Monday 28 August
Saint Augustine, Bishop, Doctor Monday of week 21 in Ordinary Time First reading - 1 John 4:7-16 “let us love one another since love comes from God and everyone who loves is begotten by God and knows God”. The most important message we must understand is that “love comes from God”. We use the word “love” without considering this aspect of love. The origin of “love” is in God. Only when we understand this aspect of love, we can come to the real understanding that “God is love”. We want to love others. Bu the point of loving is that in order to love, we must acknowledge the divine origin of love and the divine essence of love. That is why, St. John says that, “God is love and anyone who lives in love lives in God, and God lives in him”. It has enormous consequences. We must love everyone. We must live in love. This is an aspiration. Let’s reflect: How much can I love?
Sunday 27 August
21st Sunday in Ordinary Time First reading - Isaiah 22:19-23 Through the words of the prophet, the Lord is saying how He prepares Eliakim for his new position. In these words, we can find how Lord prepares the one who is called for a mission. The Lord gives Eliakim all the grace necessary for his new mission. And at the same time, we read what are the expectations of the Lord for Eliakim. So, it is important that we understand that when we have the grace, we must also understand the expectations of the Lord. For this, we must be close to the grace by which we can understand what the Lord wishes from us. The grace is always given so that we can be take care of others as the Lord wants. In the case of Eliakim, the Lord says, “he shall be a father to the inhabitants of Jerusalem and to the House of Judah” and by that he will “become a throne of glory”. This is how the grace is going to work in Eliakim. We must understand our vocation with the grace we receive so that we can become the throne of God’s glory. Let’s reflect: Do I understand my vocation with the grace I receive from the Lord?
Saturday 26 August
Saturday of week 20 in Ordinary Time Saturday memorial of the Blessed Virgin Mary First reading - Ruth 2:1-3,8-11,4:13-17 “I have been told all you have done for your mother-in-law since your husband’s death, and how you left your own father and mother and the land where you were born to come among a people whom you knew nothing about before you came here.’ Here we see a way by which we can become part of the plan of God for others. The way is to see and acknowledge the goodness in others. Boaz learnt the goodness of Ruth from others. He acknowledged it and welcomed it. This is the way. Acknowledge the goodness in others to become part of the plan of God for them. We understand the plan of God when we find the goodness in others. When we don’t see the goodness in others, we become alienated from the plan of God. In the plan of God for others we also have our place, we also find the plan of God for us. We can get that place; we can understand the plan of God when we recognize the goodness in others. Let’s reflect: Am I recognizing the goodness in others to understand the plan of God for me?