On the way through the wilderness the people lost patience. They spoke against God and against Moses, ‘Why did you bring us out of Egypt to die in this wilderness? For there is neither bread nor water here; we are sick of this unsatisfying food.’
At this God sent fiery serpents among the people; their bite brought death to many in Israel. The people came and said to Moses, ‘We have sinned by speaking against the Lord and against you. Intercede for us with the Lord to save us from these serpents.’ Moses interceded for the people, and the Lord answered him, ‘Make a fiery serpent and put it on a standard. If anyone is bitten and looks at it, he shall live.’ So Moses fashioned a bronze serpent which he put on a standard, and if anyone was bitten by a serpent, he looked at the bronze serpent and lived.
Psalm Psalm 77:1-2,34-38
Second reading Philippians 2:6-11
His state was divine,
yet Christ Jesus did not cling
to his equality with God
but emptied himself
to assume the condition of a slave
and became as men are;
and being as all men are,
he was humbler yet,
even to accepting death,
death on a cross.
But God raised him high
and gave him the name
which is above all other names
so that all beings
in the heavens, on earth and in the underworld,
should bend the knee at the name of Jesus
and that every tongue should acclaim
Jesus Christ as Lord,
to the glory of God the Father.
.
Gospel John 3:13-17
Jesus said to Nicodemus:
‘No one has gone up to heaven
except the one who came down from heaven,
the Son of Man who is in heaven;
and the Son of Man must be lifted up
as Moses lifted up the serpent in the desert,
so that everyone who believes may have eternal life in him.
Yes, God loved the world so much that he gave his only Son,
so that everyone who believes in him may not be lost
but may have eternal life.
For God sent his Son into the world
not to condemn the world,
but so that through him the world might be saved.’
Reflection
By Theresa Ballo
I have not seen him for six years and there he is now with me, inside a bus on a long trip. The cold weather soothes and awakens every part of my body. The unpreparedness of my body to climb the highest peak in Luzon compromised my health. However, that mindset of being so limited due to health concerns builds up a more adventurous attitude in me. Climbing Mt. Pulag is a dream listed in my 100-things-to-do-before-I-die! And I've got my bonus, my first and only love was with me. The trekking went on. Walking for hours in steep paths is something my legs can bear but the coldness; the thinness of the air is something my lungs cannot handle. As I got up the mountain, I thought of all the struggles I've went through. It felt like I am convincing my lungs to keep on breathing. This happened January 2014. Evening came, I am lying on a tent, my feet getting numb, I have difficulty breathing and I started vomiting. I kept on praying that I’ll get through the night. I suddenly miss Mr. Sun. However, the more I was hopeful of light the longer the night becomes.
There were times in our life when things do not work as exactly as we have planned. We rely on our own understanding. At one point, we acted like the Israelites in today’s first reading. We think we can do whatever we want in this world. We get full ownership of our body and do instant gratification. We demand things from God rather than asking and when He does answer it and something went wrong, we put blame on Him. We start to ask questions and demand answers, right away.
It is so amazing and comforting to feel that Jesus, in spite of being the son of God, suffered immensely too. He emptied Himself and became like us. Jesus experienced how it was to be thirsty, how it was to be tempted. He experienced betrayal, He was ridiculed, suffered, humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death – even death on the cross.
I survived the night but I never reached the summit. I was able to get down the mountain too. He and my friends took very good care of me. I endured the pain and never told them about how I exactly felt. When I got back in Manila, I was not able to report for work the next day and for three consecutive nights, I was kissing my nebulizer because of asthma attack. On Valentine’s Day, my first love told me that he likes my friend and wants to get to know her more. He was so honest that I wished he could have prepared me and made sure that I have my nebulizer beside me.
As Catholics, we are all familiar with the life, death and resurrection of Jesus, the very essence of our salvation. Through Jesus’ suffering, we were given eternal life. God giving up His only son is part of a great plan. Jesus surrendered Himself to this plan. He feared for it yet He still obeyed. A plan far greater and more powerful than our human minds could possibly comprehend. It is in love that we are saved. Jesus may have been broken but He never abandoned us. He is with us. To respond to this wonderful gift is to keep on believing to the Father, to trust the will of God. Every misfortune, disappointments and heartbreaks lead to a far greater love, a more beautiful path. Jesus' death on the cross is a call for us to make decisions that are aligned to God’s will. We can make right decisions because He is there with us. He provides the Holy Spirit to empower us in our decisions and walk with Him.
He made a choice and I was not part of it. I respected that and walked my way to Jesus. I never insisted because I know I deserve more. I have witnessed Jesus’ immense love to settle for less. Through those times when I feel my cross is getting heavier, my heart knows that soon the load will be lighter. Jesus will take it for me. He always win me. He favors me in spite of my imperfections. He would always choose me.
There were times in our life when things do not work as exactly as we have planned. We rely on our own understanding. At one point, we acted like the Israelites in today’s first reading. We think we can do whatever we want in this world. We get full ownership of our body and do instant gratification. We demand things from God rather than asking and when He does answer it and something went wrong, we put blame on Him. We start to ask questions and demand answers, right away.
It is so amazing and comforting to feel that Jesus, in spite of being the son of God, suffered immensely too. He emptied Himself and became like us. Jesus experienced how it was to be thirsty, how it was to be tempted. He experienced betrayal, He was ridiculed, suffered, humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death – even death on the cross.
I survived the night but I never reached the summit. I was able to get down the mountain too. He and my friends took very good care of me. I endured the pain and never told them about how I exactly felt. When I got back in Manila, I was not able to report for work the next day and for three consecutive nights, I was kissing my nebulizer because of asthma attack. On Valentine’s Day, my first love told me that he likes my friend and wants to get to know her more. He was so honest that I wished he could have prepared me and made sure that I have my nebulizer beside me.
As Catholics, we are all familiar with the life, death and resurrection of Jesus, the very essence of our salvation. Through Jesus’ suffering, we were given eternal life. God giving up His only son is part of a great plan. Jesus surrendered Himself to this plan. He feared for it yet He still obeyed. A plan far greater and more powerful than our human minds could possibly comprehend. It is in love that we are saved. Jesus may have been broken but He never abandoned us. He is with us. To respond to this wonderful gift is to keep on believing to the Father, to trust the will of God. Every misfortune, disappointments and heartbreaks lead to a far greater love, a more beautiful path. Jesus' death on the cross is a call for us to make decisions that are aligned to God’s will. We can make right decisions because He is there with us. He provides the Holy Spirit to empower us in our decisions and walk with Him.
He made a choice and I was not part of it. I respected that and walked my way to Jesus. I never insisted because I know I deserve more. I have witnessed Jesus’ immense love to settle for less. Through those times when I feel my cross is getting heavier, my heart knows that soon the load will be lighter. Jesus will take it for me. He always win me. He favors me in spite of my imperfections. He would always choose me.
Manlamig man sa Akin puso mong maramdamin
Lisanin man ng tuwa puso mong namamanglaw
Manginig man sa takot masindakin mong puso
Mag-ulap man sa lungkot diwa mong mapag-imbot.
Kapiling mo Akong laging naghihintay sa tanging tawag mo.
Pag-ibig Kong ito isang pananabik sa puso Ko
Sa ‘yong pagbabalik sa piling Kong puspos ng pagsuyo
Manahimik at makinig ka’t maging Akin muli.
Prayer
No comments:
Post a Comment
Tell us what you feel...