Thursday, January 03, 2013

 

MEMORIAL, ST ELIZABETH ANN SETON

JANUARY 4, 2013
FRIDAY BEFORE EPIPHANY – YEAR I
MEMORIAL, ST ELIZABETH ANN SETON

1 Jn 3:7-10 / Ps 98: 1. 7-8. 9 / Jn 1:35-42

1 JOHN 3:7-10
My little children, do not be led as tray; those who do what is right are upright, just as Jesus Christ is up- right. But those who sin belong to the devil, for the devil sins from the beginning. This is why the Son of God was shown to us, he was to undo the works of the devil. Those born of God do not sin, for the seed of God remains in them; they cannot sin because they are born of God. What is the way to recognize the children of God and those of the devil? The one who does not do what is right is not of God; so, too, the one who does not love his brother or sister.

JOHN 1:35-42
On the following day John was standing there again with two of his disciples. As Jesus walked by, John looked at him and said, "There is the Lamb of God." On hearing this, the two disciples followed Jesus. He turned and saw them following, and he said to them, "What are you looking for?" They answered, "Rabbi (which means Master), where are you staying?" Jesus said, "Come and see." So they went and saw where he stayed, and spent the rest of that day with him. It was about four o'clock in the afternoon. Andrew, the brother of Simon Peter, was one of the two who heard what John had said, and followed Jesus. Early the next morning he found his brother Simon and said to him, "We have found the Messiah" (which means the Christ), and he brought Simon to Jesus. Jesus looked at him and said, "You are Simon, son of John, but you shall be called Cephas" (which means Rock).

REFLECTION
As Christians, we believe that anything good in us is really a reflection of God's infinite goodness. The good that we do is not really just our own, but a manifestation of our openness to His grace and love. This essence of goodness shines in the person of Jesus, and the gospel tells us how the apostles immediately recognized this after spending just a very short time with Him.

Our readings today challenge us to recognize both the evil and goodness in our day-to-day actions. One way of doing this is simply to see God in ourselves and in the myriad of good that we do. This naturally brings us to seeing the same good in others, and in their actions. We can then recognize our openness, albeit somewhat limited, to God's presence in each one.

As we delve into the good, we might also want to explore the evil in our ways, no matter how subtle these might be. There are many ways that we try to cover up this side of us, and it may not be easily noticed. And yet, if we are honest with ourselves and go to the darker regions of our consciousness, we might just find our tendency for self-indulgence, our inordinate self-absorption or the occasional ill-will we might bear towards others. Only when we recognize these imperfections in us can we lift them up to the Lord, so that He can shine on it the light of his grace that will enable us to overcome our sinfulness.

Let us always remember our reliance on God's boundless love and grace for us. He knows us better than we know ourselves and accepts us for who we are. With this gift, we can also accept ourselves, warts and all. It is not always easy, and that's why we need to rely on both Jesus' example and His grace to bring us there.

PRAYER REQUESTS
We pray …
… for a deep and profound respect for life, especially for the unborn.
… for the speedy recovery and healing of
- Mon Torres
- Fleur Torres
- Ditas dela Paz
- Andy Lecaros
- Netta
… for the personal intentions of
- Pauline
- Veronica Yap
- Cherie Torres
… for the eternal repose of the souls of
- Fr. James Reuter, S.J.
Eternal rest grant unto them and may perpetual light shine upon them. May they and all the dearly departed rest in peace.
… for all the prayer intentions in the MTQ Dailyprayer Diary.
- Wedding Anniversary: James & Gloria Yu
- Wedding Anniversary: Robert & Grace Gotiong
- In Memoriam (+): Ong Ai Gui
… for families who are in need of healing
… for world peace and reconciliation.

Finally, we pray for one another, for those who have asked our prayers and for those who need our prayers the most.

Have a good day!

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