Word of God Reflection I Part IV

 

A Study and Reflection on Sirach Chapter 39 : 1-11

Word of God Reflection Sirach 39: 5, On 6th Dec 2024

Lord Jesus, Son of God, have mercy on me, am a  sinner,  

  Let us meditate these Verse of Sir 39: 5, At dawn and with all his heart he turns to the Lord his Creator; he pleads in the presence of the Most High, he opens his mouth in prayer and makes entreaty for his sins. A sincere follower of Jesus will rise early, either before the sun rises or before the cock crows. Before he does anything, he will pray to the Lord as he gets out of bed. The first fruit of our lives must be given to the Lord.  He is going to attend Holy Mass at the church in the morning. He will give thanks to God for all the blessings (time, talent, and treasure) before going to the Holy Mass. To obtain repentance, we must read and contemplate Psalm 51, a lovely Psalm. The Psalmist expresses profound repentance to God in the opening two lines of this lovely plea;  Ps 51: 1-2 Have mercy on me, O God, in your faithful love,  in your great tenderness wipe away my offences;  2 wash me clean from my guilt,  purify me from my sin. God has given the grace to him to give to listen and obey His commandments. He will examine his conscience before he attend the Holy Mass and receiving the Eucharist. God will pour His mercy on us even we are sinners as mentioned in Rm 2: 4 Or are you not disregarding his abundant goodness, tolerance and patience, failing to realise that this generosity of God is meant to bring you to repentance? 

  His top priority will be setting aside time for prayer in front of our Lord. He dedicates the prime time of the day to the Lord by praying first thing in the morning. We should make amends for our past transgressions, especially those that may have led to more serious ones. He's going to pray like the Psalmist, which I thought was very great.., Ps 19: 12-14 But who can detect his own failings?  Wash away my hidden faults.  13 And from pride preserve your servant,  never let it be my master.  So shall I be above reproach,  free from grave sin.  14 May the words of my mouth always find favour,  and the whispering of my heart,  in your presence, Yahweh,  my rock, my redeemer. We may not recognize our sins, and how the occasion or situations for the temptations comes due to our pride in heart and in our words, which leads us to do the grave sins in shame. James 1: 12 Blessed is anyone who perseveres *  when trials come. Such a person is of proven worth and will win the prize of life, the crown that the Lord has promised to those who love him. Therefore, we must remain persistent in the face of difficulties and temptations that could lead us to sin, which could be right outside our door at any time. However, we shall obtain the reward of life if we endure hardships. The apostle James states that even if we may not sin if we love God, the Lord will crown us with eternal life. 

The Word of God Reflection I Part III

A Study and Reflection on Sirach Chapter 39 : 1-11

Word of God Reflection Sirach 39: 4, On 2nd Dec 2024

Lord, help us to become your disciples to understand Your ways!

Let us meditate the verse of Sirach 39: 4 He enters the service of princes, he is seen in the presence of rulers. He travels in foreign countries, he has experienced human good and human evil. 

The man who follow and obey the commandments of the Lord. Jesus says about such people Jn 14: 23-24(NJB)“Anyone who loves me will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we shall come to him and make a home in him. Anyone who does not love me does not keep my words. And the word that you hear is not my own: it is the word of the Father who sent me.” These kinds of people will enlist to dutifully serve the kings and princes. People of this type will be widely recognized in society and may hold high positions of dignity when the great leaders of their nations are present. God will grant them the opportunity to represent their nation abroad as ambassadors. They are the ones who reverently serve the Lord, and God will permit them to follow the path of righteousness. In the Letter to Ephesians, St. Paul states that he is the messenger of the gospel, which Jesus has committed to him. He also states that we shall be the messengers of Christ for his gospel once we are united with the Lord. Eph 6: 20 “of which I am an ambassador in chains; pray that in proclaiming it I may speak as fearlessly as I ought to.” When we are Christ's prisoners, we shall act in the way that the Lord desires of us rather than requesting the comforts of this world. As Sirach says above, when we trust in the Word of God and its secret mysteries, the Lord permits us to enter His rest, which He offers for us eternally. In this way, the soul will enter His Divine Rest. Heb 4:3 We, however, who have faith, are entering a place of rest,……They might have the fear of the Lord in abundance. Ps 25: 12-14(NJB) “MEN who respect Yahweh, what of them?  He teaches them the way they must choose. Neighbours to happiness will they live,  and their children inherit the land.  Only those who fear Yahweh  have his secret and his covenant, for their understanding.” When we are in the service of God, the Lord will lead us to the green pastures of the world and he will be blessed them with best provisions in materially and spiritually. They travel around the world to spread the Good News, God’s Word and will do it without any fear. We are fighting against the evil, and we have to face all his tactics in our daily spiritual life but we can win him by doing good things in our daily which is pleasing God. Eph 6: 10-12 ‘Put on the full armour of God so as to be able to resist the devil’s tactics. For it is not against human enemies that we have to struggle, but against the principalities and the ruling forces who are masters of the darkness in this world, the spirits of evil in the heavens.’

The Word of God Reflection I Part II

 

A Study and Reflection on Sirach Chapter 39 : 1-11

Word of God Reflection Sirach 39: 2 & 3 verses, On 27th Nov 2024

Lord, help us to understand the hidden mysteries in the Holy Scriptures

   Let us meditate on the verses of Sirach 39: 2-3(NJB)He preserves the discourses of famous men, he is at home with the niceties of parables. He researches into the hidden sense of proverbs, he ponders the obscurities of parables. The one who lead a spiritual life will search of the great people lived in the past and present to spread the love of God. We have to be obedient to our spiritual fathers and teachers as St Paul explains to us Gl 4: 19(NJB)My children, I am going through the pain of giving birth to you all over again, until Christ is formed in you. They are the one , Lord  given and entrusted  us to make us grow spiritually in His grace and holiness. They are accountable in front of God for our souls as St Paul explains to us here, Hb 13: 17 Obey your leaders and give way to them; they watch over your souls because they must give an account of them; make this a joy for them to do, and not a grief—you yourselves would be the losers

   If we go through the parables of Jesus, those are having immense knowledge and wisdom. In the Gospel Mathew in Chapter 13 Jesus has given many parables to understand the mystery of the Kingdom of God. The first parable is : The parable of the sower, Mathew 13: 3-8 and Mathew 13: 18-23, when the sower went out to sow, he sowed in different places where there’s rocks, thorns, and edge of the path and good soil. Those fell on the good soil got good yield in hundred, sixty and thirty fold. Jesus explains here how our hearts should be to receive the Word and to produce fruit. The second is : The parable of the darnel,(Mt 13: 24-30,NJB) ….”the man sowed the good seed in the soil, ….. enemy sowed the darnel” and wheat and darnel was appeared together and when the harvest time  came the farmer advised the laborers remove the darnel first and tied it up and burn it. The one who received the Word of God will understand the meaning. God looks into the hearts of us, whether we produce the fruit as He sowed the Word of God in our heart. The one will take it seriously and nourish it with good virtues and meditate it day and night. The third is the parable of the mustard seed, Matthew 13: 31-32 NJB “The kingdom of God is like mustard seed……… When the mustard seed sprout and become plant and tree and birds of the air shelter on it. The mustard seed, which is so little, symbolizes how we ought to become insignificant and lowly before both God and the people. The Lord will grant us the ability to carry out our earthly and heavenly purposes, once we have humbled ourselves. We shall be able to partake in God's Kingdom by His own way. This grace, which is God's gift, which will enable us to  do God’s will in our life. The fourth is: The parable of the treasure and of the pearl. Mathew 13: 44-46NJB “The kingdom of Heaven is like treasure hidden in he field” If we find the hidden treasures in the Bible, in the Scriptures we will grab it and embrace it into our heart, because the Word is Jesus himself. Jesus will reveal to us many hidden gems which will be always new and truth. 

  As Sirach says is about the sensible people always looks to find the best in the Kingdom of God.  Jesus explained about many parables unless one love God cannot value the goodness in human beings. As St Paul describes about the spiritual person can asses the human value and value of everything. 1 Cr 2: 15 NJB The spiritual person, on the other hand, can assess the value of everything, and that person’s value cannot be assessed by anybody else. He will ponder the parables of Jesus as well as his teachings which he always explain to his beloved disciples directly. Day and night he will ponder the teachings of Jesus. He will also meditate on the prophecies of the prophets from the Old Testament, and will reflect on the teachings of Jesus’s apostles and evangelists. Continues …………….

Word of God Reflection I Part I

On 16th Nov 2024 

A Study and Reflection on Sirach Chapter 39 : 1-11

Word of God Reflection Sirach 39:1 On 16th Nov 2024

Lord, help us to ponder Your Word day and night 

   So let us ponder these verses which may our Lord Jesus help us to grow in the grace God.  “Not so with one who concentrates his mind and his meditation on the Law of the Most High. He researches into the wisdom of all the Ancients, he occupies his time with the prophecies.” Lord is calling us to obey His Commandments and to be in His presence. God told Abraham ‘I am the Lord( El Shaddai). Live in my presence, be perfect. The Law of Most High will be pondered by those who love God. God will lead and instruct us on how to discover the secret mysteries of His Kingdom when we study His Word and His Commandments in depth. By delving into the lives of the Prophets, Church Fathers, and saints, we can discover a lot about their religious practices. To live a graceful spiritual life, one must love Jesus above all else since wisdom is concealed in Jesus Christ. Jesus fulfills his promise to give us the Paraclete (Holy Spirit) when he states in John 14:15–16 that who ever loves him will obey his commandments.  So love of Jesus is the grace to obtain the wisdom and knowledge of God. Invoke the Holy Spirit to lead us to the Living waters of Holy Scriptures and ponder the Word of God in our hearts to remind us and to sustain in the faith in Jesus Christ the Son of God. We should occupy our time with the Bible and meditate the Holy Scriptures. Jesus gives us another commandment in John 13: 34 I give you a new commandment: love one another; you must love one another just as I have loved you. 

The Word of God

 

Word of God, 10th Nov 2024

Lord Jesus, you became an humble servant to wash the feet of your disciples 

   Jn 13: 12-16 When he had washed their feet and put on his outer garments again he went back to the table. ‘Do you understand’, he said, ‘what I have done to you? You call me Master and Lord, and rightly; so I am. If I, then, the Lord and Master, have washed your feet, you must wash each other’s feet. I have given you an example so that you may copy what I have done to you. ‘In all truth I tell you, no servant is greater than his master, no messenger is greater than the one who sent him. Before the celebration of Passover, Jesus washed the feet of his disciples and apostles. Jesus is actually asking if we understand why he did this because, in a human manner, we cannot comprehend his humility in washing his disciples' feet. In this way, Jesus taught them how to serve others with humility and gentleness. Jesus taught us that even as masters, we should assist the poor. Since Jesus is the Master and Lord and was willing to wash the apostles' and disciples' feet, he is urging us to emulate him when we serve others, even if we are superior to them. Jesus taught that no servant is greater than his master, and since he was sent by the Father in heaven, we may observe how a master is serving his servants in this instance. 

The Word of God

 

Word of God, 7th Nov 2024

Lord Jesus, we believe that you and the Father are One 

   Jn 12: 44-50 Whoever believes in me believes not in me but in the one who sent me, and whoever sees me, sees the one who sent me. I have come into the world as light, to prevent anyone who believes in me from staying in the dark any more. If anyone hears my words and does not keep them faithfully, it is not I who shall judge such a person, since I have come not to judge the world, but to save the world: anyone who rejects me and refuses my words has his judge already: the word itself that I have spoken will be his judge on the last day. For I have not spoken of my own accord; but the Father who sent me commanded me what to say and what to speak, and I know that his commands mean eternal life. And therefore what the Father has told me is what I speak.  Jesus claims that anyone who believes in him will also believe in God the Father, who is in heaven. Because they are One God, anyone who sees Jesus will also see the Father. The most crucial factor in following Jesus' example is our faith. When Jesus entered the world, he brought light and taught us to live in it rather than in darkness. Therefore, we must pay attention to what Jesus teaches us, and if we do not put what he says into practice, then his own words will condemn us. Jesus declares that he came to redeem us and grant us eternal life, and not to judge. We are condemned by our own disobedience when we reject Jesus' teachings, and as a result, we will be judged on the last day. According to Jesus, the Father is speaking through him and he is speaking what the Father has instructed him to say, not his own words. Lord, Jesus we believe that you and the Father is One God. 

The Word of God

 

Word of God, 5th Nov 2024

Jesus prayed “Father glorify Your Name” The Father said: “I have glorified it and I will again glorify it”

   Jn 12: 27-31(NJB) Now my soul is troubled. What shall I say: Father, save me from this hour?   But it is for this very reason that I have come to this hour. Father, glorify your name! A voice came from heaven, ‘I have glorified it, and I will again glorify it.’ The crowd standing by, who heard this, said it was a clap of thunder; others said, ‘It was an angel speaking to him.’ Jesus answered, ‘It was not for my sake that this voice came, but for yours. ‘Now sentence is being passed on this world; now the prince of this world is to be driven out.

   Jesus said that the hour he must endure is causing his spirit to be tormented. However, he was aware of the hour of his death and sacrifice on the Cross. He made this selfless sacrifice in order to follow the Father's plan to save the entire universe. In addition to establishing the Everlasting New Covenant and overcoming all prior Covenants, God the Father desires for all of humanity to know Him and follow His commands. A voice from heaven said, "I will glorify it," in response to Jesus' prayer to the Father to exalt His name. A voice of thunder echoed across the crowd around him. Jesus wants to remind the crowd, that the Heavenly Father is calling them to come back to Him from their sinful ways. Again he reminded them the time is very near for him and the prince (Evil) of this world to be driven out by his own sacrifice. I remember how this verse was touched me by Jesus. It was in the beginning stage of my conversion and Jesus allowed me or gave me the grace to pray constantly. While I was reading this particular Chapter 12 of Gospel of John., then while reading the verse of Jn 12: 29 and 30, a great sound of thunder clap with lightning came above our home, it was rainy season in Kerala. I was so amazed by this sound and remembered the voice of God the Father to Jesus “I will glorify it”. My wife so afraid and she told me she never heard such huge sound of such thunder in her life, and I told her this sound came from our Lord for our conversion. Then after one week both of us went for another retreat and it was a turning point in my life to become a Catholic in full manner and sense. My conversion was happened before the birth of my daughter (Francine Mary) and she is so special as she was born after my conversion and embracing Catholicism. One Word of God is enough for God to make our entire life to change.