Saturday 28 January
Saint Thomas Aquinas, Priest, Doctor on Saturday of week 3 in Ordinary Time First reading - Hebrews 11:1-2,8-19 Faith is depicted as the motor of the life of Abraham and Sarah. Each aspect of their life is guided by faith beginning from their departure from their own country and living in the tents. They believed in the promises because of faith. “All these died in faith, before receiving any of the things that had been promised”. Here we see also an important element of faith. They believed in the promises, and they died without seeing the fulfilment of promises. Moreover, they were even put on test due to faith. “It was by faith that Abraham, when put to the test, offered up Isaac”. We see these two elements of faith: they did not see the fulfilment of the promises and they were tested. So why do you believe? They believed because they identified themselves with the promises of God. Faith is identifying oneself with the plan of God. It is not something we have but it’s something we become. “They lived there in tents while he looked forward to a city founded, designed and built by God”. While living in the tents they identified themselves with the city founded, designed and built by God. While having only one son, they identified themselves with descendants as many as the stars of heaven or grains of sand. Abraham offered his son because he saw his son living. So, faith is not having something but leaving everything so that you have only the plan of God, you become the plan of God. Let’s reflect: Is my faith just a confidence or is it me becoming the plan of God?
Friday 27 January
Friday of week 3 in Ordinary Time or Saint Angela Merici, Virgin First reading - Hebrews 10:32-39 “For you not only shared in the sufferings of those who were in prison, but you happily accepted being stripped of your belongings, knowing that you owned something that was better and lasting”. This is the key to welcome all challenges and difficulties on our way of following Christ, the light of our life. That is why we read, “Remember all the sufferings that you had to meet after you received the light, in earlier days”. When we start following the light, we meet with challenges and difficulties. Not only inner difficulties but also public difficulties and challenges. “sometimes by being yourselves publicly exposed to insults and violence, and sometimes as associates of others who were treated in the same way”. Then the question is how do you face it? The Letter says that we can do it when we own something that is better and lasting. Owning something, being identified with something. This is not something but that is a person, the person of Jesus Christ. When we feel that we belong to Jesus Christ, we have His love and His love is better and last forever, we can face any difficulties in following Him. We accept the difficulties not ourselves alone, but together with Jesus Christ. And then even we go to a further level. We will try to share the sufferings of others, “not only shared in the sufferings of those were in prison”. The more I feel like being part of Jesus Christ, driven by Jesus Christ, the more happily I face difficulties and I share the difficulties of others. We don’t draw back or drown in it. We keep going with the light to be light for others. Let’s reflect: Do I feel that I belong to Jesus Christ when I face difficulties in my life?
Thursday 26 January
Saints Timothy and Titus, Bishops on Thursday of week 3 in Ordinary Time First reading - 2 Timothy 1:1-8 St. Paul is wishing Timothy, “… grace, mercy and peace…”. Grace to activate our gifts, mercy to absolve our weakness and peace to endure the challenges. Grace is needed not to have a spirit of timidity. Grace is needed to have the Spirit of power, love, and self-control. Mercy is needed not to be ashamed of witnessing to the Lord. We are ashamed when we have weaknesses or shortcomings. But there the mercy of God will help. Then peace is needed to bear the hardships for the sake of the Good News. For all this, we must rely on the power of God. For all this St. Paul is praying for Timothy. In prayer, Paul is uniting his wishes to Timothy and his advises to Timothy. Advises must be accompanied by wishes and both be united in prayer. Let’s reflect: how much we unite in our prayers our advices to others with wishes for grace, mercy and peace?
Wednesday 25 January
The Conversion of Saint Paul, Apostle First reading - Acts 22:3-16 “The light had been so dazzling that I was blind, and my companions had to take me by the hand; and so I came to Damascus.” This is what St. Paul is saying about his first encounter with Jesus Christ. The light which made Paul completely blind. Everything Paul thought and seen until that moment is gone. He is going to see everything in a new way. Until now he was guided by his studies and his strict observances of the law. But that all became darkness by this dazzling light. The dazzling light of the encounter with Jesus Christ. It is not anymore, the law that is guiding him but the person of Jesus Christ. From the top of the horse to the ground by the bright light. From the top of his convictions to the reality of incarnation of Jesus. Everything becomes new in Jesus. The effect of the dazzling light brings the light of Jesus Christ to the life of Paul. And he accepted it totally. When the light of Christ comes to our life, we must start seeing things in our life in a different way. We will be thinking of freedom and liberation. Let’s reflect: how far we let the light of Christ change our way of seeing things in our life?