19 June 2009
First reading Hosea 11:1,3-4,8-9
Listen to the word of the Lord:
When Israel was a child I loved him,
and I called my son out of Egypt.
I myself taught Ephraim to walk,
I took them in my arms;
yet they have not understood that I was the one looking after them.
I led them with reins of kindness,
with leading-strings of love.
I was like someone who lifts an infant close against his cheek;
stooping down to him I gave him his food.
Ephraim, how could I part with you?
Israel, how could I give you up?
How could I treat you like Admah,
or deal with you like Zeboiim?
My heart recoils from it,
my whole being trembles at the thought.
I will not give rein to my fierce anger,
I will not destroy Ephraim again,
for I am God, not man:
I am the Holy One in your midst
and have no wish to destroy.
Psalm or canticle Isaiah 12:2-6
Behold, God is my salvation:
I will be confident, I will not fear;
for the Lord is my strength and my joy,
he has become my saviour.
And you will rejoice as you draw water
from the springs of salvation.
And then you will say:
“Praise the Lord and call upon his name.
Tell the peoples what he has done,
remember always the greatness of his name.
Sing to the Lord, for he has done great things:
let this be known throughout the world.
Cry out with joy and gladness, you who dwell in Zion.
Great in your midst is the Holy One of Israel.”
Second reading Ephesians 3:8-12,14-19
I, Paul, who am less than the least of all the saints have been entrusted with this special grace, not only of proclaiming to the pagans the infinite treasure of Christ but also of explaining how the mystery is to be dispensed. Through all the ages, this has been kept hidden in God, the creator of everything. Why? So that the Sovereignties and Powers should learn only now, through the Church, how comprehensive God’s wisdom really is, exactly according to the plan which he had had from all eternity in Christ Jesus our Lord. This is why we are bold enough to approach God in complete confidence, through our faith in him; This, then, is what I pray, kneeling before the Father, from whom every family, whether spiritual or natural, takes its name:
Out of his infinite glory, may he give you the power through his Spirit for your hidden self to grow strong, so that Christ may live in your hearts through faith, and then, planted in love and built on love, you will with all the saints have strength to grasp the breadth and the length, the height and the depth; until, knowing the love of Christ, which is beyond all knowledge, you are filled with the utter fullness of God.
Gospel John 19:31-37
It was Preparation Day, and to prevent the bodies remaining on the cross during the sabbath – since that sabbath was a day of special solemnity – the Jews asked Pilate to have the legs broken and the bodies taken away. Consequently the soldiers came and broke the legs of the first man who had been crucified with him and then of the other. When they came to Jesus, they found he was already dead, and so instead of breaking his legs one of the soldiers pierced his side with a lance; and immediately there came out blood and water. This is the evidence of one who saw it – trustworthy evidence, and he knows he speaks the truth – and he gives it so that you may believe as well. Because all this happened to fulfil the words of scripture:
Not one bone of his will be broken;
and again, in another place scripture says:
They will look on the one whom they have pierced.
Reflection
By Grace Madrinan
I am deeply moved with this prayer from St.Paul (Eph 3: 14-19), “…that He (God) may grant you in accord with the riches of His glory to be strengthened with power through His Spirit in the inner self, and that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; that you, rooted and grounded in love, may have strength to comprehend with all the holy ones what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ which surpasses knowledge, so that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.”
Whenever I read prayers such as this from the Bible, it felt as though I was a part of the audience whom the apostles declared it to thousands of years ago. I can feel the intensity of their words. Come to think of it, we are really an extension of that audience which God had carefully planned it for. And I just feel blessed to have that privilege of being handed these passages from the holy ones we wanted to emulate.
I believe this prayer completely summarizes what God wanted for us: faith, love, and wisdom. We need faith to sustain the power of the Spirit in our lives, which in turn would give us the necessary strength to accept our mission. We need love to be the motivation of all our actions: love of God, love of self, and love of our neighbors. And we need wisdom to purify our intentions, to choose that which glorifies God and not men.
But then again, we might think, “Is this even possible? This can only be done by Saints. Is there still a chance of a Saint in our times?” But I came across a good explanation on becoming a Saint from the reflections of Father John Sherlock, OMI as told to him by his mentor. It says, “All that is necessary to become a Saint is to want to become one. Don’t you believe that God will make you what He created you to be, if only you will consent to let Him do it? All you have to do is to desire it.” In that case, we only have to desire it and God will lead the rest!
Father, thank You for giving us the Bible and all the Saints who served as Your medium to declare Your unfathomable love for us. Like the Saints, may we desire to become one, allowing Christ to always dwell in our hearts. Amen.
Most Sacred Heart of Jesus, meek and humble of heart, make our hearts like unto Yours.
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