Sunday 23 July
16th Sunday in Ordinary Time St Bridget of Sweden First reading - Wisdom 12:13,16-19 “By acting thus you have taught a lesson to your people how the virtuous man must be kindly to his fellow men, and you have given your sons the good hope that after sin you will grant repentance”. God in His power has taught us how we must be kind to our fellow man. What is the lesson? God has such strength, but He is mild in judgement. He is not showing His power in being arrogant. Just the opposite. He is not governing us with strictness, but he is governing us with great lenience. This is the God we worship, we adore. From this lesson, we learn. We must be kind to our fellow man. We must be kind in our words and actions to our fellow man remembering this lesson which God teaches us. Whenever we fail to be kind, we fail the Teacher who taught us this lesson. But even if we fail in this, God still is so kind. He forgives. God is forgiving, and this is the reason for the good hope. The scripture is speaking of good hope because it’s not an empty hope. It’s the hope which God gives. Teaches and forgives when we don’t follow the lessons. Let’s reflect: Am I kind to others remembering the lesson which God teaches us?
Saturday 22 July
Saint Mary Magdalen - Feast First reading - Song of Songs 3:1-4 “On my bed, at night, I sought him whom my heart loves”. The relationship with God is a relationship of that of a lover. This relationship is a continuous seeking. Because God’s love is not always visible as God gives more importance to our freedom. So we must seek to find the love of God. The author of the Song of Songs says, in the middle of the night I will rise and go through the city, in the streets and in the squares. In the middle of night, in the middle of our problems, in the middle of our troubles, we must rise to go through the city in search of the plan of God. And when we seek the plan of God, we may not find it. There comes so many questions. There comes so many doubts. We are tired of questions and doubts. Then, “Scarcely had I passed them when I found him whom my heart loves”. Hardly we passed our doubts and questions, we find the true love of God. It’s a beautiful passage. From the search in the city, streets, and squares which we know, to the questions and doubts we try to clarify, to finding the true love of God. This can be seen in the life of Saint Mary Magdalen. Let’s reflect: Am I making the passage from my doubts and questions about the love of God to the real finding of the love of God?
Friday 21 July
Friday of week 15 in Ordinary Time Saint Laurence of Brindisi, Priest, Doctor First reading - Exodus 11:10-12:14 “The blood shall serve to mark the houses that you live in”. In today’s reading we read about the institution of the Passover. This Passover in the Old Testament prefigures the real Passover when the blood of Christ is saving the whole humanity. The blood in the Old Passover is taken and put on the two doorposts and the lintel of the houses where the Passover is eaten. In the New Testament the blood of Christ serves as the door to all the sacraments in the Church. We need the liberation from our slavery. The slavery of sins. We can be liberated from our sins only if we let God pass over our life. For this Passover we need to be prepared. We need to welcome the Lord over us. This preparation is done in Jesus Christ and in the blood of Jesus Christ we are liberated from the slavery of sin. Let’s reflect: Am I devoted to the precious blood of Jesus Christ which saved me from the slavery of sin?
Thursday 20 July
Thursday of week 15 in Ordinary Time Saint Apollinaris, Bishop, Martyr First reading - Exodus 3:13-20 God reveals His name to Moses. This is something very important for humanity. Humanity always wanted to define God according to its perceptions and calculations. Humanity wanted to create a God which suits its purpose. It’s in this context the name of the Lord is revealed. “And God said to Moses, ‘I Am who I Am.” God is God beyond all imaginations and calculations. God is one who liberates us. This is the Lord we must adore. Not the Lord of our imagination or our creation. Let’s reflect: Am I worshipping the true Lord or the lord of our creation?
Wednesday 19 July
Wednesday of week 15 in Ordinary Time
First reading - Exodus 3:1-6,9-12
“‘Come no nearer,’ he said. ‘Take off your shoes, for the place on which you stand is holy ground. I am the God of your fathers,’ he said, ‘the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob.’” God is coming into our space because the cry of the sons of Israel has come to Him. He said to Moses to take off the shoes because it’s a sacred space. A sacred space where the cry of the people is taken care of God who listens to it. The ground is holy because the Lord is taking care of the cry of the people. It is the love of God that makes the ground holy. The love of God is so amazing. The burning bush is a symbol of that love. It is very ardent, but it will not burn. The love of God is very powerful, but it will not burn. It will let us be ourselves. It will let us be what we are. Just encompasses us with the flames and embraces us. The place where the love of God meets the cry of the poor and oppressed is a sacred place. It can be us. Then we will be ardent with passion for evangelisation, passion for mission work, passion for social transformation through gospel. Let’s reflect: Am I a burning bush where the love of God meets the cry of the poor?