AMDG+ March 28, 2014 Friday of the Third Week of Lent Opening Prayer Dear Jesus, It is your desire that we acknowledge the never ending love of the Father just as You want us to love one another as we are loved. Lord, in our weakness and in our sinfulness, your plan of love for us has been a big challenge. Often times we have failed You my Lord. This season of Lent, give us your grace to be loyal to You. Help us to deny ourselves and not deny those in need. Enable us to receive this day of penance as your gift and so that we may in turn gift it back to You through works of mercy. Master our rebellious hearts, so that we may be truly generous in sharing our lives with those who are burdened and cannot put their lives in order. Help us today to grow in your likeness, that we who sinned in Adam may rise again in your Holy and Mighty Name. Touch our hearts to seek your friendship more and more, and to make amends for our sins against your wisdom and goodness. We pray all these through the intercession of our dear Mother Mary. Amen. Reading 1 Hos 14:2-10 Thus says the LORD: Return, O Israel, to the LORD, your God; you have collapsed through your guilt. Take with you words, and return to the LORD; Say to him, “Forgive all iniquity, and receive what is good, that we may render as offerings the bullocks from our stalls. Assyria will not save us, nor shall we have horses to mount; We shall say no more, ‘Our god,’ to the work of our hands; for in you the orphan finds compassion.” I will heal their defection, says the LORD, I will love them freely; for my wrath is turned away from them. I will be like the dew for Israel: he shall blossom like the lily; He shall strike root like the Lebanon cedar, and put forth his shoots. His splendor shall be like the olive tree and his fragrance like the Lebanon cedar. Again they shall dwell in his shade and raise grain; They shall blossom like the vine, and his fame shall be like the wine of Lebanon. Ephraim! What more has he to do with idols? I have humbled him, but I will prosper him. “I am like a verdant cypress tree”— Because of me you bear fruit! Let him who is wise understand these things; let him who is prudent know them. Straight are the paths of the LORD, in them the just walk, but sinners stumble in them. Responsorial Psalm Ps 81:6c-8a, 8bc-9, 10-11ab, 14 and 17 R. (see 11 and 9a) I am the Lord your God: hear my voice. An unfamiliar speech I hear: “I relieved his shoulder of the burden; his hands were freed from the basket. In distress you called, and I rescued you.” R. I am the Lord your God: hear my voice. “Unseen, I answered you in thunder; I tested you at the waters of Meribah. Hear, my people, and I will admonish you; O Israel, will you not hear me?” R. I am the Lord your God: hear my voice. “There shall be no strange god among you nor shall you worship any alien god. I, the LORD, am your God who led you forth from the land of Egypt.” R. I am the Lord your God: hear my voice. “If only my people would hear me, and Israel walk in my ways, I would feed them with the best of wheat, and with honey from the rock I would fill them.” R. I am the Lord your God: hear my voice. Gospel Mk 12:28-34 One of the scribes came to Jesus and asked him, “Which is the first of all the commandments?” Jesus replied, “The first is this: Hear, O Israel! The Lord our God is Lord alone! You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength. The second is this: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. There is no other commandment greater than these.” The scribe said to him, “Well said, teacher. You are right in saying, He is One and there is no other than he. And to love him with all your heart, with all your understanding, with all your strength, and to love your neighbor as yourself is worth more than all burnt offerings and sacrifices.” And when Jesus saw that he answered with understanding, he said to him, “You are not far from the Kingdom of God.” And no one dared to ask him any more questions. Reflection The first and greatest commandment of God to every man is You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. And the second is this: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. There is no other commandment greater than these. Before we can apply God’s commands, there is a need to first renew our motivation for fleshing them out in our lives. If our motivation for being obedient to God is anything but love, we may be pursuing everything from a wrong perspective. When we encounter obstacles along the way, we may give up and fail our Lord. If our attitude toward loving God and neighbor is as a matter of duty and obligation or anything other than His love for us, we can only expect tougher times ahead of us. As Christians we should renew our hearts and minds daily with God’s Word and the amazing truth of His love. God’s love as we all witnessed in Jesus and His Cross never ended in Calvary but was only the manifestation of its beginning. God gave us His Son at the cross before we understood its implications. He gave us His Spirit when we understood and accepted our need for Him. We should therefore be able to nourish our hearts with more of Him as we go through life and its ups and downs. As we nourish ourselves with what is more of God, the Holy Spirit is able to work in us and we are able to understand in a greater way the true and immeasurable love God has for all of us. As our understanding of Gods love for us deepens, our desire to reciprocate and give our all to God just flows into our words, our actions and eventually into all our life. With the Holy Spirit empowering us, we are able to love God with all our heart, and with all our soul and with all our strength, and love our neighbor as our self. We are able to commit to God and give Him our lives. A believer who really loves God has but one desire: to grow in love for Him by practicing fraternal charity with great care. Such a man ardently aspires to be united with God and His brethren. Love of neighbor should have no rigid requirements. It does not expect neither is it pretentious but always ready to accommodate itself to a neighbor. The more we love Gods people, the more shall we enter into that stream of love with which God surrounds all men. Rejoice for God is love and he that abides in love abides in God and God in him. 1 John 4:16 Today are we on the path God wants us to take or are we veered off course? In today’s first reading (Hosea), out of His love for us, God is calling us to return to Him. He promises: “I will heal their defection, says the LORD, I will love them freely; for my wrath is turned away from them.” Let not our feelings distract or keep us away from the Lord. Let us look back at the moment when we had our first encounter with God and His love for us. Let us be renewed by Gods life-giving words in John 8: If you continue in my word, then you are truly disciples of mine; and you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free. Let us all be reminded of God’s word in Psalm 81: “If only my people would hear me, and Israel walk in my ways, I would feed them with the best of wheat,and with honey from the rock I would fill them.” Direction Love is the offering of self for another. Take an extra step in showing love to those we cannot seem to agree with. Loving our neighbor is one good way to show God that we love Him. Prayer Heavenly Father give me the grace to love my neighbor as You have loved me so that I can say that I have truly loved You as well. In Jesus, I pray. Amen. https://facebook/photo.php?fbid=10152255766426250&set=a.10152255630531250.1073741829.759221249&type=3&theater
Posted on: Fri, 28 Mar 2014 02:51:32 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015