Wednesday, December 4, 2013

First Week of Advent - A Spiritual Journey towards Christmas

Discovering the Presence of Christ - Daily Gospel Reflections


December 2, 2013

Gospel Reading:
When Jesus entered Capernaum, a centurion approached him and appealed to him, saying, “Lord, my servant is lying at home paralyzed, suffering dreadfully.” He said to him, “I will come and cure him.” The centurion said in reply, “Lord, I am not worthy to have you enter under my roof; only say the word and my servant will be healed. - Matthew 8:5-8

Reflection: 
Discover Jesus in His word. Believe in the power of Jesus' word as did the centurion. Jesus speaks not only to him, but also to us. Do not allow fear or doubt to turn you away from hearing His voice. Place your trust in His healing words.

Action: 
Pray for someone who is need of healing today. Trust in Jesus' words, "I will come to cure him."

December 3, 2013

Gospel Reading:
Turning to the disciples in private he said, “Blessed are the eyes that see what you see. For I say to you, many prophets and kings desired to see what you see, but did not see it, and to hear what you hear, but did not hear it.” –Luke 10:23-24

Reflection: 
As Disciples of Christ we are privileged to be invited by Jesus to see and hear things differently. This invitation is not to deny the challenges that exist in this world, which is all too often full of chaos, violence, and fear. Rather, it is an invitation, in the midst of the challenges, to encounter the presence of Jesus. Jesus reminds us to discover meaning in the chaos, to seek peace amidst the violence, and to hold firmly to faith in the moments of fear. As disciples we choose to see Jesus’ presence of love, reconciliation and hope. And so when you are confronted with challenges don’t despair. Instead, stop, close your eyes, and take a breath. Then open your eyes to see God’s blessings and open your ears to Jesus’ voice calling on you to be His presence of love, reconciliation and hope in the world all around you.

Action: 
Take a quiet five-minute walk outside. Experience the sights and sounds around you. Name God’s blessings in your life. Then reflect on where Jesus is calling on you to be His presence of love, reconciliation or hope to another person or situation.

December 4, 2013

Gospel Reading:
Jesus summoned his disciples and said, “My heart is moved with pity for the crowd, for they have been with me now for three days and have nothing to eat. I do not want to send them away hungry, for fear they may collapse on the way.” The disciples said to him, “Where could we ever get enough bread in this deserted place to satisfy such a crowd?”  Jesus said to them, “How many loaves do you have?”  “Seven,” they replied, “and a few fish.” He ordered the crowd to sit down on the ground. Then he took the seven loaves and the fish, gave thanks, broke the loaves, and gave them to the disciples, who in turn gave them to the crowds. They all ate and were satisfied. They picked up the fragments left over–seven baskets full. –Matthew 15:32-39

Reflection: 
Discover Jesus in the other. Today Jesus’ heart is moved with pity for the crowd. In today’s world pity is often understood as “feeling sorry” for the other. For Jesus the word pity is much stronger. It is a strong feeling of sympathy for the other; it is having compassion, to suffer with the other. It is when we are weak Jesus looks to nourish us. As disciples we are invited to give what we have to Jesus. We can often find ourselves in what seems to be an impossible situation. Instead of “giving up” Jesus invites us to “give him” what we have. We must not be helpless or hopeless! We serve a God of miracles and Jesus proves to us time and time again he will not only satisfy us, He will go over and beyond to provide us an abundance! In response to our suffering and to the sufferings of others, we must be willing to give whatever we have to Jesus. And when we do, not only will we be satisfied, we will be able to go forth to share the blessings we have received with others.

Action: 
Be compassionate with someone else today. It may be a simple greeting, phone call or an invitation for a meal. Don’t forget to help those who cannot repay you. Perhaps you can prepare a sack lunch or buy a meal for someone homeless or on the street. When we give ourselves in service to others everyone receives.

December 5, 2013

Gospel Reading: 
Jesus said to his disciples: “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the Kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father in heaven. “Everyone who listens to these words of mine and acts on them will be like a wise man who built his house on rock. The rain fell, the floods came, and the winds blew and buffeted the house. But it did not collapse; it had been set solidly on rock. And everyone who listens to these words of mine but does not act on them will be like a fool who built his house on sand. The rain fell, the floods came, and the winds blew and buffeted the house. And it collapsed and was completely ruined.” –Matthew 7:21, 24-27

Reflection: 
Jesus demands more of his disciples than merely words. Action is fundamental to the life of a Christian. It flows from one’s proclamation of faith, but it does not end there. At the same time discipleship is not about earning some type of credit for any given action. Neither will respond to Jesus’ demand. Disciples must first seek to do the will of the Father. This necessitates listening and discerning in prayer. After prayer we are then sent forth to act in a manner that responds to the will of the Father, which is always to build the Kingdom of Heaven. And so responding to Jesus’ demand requires faith, prayer and action. All three movements must be carried out and be built upon a strong foundation. A foundation that will stand despite the rain, flood and wind that will no doubt come. That foundation is Christ, who perfectly fulfills the will of the Father. Therefore, are you wise enough to heed the words of Jesus and to act on them? If so, you are you building your house on rock. If not, it is time to make some changes by ending the madness of building your house on sand.

Action: 
Build your house on rock! Spend a short time in prayer. After your time in prayer, go forth to do a concrete act that reflects the life of Jesus Christ.

December 6, 2013

Gospel Reading:
As Jesus passed by, two blind men followed him, crying out, “Son of David, have pity on us!” When he entered the house, the blind men approached him and Jesus said to them, “Do you believe that I can do this?”  “Yes, Lord,” they said to him. Then he touched their eyes and said, “Let it be done for you according to your faith.” And their eyes were opened. Jesus warned them sternly, “See that no one knows about this.” But they went out and spread word of him through all that land. –Matthew 9:27-31

Reflection: 
At every moment of every day Jesus “passes by” our lives. In fact, He is always there to respond to our needs. We can learn from the blind men in the Gospel today. Even though we can “see”, we are often blinded to the presence of Christ around us. We, at times, only see the wrong, the hurt, or the unanswered prayer. This blindness can lead us to feel abandoned, downhearted, unloved. Disciples may get discouraged, but must never give up! For as St. Paul reminds us, we live by faith not by sight (2 Cor 5:7). And so, as we journey in faith, before we try to figure it all out or give Jesus a laundry list of wants, let us first humbly acknowledge His presence. The two men in the Gospel give us an example as they first acknowledged the presence of Jesus by saying, “Son of David, have pity on us”. Their faith brought them to an encounter with Jesus. We must do the same and when we do, we too, will be in a place to hear the Lord say to us, “Do you believe that I can do this?” Our response should be, “Yes Lord”.

Action: 
Acknowledge Jesus’ presence with a heartfelt prayer. Then make a request to the Lord. After the request, hear him ask you, “Do you believe that I can do this?” Let your response be “Yes Lord!”

December 7, 2013

Gospel Reading:
Jesus went around to all the towns and villages, teaching in their synagogues, proclaiming the Gospel of the Kingdom, and curing every disease and illness.  At the sight of the crowds, his heart was moved with pity for them because they were troubled and abandoned, like sheep without a shepherd. Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is abundant but the laborers are few; so ask the master of the harvest to send out laborers for his harvest.” –Matthew 9:35-38

Reflection: 
We hear in the Gospel that Jesus went around to all the towns and villages. Imagine for a moment Jesus walking around your life. Walking with you in your home, school, work or daily activities. As he goes about the day, what does He see? Does He find himself at the center of your day? Or does Jesus find himself in and out of the picture? Jesus is the Good Shepherd looking to care for His sheep. He walks around your life because it bothers Him to see when you are troubled or abandoned. He comes to teach, to proclaim joys of the Kingdom and to bring healing to your life. In the hustle and bustle of life, you need reminders of His presence. You need voices that point you to Him and that challenge you to keep Jesus at the center of your day. Jesus gives us a Church with pastors to be that voice. Recently Jesus’ Vicar on Earth, Pope Francis, reminded us, “To follow Jesus means putting him first, and stripping ourselves of all that oppresses our hearts.” Let us always make Jesus the center of our lives. Let Him teach us, proclaim to us the joys of His Kingdom and to heal us of all that burdens.

Action: 
Spend some quiet time reflecting on how you can make Jesus the center of your life. What is one concrete action you can do each day to ensure you keep Jesus at the center of your life?

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