, 12 May 2013 : 7th Sunday of Easter (First Reading)

Acts 7 : 55-60

But Stephen, full of the Holy Spirit, fixed his eyes on heaven and saw the glory of God and Jesus at God’s right hand, so he declared, “I see the heavens open and the Son of Man at the right hand of God.”

But they shouted and covered their ears with their hands and rushed together upon him. They brought him out of the city and stoned him, and the witnesses laid down their cloaks at the feet of a young man named Saul. As they were stoning him, Stephen prayed saying : “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.”

Then he knelt down and said in a loud voice, “Lord, do not hold this sin against them.” And when he had said this, he died.

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Thursday, 2 May 2013 : 5th Week of Easter, Memorial of St. Athanasius, Bishop and Doctor (Psalm)

Psalm 95 : 1-2a, 2b-3, 10

Sing to the Lord a new song, sing to the Lord, all the earth! Sing to the Lord, bless His Name.

Proclaim His salvation day after day. Recall His glory among the nations, tell all the peoples His wonderful deeds.

Say among the nations, “The Lord reigns!” He will judge the peoples with justice.