Walk In the Spirit March 2017

WALK IN THE SPIRIT March 2017 Volume 03 Issue 15

"The Lord is with you. Be awake"

ISSN 1391-5967

Publication: Fr. Siri Oscar Abayaratne Kithu Dana Pubuduwa

SHARING ON PRAYER March 2017

I’ve got to learn to discern, i.e. To distinguish between whether a particular mood or feeling is creative or destructive. These are human experiences. I am called to allow the Holy Spirit to transform and elevate this positive or negative experience, both to be sacraments of coming closer to union with Him. My inner mood or feeling, as part and parcel of my human condition carries within it, the urge to liberation or fulfillment. “My heart has been created for Thee O God. It should not rest until it rests in Thee.”

Fr. Siri Oscar Abayaratne

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Wednesday 1st March 2017 Joel: 2/12-18 Psalm: 51/1-4,10-13, 15 2 Corinthians:51/1-4, 10-13, 15 The First Proclamation 'But now -- declares Yahwehcome back to me with all your heart, fasting, weeping, mourning.' Tear your hearts and not your clothes, and come back to Yahweh your God, for he is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger, rich in faithful love, and he relents about inflicting disaster. Who knows if he will not come back, relent and leave a blessing behind him, a cereal offering and a libation to be presented to Yahweh your God? Blow the ram's-horn in Zion! Order a fast, proclaim a solemn assembly, call the people together, summon the community, assemble the elders, gather the children, even infants at the breast! Call the bridegroom from his bedroom and the bride from her bower! Let the priests, the ministers of Yahweh, stand weeping between portico and altar, saying, 'Spare your people, Yahweh! Do not expose your heritage to the contempt, to the sarcasm of the nations! Why give the peoples cause to say, "Where is their God?" ' Then, becoming jealous over his country, Yahweh took pity on his people.

Fix your gaze on Jesus Dust you were, and dust you shall be! What about the Spirit You gave us O Lord?

The priests were to alarm the people with the near approach of the Divine judgments. It is the work of ministers to warn of the fatal consequences

Ash Wednesday of sin, and to reveal the wrath from heaven against the ungodliness and unrighteousness of men. Sinners must be warned to seek deliverance from the wrath to come! Our business on earth must especially be to secure an interest in the Word of God; the Lord Jesus Christ; and we should seek to be weaned from the fascinations and objects which will soon be torn from all who now make idols of them.

Of this inner turning, there must be the outward expressions of sorrow and shame, fasting, weeping, and mourning; tears for trouble faced must be turned into tears for the sin that caused it. Make sure that we do not place the cart before the horse; the rending of garments would be vain, except their hearts were rent by abasement and self–abhorrence; by sorrow for their sins, and separation from them. There is no question but that if we truly repent of our sins, God will forgive them; but whether He will remove affliction is not promised, yet the probability of it should encourage us to repent.

The priests and rulers are to appoint a solemn fast. The sinner's supplication is, “Spare us, good Lord”. God is ready to succour His people; and He waits to be gracious. They prayed that God would spare them, and He answered them. His promises are real answers to the prayers of faith; with Him, saying and doing are not two things. The Thought Is the Deed!

Prayer Starter Dear Lord, You were so correct to warn us against hypocrisy...we are so inclined to hide our true nature, even from ourselves; to be in denial of our sinfulness; to project falsehoods. Teach us what being truthful and honest means….so that our Father who sees all that is done in secret will reward us.

"The Lord is with you. Be awake!"

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Thursday 2nd March 2017

Deuteronomy:30/15-20 Psalm: 1/1-4, 6 Luke: 9/22-25 The Gospel Proclamation ...."The Son of Man must undergo great suffering, and be rejected by the elders, chief priests, and scribes, and be killed, and on the third day be raised."

Then he said to them all, "If any want to become my followers let them deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me. For those who want to save their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake will save it. What does it profit them, if they gain the whole world, but lose or forfeit themselves.?

Prayerful Awareness We go deeper into the mystery of this 'joyful' season of Lent. It prepares us for the rising with Christ at Easter.

Today is the second day of Lent. The gospel reading aptly draws our attention to the basic needs i.e. to deny self, take up the cross and follow the Lord.

These are the conditions of service laid down by Jesus for those who would follow Him. "If the physical, natural and biological life was saved for pleasure, then the higher life of the Spirit would be lost. But if the higher life of the Spirit was chosen for salvation, then the lower or physical life had to be submitted to the cross and self discipline. There might be some natural virtues without a cross, but there would never be a growth in virtue without it. Cross-bearing, He then explained, was based on exchange.

Exchange implies something that one can get along without, and something one cannot get along without. A man can get along without a dime, but he cannot get along without the bread which the dime will buy; so he exchanges one

for the other. Sacrifice does not mean "giving up" something, as if there were a loss; rather it is an exchange, an exchange of lower values for higher joys. But nothing in all the world is worth a soul." (Archbishop F.J.Sheen).

What should our attitude to life be as Christians? Are we called to hoard it or to spend it? Not to do the minimum and get the maximum but how much can I give? Not 'save the skin and do it' but what is the right thing to do? Our aim in life should be not to keep it for ourselves but to spend for others - to burn it out for Christ and others. If we are disloyal to Christ, punishment will follow. Be loyal to Him and the reward will follow. "Conversion is accomplished in daily life by gestures of reconciliation, concern for the poor, the exercise and defence of justice and right by the admission of faults to one's brethren, fraternal correction, revision of life, examination of conscience, spiritual direction, acceptance of suffering, endurance of persecution for the sake of righteousness. Taking up ones cross each day and following Jesus is the surest way of penance." (C .C.C.1435) (Our Lord also tells His disciples of His ignominious death on the cross and the glorious resurrection. But this revelation fell on deaf ears as they thought and wanted Him to be a temporal king.

Also they dreamed of high positions.

"My kingdom does not belong to this world." (John 18:36). Where do we stand? Are we the citizens of this world or the kingdom of God? "The way of Christ leads to life" and a contrary way "leads to destruction". The gospel parable of the two ways remains ever present in the catechesis of the Church.

It shows the importance of moral decision for our salvation." (C.C.C. 1696) Prayer Starter May this season of Lent be a blessing to all of us. Amen.

"The Lord is with you. Be awake!"

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zzY=oaOd;auhdfKkS" uu Tnjykafiag jkaokd kuialdr lrĂą' ud l< hq;= l=ulaÂąhs ug wK l< uekjZZ

Friday 3rd March 2017

Isaiah: 58/1-9 Psalm:51/1-4, 16, 17 Mathew: 9/14-15 The First Proclamation Shout out, do not hold back! Lift up your voice like a trumpet! ... Yet day after day they seek me and delight to know my ways, as if they were a nation that practiced righteousness and did not forsake the ordinance of their God; they ask of me righteous judgments, they delight to draw near to God. "Why do we fast, but you do not see? Why humble ourselves but you do not notice?" Look, you serve your own interest on your fast day, and oppress all your workers. ..... Such fasting as you do today will not make your voice heard on high. Is such the fast that I choose, a day to humble oneself? Is it to bow down the head like a bulrush, and to lie in sackcloth and ashes? Will you call this a fast, a day acceptable to the Lord? Is not this the fast that I choose; to loose the bonds of injustice, to undo the thongs of the yoke, to let the oppressed go free, and to break every yoke? Is it not to share your bread with the hungry, and bring the homeless poor into your house; when you see the naked, to cover them, and not to hide yourself from your own kin? Then your light shall break forth like the dawn, and your healing shall spring up quickly; your vindicator shall go before you, the glory of the Lord shall be your rear guard. Then you shall call, and the Lord will answer; you shall cry for help, and he will say, Here I am.

The Gospel Proclamation Then the disciples of John came to him, saying, "Why do we and the

Pharisees fast often, but your disciples do not fast?" And Jesus said to them, "The wedding guests cannot mourn as long as the bridegroom is with them can they? The days will come when the bridegroom is taken away from them, and then they will fast.

Prayerful Awareness In today's Gospel, the issue on fasting is presented to us. People criticised the disciples of Jesus as they did not fast as the disciples of John.

Fasting is often seen from the narrow view of not eating or drinking, yet there is more to it than that. Jesus challenges us to see a clear picture and a proper understanding about fasting.

Jesus explains that there is a time for fasting and for feasting. To be with Jesus is a time of feasting as in a wedding celebration where everyone shares in the joy of the new couple. But there is also a time when Jesus' followers must fast as Jesus is taken away from them.

Often in practicing our Christian faith, we fail to give witness for the joy of being loved and forgiven by God. The disciples who accompanied Jesus were feasting in the love given them by Jesus, while at the same time fasting from being self-righteous and critical.

Fasting is a sign of mourning and would be inappropriate at a time of joy, when Jesus is proclaiming the Kingdom, as it would be at a marriage feast.

With the coming of Jesus into the world, the reign of God has come upon the world. A new era has dawned. When this happened, God's Kingdom dawned.

Prayer Starter Thank You Father God, Your Spirit has given us a new light to understand about fasting. Help us to live accordingly. Amen.

"The Lord is with you. Be awake!"

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Saturday 4th March 2017 Isaiah: 58/9-14 Psalm: 86/1-6 Luke: 5/27-32

The Gospel Proclamation After this He went out and saw a tax collector named Levi sitting at the customs post. He said to him, “Follow me.” And leaving everything behind, he got up and followed Him. Then Levy gave a great banquet for Him in his house, and a large crowd of tax collectors and others were at table with them.

The Pharisees and their Scribes complained to His disciples saying, “Why do you eat and drink with tax collectors and sinners?” Jesus said to them in reply, “Those who are healthy do not need a physician, but the sick do. I have not come to call the righteous to repentance but sinners.”

Prayerful Awareness God’s ways are different and are difficult to understand by our human perspective. This proves why Jesus Christ called Levi, a tax collector, condemned and cornered by the society as a sinner, to follow Him, and Levi followed Him leaving everything behind, his lucrative job and his wealth. Then Levi gave a great banquet for Lord Jesus, to welcome Jesus (to accept Him and to share with the world the Peace and Happiness he would have received by accepting Lord Jesus). How many of us would have received various calls from Lord to follow Him, but yet find it difficult to leave everything behind, the wealth, the position, the acceptance of the society, the way

we live etc. Through the change of Levy, Lord showed us what He can do with us when we accept His call.

This reminds me of a vision I saw long time back, while praying with a group. I saw a creature crawling on gravel earth (this meant to me that the surface was very rough, but when I looked at it more, I saw it was a pitch dark black in colour, totally dried up human form. It was slowly crawling on that earth, holding on to earth, though rough. Then I saw a beautiful large hand coming from above, calling the creature to “get up and follow me”, but the creature was so attached to the earth (the world) that it found difficult to let go it’s hold of the earth. I believed that this was a message for me at that time, but wish to share it. How Lord was calling me, eagerly waiting for me to accept His call. Each one of us could receive a call from Lord to follow Him, a call different to each other and sometimes in a way difficult for us to understand.

Prayer Starter Lord God, Father in heaven, as the Scripture Isaiah 58:9 said; Then you shall call and the Lord will answer, you shall cry for help, and Lord will say: Here I am. Lord, I know and Trust that You Love and Care for me and for everyone of us and Your Love for us is great, greater than the entire universe. Help me to depend on You for everything in prayer and to answer Your call to be like Your Son our Saviour and Lord, Jesus Christ, to accept and enjoy Your Love, Peace and Happiness, and to share Your Love with others as Lord Loves us. Thank You Lord, Amen

"The Lord is with you. Be awake!"

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Sunday 5th March 2017

Genesis:2/7-9; 3/1-7 Psalm: 51/1-4, 10-12 Romans: 5/12-19 Matthew: 4/1-11 Introduction We began the season of Lent last Wednesday the 1st of March 2017. Lent is a forty-day period before Easter. We skip Sundays when we count the forty days, because Sundays commemorate the Resurrection of our Lord. It ends on 15th April 2017 which is the day before Easter.

The number forty occurs repeatedly in the sacred scriptures prior to renewal of persons and peoples. It is also the number of weeks that a new human being usually spends in his/her mother's womb.

The entrance antiphon is God's response when we call on Him for our renewal and new life.

Entrance Antiphon When He calls to me I will answer; I will rescue him and give him honor.

Long life and contentment will be his.

The First Proclamation (Please read the whole proclamation) The Lord God formed man out of the clay of the ground and blew into his nostrils the breath of life, .....

Then the Lord God planted a garden in Eden ..... Lord God made various trees grow ....... the tree of life in the middle of the garden and the tree of the knowledge of good and bad .... The serpent asked the woman, "Did God really tell you not to eat from any of the trees in the garden?" The woman answered the serpent: "....... 'You shall not eat it or even touch it, lest you die."

But the serpent said to the woman: "You certainly will not die! ..... your

First Sunday of Lent Ps. Week I eyes will be opened and you will be like gods who know what is good and what is bad." The woman saw that the tree was good for food, .... So she took some of the fruit and ate it. Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they realized that they were naked, so they sewed fig leaves together and made loincloths for themselves.

Prayerful Awareness Let us imagine that we are spectators of what is happening at the beginning of creation. See God taking clay from the earth and molding man in His image and likeness. He breathes life into man's nostrils and makes him a living being.

Then out of love He fashions the ideal environment for man to live. God then plants a tree and tells man not to eat of it giving man the opportunity to freely obey and thus choose to love God. But man fails to choose God Who is The Eternal Good over a tasty fruit which is a transient good. This choice has devastating consequences. The gaze of man shifts from being other directed to self direction. They begin to perceive their own nakedness something to be ashamed of and hide it behind loincloth made of fig leaves. Communion for which man was originally created now becomes alien to him. He begins to hide from God and his fellow men and becomes self-centred. Ultimately it becomes a trait which no human being can escape from. We become in need of salvation.

The Gospel Proclamation Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the desert to be tempted by the devil. He fasted for forty days and forty nights, and afterwards he was hungry. The tempter approached and said to him, "If you are the Son of God, command that these stones become loaves of bread." He said in reply, "It is written: 'One does not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes

"The Lord is with you. Be awake!"

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forth from the mouth of God.'" Then the devil took him to the holy city, and made him stand on the parapet of the temple, and said to him, "If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down.

For it is written: 'He will command his angels concerning you and 'with their hands they will support you, lest you dash your foot against a stone.'" Jesus answered him, "Again it is written, and 'You shall not put the Lord, your God to the test.'" Then the devil took him up to a very high mountain, and showed him all the kingdoms of the world in their magnificence and he said to him, "All these I shall give to you, if you will prostrate yourself and worship Me." At this, Jesus said to him, "Get away, Satan! It is written, 'The Lord, your God, shall you worship and him alone shall you serve.'"

Then the devil left him, and behold, angels came and ministered to him.

Gaze at Jesus The Tempter offers Jesus the following: Firstly the power of satisfying His bodily hunger in contrast to the desire for the food that is His Father's words; Secondly the transient prestige that is derived from spectacular demonstrations of His divine Sonship rather than being assured of it in faith; And, thirdly, the transitory worldly possessions in place of the eternal heritage of God's only begotten Son. Jesus the true Son of Man with the predilection to sin (He became sin without sinning) consciously chose God and His relationship with Him over all else that Satan could offer. In the same way that the action of our first parents had consequences for the rest of humankind, Jesus' action too had a similar outcome. How? Let us read the second proclamation.

The Second Proclamation Therefore, just as through one person sin entered the world, and through sin, death, and thus death came to all, inasmuch as all sinned - for up to the time of the law, sin

was in the world, though sin is not accounted when there is no law. But death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over those who did not sin after the pattern of the trespass of Adam, who is the type of the one who was to come. But the gift is not like the transgression. For if by that one person's transgression the many died, how much more did the grace of God and the gracious gift of the one person Jesus Christ overflow for the many.

And the gift is not like the result of the one person's sinning. For after one sin there was the judgment that brought condemnation; but the gift, after many transgressions, brought acquittal. For if, by the transgression of one person, death came to reign through that one, how much more will those who receive the abundance of grace and of the gift of justification come to reign in life through the one person Jesus Christ. In conclusion, just as through one transgression condemnation came upon all, so through one righteous act acquittal and life came to all. For just as through the disobedience of one person, the many were made sinners, so through the obedience of one the many will be made righteous.

Our sonship "Are you unaware that we who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were indeed buried with him through baptism into death, so that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might live in newness of life." (Romans 6:3-4).

Therefore through our Baptism we have been baptized into Jesus Christ, and therefore been empowered to give the response that Jesus gave to tempting situations. Whether we use the power given us is left to the use of our free will.

How will you and I respond??

Prayer Starter "Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil ...."

"The Lord is with you. Be awake!"

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Monday 6th March 2017 Leviticus:19/1-2,11-18 Psalm: 19/7-9, 14 Matthew: 25/31-46 The Gospel Proclamation "When the Son of Man comes in his glory, ... then he will sit on the throne of his glory. All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats, and he will put the sheep at his right hand and the goats at the left.

Then the king will say to those at his right hand, 'Come, you that are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world, for I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, ....

Then the righteous will answer him, 'Lord, when was it that we saw you hungry and gave you food, or thirsty and gave you something to drink?

And when was it that we saw you a stranger and welcomed you, .... "Truly, I tell you, just as you did it to one of the least of these who are members of my family, you did it to me. Then he will say to those at his left hand, "You that are accursed, depart from me into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels, for I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink .... Then they also will answer, 'Lord, when was it that we saw you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked.... and did not take care of you?" Then he will answer them, "Truly I tell you, just as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to me.' And these will go away into eternal punishment ... but the righteous into eternal life."

Prayerful Awareness In today's Gospel proclamation Je-

sus teaches us a very important lesson about loving our neighbour and taking responsibility for others. God will judge us not only for the wrong we have done, but also for the good we have failed to do towards our neighbour. It is time to reflect how our actions impinge on the community's struggle to believe and to obey the covenant with God. Now is the time of God's mercy, for seeking His help and grace to turn away from sin and to walk in His way of love.

We start with what we are not to do and then we listen to the words of Jesus and once again continue with what we are supposed to do, especially for all those most in need. We should ask the Lord to purify our hearts that we may love as He loves and live charitably with all, as we recognize God's presence in the sick, the discouraged, the lonely and the oppressed, the poorest of the poor.

We have to practice the corporal work of mercy as a life-style.

The shepherd is separating the sheep and the goats according to our behaviour, our actions and our justice (love expressed in terms of human need).

When we reach out to help these we are showing our readiness to enjoy the blessings and eternal life that has been promised to us.

Gaze at my sonship Where do I stand? Am I a person who recognizes the Lord in my neighbour?

There are so many around me suffering in pain. Do I remind myself that Jesus is in them? Also do I act to help them overcome this pain? Holiness lies in this procedure.

Prayer Starter Father God, like Your Son Jesus, let me too identify myself with the poor who are distressed, the sick, so that I could relieve them from their pain, with Your help. Overshadow me with Your Holy Spirit.

"The Lord is with you. Be awake!"

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Tuesday 7th March 2017

Isaiah: 55/10-11 Psalm: 34/3-6, 15-18 Matthew:6/7-15 Introduction Let us read today’s Proclamations meditatively, where the central theme is regarding the relevance and efficacy of God’s Word.

The First Proclamation For, as the rain and the snow come down from the sky and do not return before having watered the earth, fertilising it and making it germinate to provide seed for the sower and food to eat, so it is with the word that goes from my mouth: it will not return to me unfulfilled or before having carried out my good pleasure and having achieved what it was sent to do.

The Gospel Proclamation 'In your prayers do not babble as the gentiles do, for they think that by using many words they will make themselves heard. Do not be like them; your Father knows what you need before you ask him. So you should pray like this: Our Father in heaven, may your name be held holy, your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as in heaven.

Give us today our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we have forgiven those who are in debt to us. And do not put us to the test, but save us from the Evil One. ' Yes, if you forgive others their failings, your heavenly Father will forgive you yours; but if you do not forgive others, your Father will not forgive your failings either.

Gaze on Jesus Thank you Lord Jesus for spelling out to us Your views on most everything as recorded in chapters five to seven in the Gospel of St. Mathew, collectively known as the Sermon on the Mount, which also contains the beautiful and succinct prayer

which has come to be fondly known as the Lord’s Prayer! Although very brief, each word and phrase holds such a wealth of meaning that countless number of pages have been written analyzing and elaborating on them!

Jesus tells us the Awesome Creator God is our Father, and His thinking and ways are very different from that of man (i.e. completely Other, Holy) and is at a much higher plane, like the distance between heaven and earth!

Next He tells us to appeal for His Kingdom to come soon and His Will to prevail over all the earth. Although God is in overall control of the entire creation, and absolutely nothing happens without His knowledge and His permissive Will, the earth is by and large under the influence of Satan the Devil by virtue of Adam, and by inheritance, mankind, having rejected God’s instructions, using God’s gift of freedom of choice. For now, only those who willingly submit to God’s Spirit are actively partaking of God’s Kingdom on earth. Please read Romans Chapter 8 for a full description of the awesome Life in the Spirit!

Jesus asks us to ask our Father in heaven to forgive us our debts/ wrong doings/ failings, as much as we forgive others their debts/ wrong doings/ failings. It is not easy to practice this in all instances, but please be assured it is key to our physical, mental, and spiritual health!

Song of Praise (Psalm 34/3-5, 15-18) Proclaim with me the greatness of Yahweh, let us acclaim his name together.

I seek Yahweh and he answers me, frees me from all my fears. Fix your gaze on Yahweh and your face will grow bright, you will never hang your head in shame.

The eyes of Yahweh are on the upright, his ear turned to their cry. But Yahweh's face is set against those who do evil, to cut off the memory of them from the earth.

They cry in anguish and Yahweh hears, and rescues them from all their troubles.

Yahweh is near to the broken-hearted, he helps those whose spirit is crushed.

"The Lord is with you. Be awake!"

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zzY=oaOd;auhdfKkS" uu Tnjykafiag jkaokd kuialdr lrñ' ud l< hq;= l=ula±hs ug wK l< uekjZZ

Wednesday 8th March 2017 Jonah: 3/1-10 Psalm:51/1-2,10-11, 16-17 Luke: 11/29-32 The First Proclamation The word of Yahweh was addressed to Jonah a second time. 'Up!' he said, 'Go to Nineveh, the great city, and preach to it as I shall tell you.'

Jonah set out and went to Nineveh in obedience to the word of Yahweh.

Now Nineveh was a city great beyond compare; to cross it took three days.

Jonah began by going a day's journey into the city and then proclaimed, 'Only forty days more and Nineveh will be overthrown.' And the people of Nineveh believed in God; they proclaimed a fast and put on sackcloth, from the greatest to the least. When the news reached the king of Nineveh, he rose from his throne, took off his robe, put on sackcloth and sat down in ashes. He then had it proclaimed throughout Nineveh, by decree of the king and his nobles, as follows: 'No person or animal, herd or flock, may eat anything; they may not graze, they may not drink any water. All must put on sackcloth and call on God with all their might; and let everyone renounce his evil ways and violent behaviour.

Who knows? Perhaps God will change his mind and relent and renounce his burning wrath, so that we shall not perish.' God saw their efforts to renounce their evil ways. And God relented about the disaster which he had threatened to bring on them, and did not bring it.

Fix your gaze on Jesus Overshadow us O Holy Spirit of God, and bring us to the light and the freedom of abiding in the Living Word, in the Presence of the Living Lord!

God employs Jonah who initially was reluctant and disobedient again in his service.

God’s using of us in His service is evidence of His being at peace with us.

See the nature of repentance in Jonah’s change; it is the change of our mind and way, and a return to our work and duty.

Afflictions benefit us as it brings us back to our place in this chain of being. See the power of Divine grace; we who have deserted our place, through affliction are drawn closer to God. God's servants must go where he sends them, come when He calls them, and do what He bids them; we must do whatever the word of the Lord commands. Jonah faithfully and boldly delivered his errand before an audience which would quail the heart of many! He was obedient, courageous, and experienced the security of the Lord.

How would You have fared?

There was a wonder of Divine grace in the repentance and reformation of Nineveh. The men were convinced that humbling themselves, confessing their sins with prayer, and turning from sin before God, are the means of escaping wrath and obtaining mercy. The people started off and then followed the example of the king. It became a national act, which was a necessity, when it was to prevent a national ruin. Let even the brute creatures' cries and moans for want of food remind their owners to cry to God! In prayer we must cry mightily, with fixedness of thought, firmness of faith, and devout affections. It concerns us in prayer to stir up all that is within us. It is not enough to fast for sin, but we must fast from sin; and, we must no more regard iniquity in our hearts. No more signs than the Son crucified and raised are necessary for us to turn!

Prayer Starter Lord, we must seriously search within and turn anew to You, the source of all…

"The Lord is with you. Be awake!"

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Thursday 9th March 2017 Esther:4/17 Psalm: 138/1-3, 7-8 Matthew: 7/7-12 The Gospel Proclamation Ask, and it will be given you; search, and you will find; knock, and the door will be opened for you.

For everyone who asks receives, and everyone who searches finds, and for everyone who knocks, the door will be opened. Is there anyone among you who, if your child asks for bread, will give a stone? Or if the child asks for a fish, will give a snake? If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good things to those who ask him!

In everything, do to others as you would have them do to you; for this is the law and the prophets.

Prayerful Awareness The simple argument put forward

by Jesus is that no father will ever refuse the request of his child. So is the heavenly Father who will never refuse the requests of His children. Surely God will always answer our prayers but not the way we want Him to do but He will answer them in His own way. These answers are always superior to or better than what we ask for. His answers are perfect and full of love and wisdom. If all what we ask in prayer were granted, the results would be ruin. Surely God answers but not timed and tailor-made to suit our plans but in His love and wisdom He grants us better things.

Experience: When a neighbour fell sick and was bedridden we all prayed for her complete cure. She regained her health but not fully. She is able to attend to her ablutions plus the daily chores to some

extent. Of all these she has a positive look and thanks the Lord profusely.

Jesus' message or teaching is clear.

He wants us to persist in prayer and never to get discouraged. This aspect is made very clear by Jesus in His parable on "The widow and the Judge." (Luke 18:1-6). "Will God not judge in favour of His own people who cry to Him day and night for help (vs.7) Very often we lay down conditions on Him - like "I want this request be granted before the end of this year.' 'I want a foreign job; I want this sickness be fully cured before the end of ..... At the end of our prayers do we or can we say, "Thy Will be done". (Mathew 26:42). "Just as Jesus prays to the Father and gives thanks before receiving His gifts, so He teaches us filial boldness "Whatever you ask in prayer, believe that you receive it, and you will." Such is the power of prayer and of faith that does not doubt; "All things are possible to him who believes". Jesus is as saddened by the "lack of faith" of His own neighbours and the "little faith" of His own disciples as He is struck with admiration at the great faith of the Roman Centurian and the Canaanite woman. (C.C.C.2610).

The kind of prayer life we should aim at and ask for is an undiscouraged life of prayer. "Do for others what you want them to do for you...." (vs.12) Perhaps this is the zenith of social ethics. This is new teaching and it has not been said earlier. It is a novel view of life and its obligations. Many have touched this idea but only in the negative. People who have the love of Christ within their hearts are the ones who can say 'yes' to this golden rule. When this principle dominates our lives the result will be a new world.

Prayer Starter Help us to wash others' feet. Amen.

"The Lord is with you. Be awake!"

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zzY=oaOd;auhdfKkS" uu Tnjykafiag jkaokd kuialdr lrĂą' ud l< hq;= l=ulaÂąhs ug wK l< uekjZZ

Friday 10th March 2017

Ezekiel:18/21-28 Psalm:130/1-8 Matthew: 5/20-26

For example wealth, fame, luxurious living, comforts etc. So God wants us to love our neighour in a similar way.

Jesus speaks of the fifth Commandment, "Thou shalt not kill " - for The Gospel Proclamation they will be guilty of judgment which For I tell you, unless your righ- means condemnation, for the one who teousness exceeds that of the scribes is guilty of murder will have to repay and Pharisees, you will never enter by giving his own life in compensation.

But Jesus says that one who keeps a the kingdom of heaven. grudge against his brother and does not "You have heard that it was said talk to or help or is angry with him is to those of ancient times, 'You shall similarly worthy of punishment. not murder', and 'whoever murders Our hearts should be clean and shall be liable to judgment.' but I say to you that if you are angry with a forgiving with no resentment towards brother or sister, you will be liable the other. Further Jesus discourages to judgment; and if you insult a us from trying to solve our problems brother or sister, you will be liable or disputes by appealing to lawyers in to the council, and if you say, 'You courts of Law before judges. As sons fool,' you will be liable to the hell of and daughters of the same Father our fire. So when you are offering your God, He advises us to take a more hugift at the altar, if you remember that mane attitude by asking for forgiveness your brother or sister has something from the ones whom we have sinned against you, leave your gift there against - and he or his neighbour before the altar and go; first be should always be ready to forgive reconciled to your brother or sister, even if he is not appealed to. This is and then come and offer your gift. Jesus' way of life as on the cross He Come to terms quickly with your Himself appealed for His murderers, accuser while you are on the way to "Father forgive for they know not court with him, or your accuser may what they do." This should be the life hand you over to the judge, and the of a Christian who is supposed to be a judge to the guard, and you will be true follower of Christ.

Prayer Starter thrown into prison. Truly I tell you, you will never get out until you have Out of the depths I cry to you, paid the last penny.

O Lord Prayerful Awareness Lord, hear my voice!

Jesus sets a boundary for the Let your ears be attentive to the voice Pharisees as well as those who live of my supplications! a life similar to that of the Pharisees.

If you, O Lord, should mark According to the first Commandment, iniquities, we have to love God with all our heart Lord, who could stand? and mind, with all our strength and But there is forgiveness with you, so above everything else and to love our that you may be revered. neighbour as ourselves. That means we love ourselves more than anything else.

"The Lord is with you. Be awake!"

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Saturday 11th March 2017 Deuteronomy: 26/16-19 Psalm: 119/1-2,4-5,7-8 Matthew:5/43-48 The First Proclamation This very day the Lord your God is commanding you to observe these statutes and ordinances, so observe them diligently with all your heart and with all your soul. Today you have obtained the Lord's agreement; to be your God; and for you to walk in his ways, to keep his statutes, his commandments, and his ordinances, and to obey him. Today the Lord has obtained your agreement; to be his treasured people, as he promised you, and to keep his commandments; for him to set you high above all nations that he has made, in praise and in fame and in honor; and for you to be a people holy to the Lord your God, as he promised.

The Gospel Proclamation "You have heard that it was said, 'You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.' But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be children of your Father in heaven; for he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the righteous and on the unrighteous.

For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same?

And if you greet only your brothers and sisters, what more are you doing than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same? Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.

Prayerful Awareness By telling us not to retaliate, Jesus keeps us from taking the law into our own hands. By LOVING and PRAY-

ING for our ENEMIES, we can overcome EVIL with GOOD. If we love our enemies and treat them well, we will truely show that Jesus is Lord of our lives. This is possible only for those who give themselves to God; because only God can deliver people from natural selfishness. The Holy Spirit helps us to SHOW love to those whom we may not FEEL love.

How can we be PERFECT? In CHARACTER, in this life we cannot be FLAWLESS, but we can aspire to be as much like Christ as possible.

In HOLINESS, we are to separate ourselves from the WORLD's SINFUL VALUES and we are to be devoted to GOD's desires rather than our own, and carry HIS love and mercy into the world. In LOVE we can seek to love others as completely as God loves us.

We can be PERFECT if our behaviour is appropriate, according to our maturity level - perfect yet with much room to grow. Our tendency to SIN must NEVER deter us from striving to be more like Christ.

Christ calls all of His disciples to EXCEL, to rise above second rate (mediocrity) and to mature in every area, becoming like Him. Those who strive to become perfect will one day, be perfect, even as Christ is perfect. (1 John 3:2, 3) Jesus' teachings show us how to prepare for life in His eternal Kingdom by living PROPERLY right now. He lived what He taught, and we too must practice what we preach.

Prayer Starter God Almighty Father, help us to experience Your Love more fully so that we can share it with others. We want to live in the light of Your grace and mercy.

"The Lord is with you. Be awake!"

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zzY=oaOd;auhdfKkS" uu Tnjykafiag jkaokd kuialdr lrĂą' ud l< hq;= l=ulaÂąhs ug wK l< uekjZZ

Sunday 12th March 2017 Genesis: 12/1-4 Psalm: 33/4-5,18-20,22 2 Timothy: 1/8-10 Introduction Last Sunday we saw how Jesus as true Man consciously with full awareness chose God above all else, and how we who have been baptized into His death and resurrection have been empowered with the ability to do likewise.

But the crux of the matter is that this ability or power has to be put into action so that we may appropriate the salvation won for us by Jesus Christ. Our humanness requires that we at least "see" a goal in our mind's eye to embark on a journey towards it. The Entrance Antiphon expresses our deep desire to see our goal which is the Divine face of our Lord.

So let us sing/recite it in preparation for today's liturgy of the Word.

Entrance Antiphon My heart has prompted to seek your face; I seek it, Lord; do not hide from me.

The First Proclamation Now the Lord said to Abram, "Go from your country and your kindred and your father's house to the land that I will show you. I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you, and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and the one who curses you I will curse; and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.

So Abram went, as the Lord had told him; and Lot went with him.

Abram was seventy-five years old when he departed from Haran.

Prayerful Awareness For a person or group of persons to strive towards a goal it must be one that would once achieved be acknowledged

Second Sunday in Lent Ps. Week II by the society he lives in as a triumph.

Abram before he becomes Abraham is offered the vision of being a great nation and the chance to have a special relationship with the Lord God. He was also offered the privilege of being a blessing to all communities of the earth.

Abraham had only the guarantee of his faith in the vision given by the Lord God to persuade him to launch out into a life transforming venture.

Subsequently Abram made the decision to leave the comfort of living amongst his kinsfolk in the land that he possessed. He also had to deal with the limitations due to his age. There was nothing concrete to guarantee that all that was promised by the Lord God would be fulfilled.

Jesus who faced the challenge of grooming His disciples to take over and continue the mission entrusted to Him by His Father would have realized the necessity of establishing and strengthening their faith in God. How does He set about it? Let us read the Gospel proclamation to find out.

Gospel Proclamation After six days Jesus took Peter, James and John his brother, and led them up a high mountain by themselves. And he was transfigured before them; his face shone like the sun and his clothes became white as light. And behold, Moses and Elijah appeared to them, conversing with him. Then Peter said to Jesus in reply, "Lord, it is good that we are here. If you wish, I will make three tents here, one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah." While he was still speaking, behold, a bright cloud cast a shadow over them, then from the cloud came a voice that said, "This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased; listen to him." When the disciples heard this, they fell prostrate and were very much afraid. But Jesus came and touched them, saying,

"The Lord is with you. Be awake!"

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"Rise, and do not be afraid." And when the disciples raised their eyes, they saw no one else but Jesus alone.

As they were coming down from the mountain, Jesus charged them, "Do not tell the vision to anyone until the Son of Man has been raised from the dead."

Gaze at Jesus Jesus takes Peter, James and John to a high mountain. They are the inner circle of the Twelve and are found with Jesus at other times of crucial importance e.g. at the raising of Jairus' daughter and the agony in the garden. They are given a vision they would remember when the opportune time came.

Everything in the description of what happened that day is of significance. The six days identifies Jesus as the new Moses, the transfiguration confirms Jesus as the Messiah, the presence of Moses and Elijah endorses all what Jesus is doing is in accordance with the law and the teachings of the prophets, the bright cloud reminds one of the cloud which covered mount Sinai when Moses spoke with God there. The voice that came out of it and the words spoken through the cloud are the exact words spoken at the Baptism of Jesus. Although the significance of the events would have been lost to the three disciples at that moment we know that it came back to them at the appropriate time under the promptings of the Holy Spirit.

So through the Transfiguration experience Jesus gave His disciples the vision to persevere in their mission in the midst of trials and tribulations.

Let us see how this vision affected the disciples as they engaged in their mission.

Second Proclamation So do not be ashamed of your testimony to our Lord, nor of me, a prisoner for his sake; but bear your share of hardship for the gospel with the strength that comes from God. He

saved us and called us to a holy life, not according to our works but according to his own design and the grace bestowed on us in Christ Jesus before time began, but now made manifest through the appearance of our Savior Christ Jesus, who destroyed death and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel.

Our sonship After the experience of the Transfiguration the disciples came down from the mountain. Continuing the mission of Jesus as His disciples means not staying up on the mountain. Being on the mountain was a wonderful experience of Peter, James and John. "It is good for us to be here," said Peter. But Jesus came down from the mountain to be with the people in their pains and sorrows, in their fears and anxieties, in their sicknesses and disabilities, in their sinfulness.

All the twelve disciples were not given the grace of being present at the Transfiguration, certainly not St. Paul the post resurrection apostle, but all of them engaged in the mission as if they had. This is because those who had the experience shared it with the rest and they worked with the same zeal in their mission.

Have we been graced with a transfiguration experience of our own or have been privileged to have another share of his/her experience with us? Let us thank God if we have one or the other, if not let us earnestly pray that we be counted worthy to receive such.

Prayer Starter Lord Holy Spirit! Direct us to obey the Father who said, "This is my Son, the Beloved; with him I am well pleased; listen to him!" Grant me the gift of a listening heart so that I may: * Hear what he says * Accept what he says * Make it my own, to identify with it fully. Amen.

"The Lord is with you. Be awake!"

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zzY=oaOd;auhdfKkS" uu Tnjykafiag jkaokd kuialdr lrĂą' ud l< hq;= l=ulaÂąhs ug wK l< uekjZZ

Monday 13th March 2017 Daniel: 9/4-10 Psalm: 79/8-9, 11, 13 Luke: 6/36-38 The Gospel Proclamation Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.

"Do not judge, and you will not be judged; do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven; give and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, will be put into your lap, for the measure you give will be the measure you get back.

Prayerful Awareness

and weaknesses and change our lives for the better. In the meantime, our attitude towards the other will have changed our lives for the better. Our hard heart that was full of revenge will have changed for a heart full of mercy and forgiveness.

Jesus Himself once said, "I have not come to judge but to save". So if our Redeemer Himself has not come to judge the world, why should we, sinful humans, be so quick to judge others. By not judging and instead by forgiving, we shall be adding forgiveness into our own lives too, for as Christians, Christ has asked us to "forgive and you shall be forgiven."

Forgiveness is such a soothing balm. It soothes our neighbour's pains and wounds as well as our own. "For mercy is twice blessed, it blesseth him that gives and him that takes."

By giving to others, we shall get much more than what we give. Sometimes, when we give, it may be painful for, we may be giving from what we have earned after a hard struggle.

But Jesus who knows our hearts will be too ready to reward us. Hence it reminds me of the poor woman who put all that she had into the coffers.

I am sure Jesus must have blessed her and increased her possessions a hundred-fold.

Prayer Starter

Jesus did what His Father did, from the beginning to the end. Abba Father's thoughts, words and deeds were based on Love. Hence Jesus wanted all of us to be merciful as God His Father and He are. Mercy means kindness or a melting heart - a forgiving attitude towards everyone. Mercy is twice blessed indeed.

"It blesseth Him that gives and him that takes". To add something more, I feel mercy blesses the whole environment too - of the giver as well as of the receiver. It is like soothing water that is poured over a burning fire.

Jesus wants us not to judge others. Actually we are not faultless or "Give me a heart sympathetic and all perfect, to judge others' sins or tender, weaknesses. We cannot remove the Jesus like Thine, like Thine speck of dust in the other's eye, for we ourselves are blind with the stones in Touched by the needs that are our own eyes. So the best thing is to surging around me remove the stones in our own eyes, And filled with compassion Divine" i.e. to clean the chaff that has blinded Anon our own eyes by confessing our sins

"The Lord is with you. Be awake!"

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Tuesday 14th March 2017

Isaiah: 1/10, 16-20 Psalm: 50/8-9, 16-17, 21, 23 Matthew: 23/1-12 Introduction Let us read today’s Proclamations meditatively, where the central theme is the importance of humility, repentance, and getting back on the right track in order to obtain God’s saving grace for the restoration of our son-ship to earn the reward of eternal life.

The First Proclamation Hear the word of the Lord, you rulers of Sodom! Listen to what our God teaches, you people of Gomorrah.

Wash, make yourselves clean. Take your wrong-doing out of my sight.

Cease doing evil. Learn to do good, search for justice, discipline the violent, be just to the orphan, plead for the widow. '..... 'Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be white as snow; though they are red as crimson, they shall be like wool. If you are willing to obey, you shall eat the good things of the earth. But if you refuse and rebel, the sword shall eat you instead -- for Yahweh's mouth has spoken.'

Gospel Proclamation Then addressing the crowds and his disciples Jesus said, 'The scribes and the Pharisees occupy the chair of Moses. You must therefore do and observe what they tell you; but do not be guided by what they do, since they do not practice what they preach. They tie up heavy burdens and lay them on people's shoulders, but will they lift a finger to move them? Not they!

Everything they do is done to attract attention, .....'You, however, must not allow yourselves to be called Rabbi, since you have only one Master, and you are all brothers. You must call no one on earth your father, since you have only one Father, and he is in heaven.

Nor must you allow yourselves to be called teachers, for you have only one Teacher, the Christ. The greatest among you must be your servant.

Anyone who raises himself up will be humbled, and anyone who humbles himself will be raised up.

Prayerful Awareness The Lord promises, if we return to Him, to restore to us our gift of divine Son-ship even if our sins are like scarlet!

What saving grace! Amen! Alleluia!

God is Love, and His Love is Universal, Sacrificial, Humble/Serving, and Constant, Unconditional, and Unceasing!

And God is Triune, Father, Son, and the Holy Spirit. The constant flowing of giving, receiving, binding Love between the Father and the Son is manifested as the Holy Spirit. And we are told we have been created in His image, which means we too are designed to constantly give and receive love individually & in community. Also, we are aware that all of God’s Commandments can be summarized as Love God and Love others as God loves us. Our failure to do so under any circumstance is SIN. It is not easy to love in all circumstances, but that is why we have been given His Spirit, to assist us to do what is humanly impossible.

Psalm (50/8-9,16-17,21,23) ‘It is not with your sacrifices that I find fault, those burnt offerings constantly before me; I will not accept any bull from your homes, nor a single goat from your folds.

But to the wicked, God says: 'What right have you to recite my statutes, to take my covenant on your lips, when you detest my teaching, and thrust my words behind you?

You do this, and am I to say nothing?

Do you think that I am really like you? I charge you, indict you to your face.

Honour to me is a sacrifice of thanksgiving; to the upright I will show God's salvation.'

"The Lord is with you. Be awake!"

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zzY=oaOd;auhdfKkS" uu Tnjykafiag jkaokd kuialdr lrñ' ud l< hq;= l=ula±hs ug wK l< uekjZZ

Wednesday 15h March 2017 Jeremiah: 18/18-20 Psalm:31/4-5, 13-15 Matthew: 20/17-28 The First Proclamation 'Come on,' they said, 'let us concoct a plot against Jeremiah, for the Law will not perish for lack of priests, nor advice for lack of wise men, nor the word for lack of prophets. Come on, let us slander him and pay no attention to anything he says.' Pay attention to me, Yahweh, hear what my adversaries are saying. Should evil be returned for good? Now they are digging a pit for me. Remember how I pleaded before you and spoke good of them, to turn your retribution away from them.

Fix your gaze on Jesus O Holy Spirit of God, nurture the heart and mind of Jesus within us this DAY, replacing the errant thought patterns/beliefs/desires with life giving/ uplifting/liberating Truth…

When the prophet called for repentance, instead of responding positively to the call, the people chose to rebel and devised schemes against him. Thus do sinners deal with the great Intercessor, denying a place for Him in their hearts, crucifying Him afresh, and speaking against Him on earth, while His blood is speaking for them in heaven. But the prophet had done his duty towards them; saying “Yes” to his divine calling.

In the Gospel today, our Supreme model, Lord Jesus prophecies of His coming passion and glory, signifying to all those who are receptive, His resounding “Yes” to ABBA, the Father of all.

Where do we stand? Let us look inwardly, in to our inner reality: the world of thoughts, desires, drives, beliefs, feelings, motives, understandings, passions and compulsions. How do we respond to the calling to stand in His presence every given moment? The call is to respond

with all our mind (attentive, focused), our heart (with gladness, gratefully and with passion), and our strength (will, resolve, steadfast decision)! To walk the (chosen with fore thought) narrow path, even as Jesus our Lord and Master did.

Humanity (all of us) normally lives most of the time unfocused, unresolved, and fragmented lives. As James Allen says, “Humanity surges with uncontrolled passion, is tumultuous with ungoverned grief, is blown about by anxiety and doubt. All of which goes to say that we are NOT present in the MOMENT, where the fullness of grace abounds.

Remember the theme of our current year?

S/He is Present with us, and we are to grow in our awareness thereof...

Now, the Lord calls upon us to turn anew! Not to disregard the prophet, but to heed the voice of the Lord, who would create divine sons and daughters out of dust! Let us start off by truly believing that we are worthy in His sight – regardless of our present state! He only sees the potential in His creation to be in His image and likeness! Visualize the following.

Would you, when your toddler daughter keeps running toward you and calling you “Daddy, Daddy” really care that much whether she stumbles a few times on the way? No. You'd love her all the more. We condemn ourselves with facts, with our failures, but these facts don't mean very much in terms of relationships. Enter in to, and feel the relationship with your Father! Now is the time to turn!

Prayer Starter Lord Jesus, when we turn and give You mastery in our lives, when we truly abide in Your commandments (hold the life giving Word before us in all circumstances), You will infuse us with life.

Your word will comfort us, and make us free! This is truly an experience we need to repetitively taste. O Lord, may we be blessed….

"The Lord is with you. Be awake!"

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Thursday 16h March 2017 Jeremiah:17/5-10 Psalm: 1/1-4, 6 Luke: 16/19-31 The Gospel Proclamation "There was a rich man who was dressed in purple and fine linen and who feasted sumptuously every day. And at his gate lay a poor man named Lazarus, covered with sores, who longed to satisfy his hunger with what fell from the rich man's table, even the dogs would come and lick his sores. The poor man died and was carried away by the angels to be with Abraham. The rich man also died and was buried. In Hades, where he was being tormented, he looked up and saw Abraham far away with Lazarus by his side. He called out, "Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue; for I am in agony in these flames.' But Abraham said, 'Child, remember that during your lifetime you received your good things and Lazarus in like manner evil things; but now he is comforted here, and you are in agony. Besides all this, between you and us a great chasm has been fixed, so that those who might want to pass from here to you cannot do so and no one can cross from there to us.' He said, "Then, father, I beg you to send him to my father's house.... that he may warn them, so that they will not also come into this place of torment.' Abraham replied, 'They have Moses and the prophets, they should listen to them.' He said, 'No father Abraham, but if someone goes to them from the dead, they will repent.' He said to him, 'If they do not listen to Moses and the prophets, neither will they be convinced even if

someone rises from the dead.'

Prayerful Awareness The ideas presented and the language used to describe the rich man in this parable, are of high quality. Of the rich man, the food he consumed, the clothes he wore etc. It is interesting to note that Lazarus is the only character in any of the parables, who is given a name. A beggar he was, unable even to ward off dogs that troubled him. The scene changes suddenly. Rust, decay and corrosion affects everything on earth. Both of them die and Lazarus is in glory and the rich man is in disgrace or torment. What was the sin committed by the rich man? Did he object Lazarus receiving bread falling from his table or did he kick him away from his gate? He was not cruel to him in any way. He was not guilty of any of those maltreatments. His sin was that he deliberately did not take notice of Lazarus; saw him but did not look at him, was deaf to his cry for help.

May be he judged him - "it is because of his sins he is suffering and why should I care? Let him suffer." The rich man wallowed in luxury while Lazarus lay in pain and hunger. The door to salvation was open to the rich man in Lazarus. It was thrust upon him but unfortunately he was blind to everything. He could not or did not see, feed, visited or clothed Christ in Lazarus. The things that he did not do - yes, these put him into hell. Though there are seven 'don't' commandments and only three 'do's' Jesus questions us about what we do, He said, "Do for others what you want them to do for you." (Mathew 7:12).

Prayer Starter Awaken us to the opportunities available to be active Christians.

Amen.

"The Lord is with you. Be awake!"

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zzY=oaOd;auhdfKkS" uu Tnjykafiag jkaokd kuialdr lrñ' ud l< hq;= l=ula±hs ug wK l< uekjZZ

Friday 17th March 2017 Genesis:37/3-4,12-13 17-28 Psalm: 104/16-21 Matthew:21/33-43, 45-46 Gospel Proclamation Listen to another parable. There was a man, a landowner, who planted a vineyard; he fenced it round, dug a winepress in it and built a tower; then he leased it to tenants and went abroad. When vintage time drew near he sent his servants to the tenants to collect his produce. But the tenants seized his servants, thrashed one, killed another and stoned a third. Next he sent some more servants, this time a larger number, and they dealt with them in the same way. Finally, he sent his son to them thinking, “they will respect my son”. "But when the tenants saw the son, they said to each other, "This is the heir. Come on, let us kill him and take over his inheritance." So they seized him and threw him out of the vineyard and killed him. Now when the owner of the vineyard comes, what will he do to those tenants?' They answered, 'He will bring those wretches to a wretched end and lease the vineyard to other tenants who will deliver the produce to him at the proper time. …'Jesus said to them, 'Have you never read in the scriptures: … 'I tell you, then, that the kingdom of God will be taken from you and given to a people who will produce its fruit.'

Gaze at Jesus This parable relates the story of God’s generosity and His faithfulness to the salvation plan. Vineyard is the world and the tenants are us. Sending His servants multiple times, indicates that God is patient and that He is willing to forgive our debts. However, there also will be a time when God’s judgement will prevail.

Gaze at our sonship It is timely that we pause to ask ourselves, how much do we value the inheritance that God has given us.

Lord has given us many talents and gifts such as a healthy body, wealth, an environment for education, our parents, brothers and sisters, relationships with many people in different walks of life.

These are essential requirements in managing His vineyard.

However, our struggles are more with managing the very gifts that Lord has given us to manage His vineyard such as issues with our relationships, financial debts, mismanaging our educational facilities or abusing our bodies with addictions.

Therefore, when we help a broken family, or a person out of addiction or mentor the youth, we are also helping one another build their resource bank so that those talents can be directed to uplift God’s community.

Let us be prepared for His Second Coming to judge the world. He will appoint us not as tenants, but as true managers as He enabled Joseph to a new status in the first reading.

Prayer Starter (Psalm 104: 16 – 21) The trees of the Lord are well watered, the cedars of Lebanon that he planted. There the birds make their nests; the stork has its home in the junipers.

The high mountains belong to the wild goats;the crags are a refuge for the hyrax.

He made the moon to mark the seasons, and the sun knows when to go down.

You bring darkness, it becomes night, and all the beasts of the forest prowl.

The lions roar for their prey and seek their food from God.

"The Lord is with you. Be awake!"

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Saturday 18th March 2017 Micah:7/14-15, 18-20 Psalm: 103/1-4,9-12 Luke: 15/1-3, 11-32 The Gospel Proclamation .... Then Jesus said, "There was a man who had two sons. The youngest of them said to his father, 'Father, give me the share of the property that will belong to me,' .... A few days later the younger son gathered all he had and traveled to a distant country and there he squandered his property in dissolute living. When he had spent everything, a severe famine took place throughout that country, and he began to be in need. So he went and hired himself out to one of the citizens of that country, who sent him to his fields to feed the pigs. He would gladly have filled himself with the pods that the pigs were eating, and no one gave him anything. But when he came to himself he said, 'How many of my father's hired hands have bread enough and to spare, but here I am dying of hunger.

I will get up and go to my father ...

'Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son; treat me like one of your hired hands." ... But while he was still far off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion; he ran and put his arms around him and kissed him. Then the son said to him, 'Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.' But the father said to his slaves, 'Quickly bring out a robe, the best one, and put it on him; put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. And get the fatted calf and kill it, and let us eat and celebrate, for this son of mine was dead and is alive again, he was lost and is found!......

Prayerful Awareness Despite the numerous times we have read and heard this story, let us read the

Parable of the Lost Son. Jesus of course is trying to describe to us the love of the Father. In Micah the author is also trying to describe what God is like; “not retain his anger for ever”, “delights in steadfast love”, “tread our iniquities under foot”, “cast all our sins into the depths of the sea”. In today’s times, we again have a great leader, Pope Francis, who is trying radically to convince the people of the love and mercy of the Father.

In an interview of Pope Francis, published in America, The National Catholic Review (September 2013), when asked “Who is Jorge Mario Bergoglio?” (the Pope’s previous name), he answers that he is a sinner, called to follow Jesus. He was captured by the gaze of Jesus and His mercy, and accepted the invitation through a spirit of penance.

In the interview Pope Francis also talked about the importance of discernment, and how that has lead him to decide to travel in a small car, instead of a luxury purpose built vehicle. Moreover, he has made many controversial statements including the need to accept and love people of different sexual orientation; Extend forgiveness to women who have had abortions, and said that it was accepted that Catholics believe in evolution and the Big Bang! Pope Francis is also the first Pope to wash a woman’s feet. The woman was Muslim, and in the same stride he tries to encourage respect and acceptance of the Muslim faith. These statements are controversial, because we are still lagging behind in understanding just how immense the love of the Father is!

Prayer Starter Bless the Lord, O my soul, and all that is within me, bless his holy name.

Bless the Lord, O my soul and do not forget all his benefits - who forgives all your iniquity, who heals all your diseases, who redeems your life from the Pit, who crowns you with steadfast love and mercy....(Ps.103/1-4....)

"The Lord is with you. Be awake!"

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zzY=oaOd;auhdfKkS" uu Tnjykafiag jkaokd kuialdr lrĂą' ud l< hq;= l=ulaÂąhs ug wK l< uekjZZ

Sunday 19th March 2017 Exodus: 17/3-7 Psalm: 95/1-2,6-9 Romans:5/1-2, 5-8 John: 4/5-42 OR 4/5-15,19-26,39-42 The First Proclamation But the people thirsted there for water and the people complained against Moses and said, "Why did you bring us out of Egypt, to kill us and our children and livestock with thirst?" So Moses cried out to the Lord, "What shall I do with this people? They are almost ready to stone me." The Lord said to Moses, "Go on ahead of the people, and take some of the elders of Israel with you, take in your hand the staff with which you struck the Nile, and go. I will be standing there in front of you on the rock at Horeb. Strike the rock and water will come out of it, so that the people may drink. Moses did so, in the sight of the elders of Israel. ....

The Second Proclamation Therefore since we are justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have obtained access to this grace in which we stand and we boast in our hope of sharing the glory of God. ....and hope does not disappoint us, because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit that has been given to us.

For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly.

In deed, rarely will anyone die for a righteous person - though perhaps for a good person someone might actually dare to die. But God proves his love for us in that while we still were sinners Christ died for us.

The Gospel Proclamation So he came to a Samaritan city ...

Third Sunday in Lent Ps. Week III Jacob's well was there, and Jesus, tired out by his journey, was sitting by the well. It was about noon.

A Samaritan woman came to draw water, and Jesus said to her, "Give me a drink."... The Samaritan woman said to him, "How is it that you, a Jew, ask a drink of me, a woman of Samaria?" ..... Jesus answered her, "If you knew the gift of God, and who it is that is saying to you, 'Give me a drink' you would have asked him, and he would have given you living water."

The woman said to him, "Sir, you have no bucket, and the well is deep. Where do you get that living water? Are you greater than our ancestor Jacob, who gave us the well, ...?" Jesus said to her, "Everyone who drinks of this water will be thirsty again, but those who drink of the water that I will give them will never be thirsty. ...." The woman said to him, "Sir, give me this water, so that I may never be thirsty or have to keep coming here to draw water."...

The woman said to him, "Sir, I see that you are a prophet. Our ancestors worshipped on this mountain, but you say that the place where people must worship is in Jerusalem." Jesus said to her, "Woman believe me, the hour is coming when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem. ... But the hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father seeks such as these to worship him. God is Spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth."

The woman said to him, "I know that Messiah is coming." .... "When he comes, he will proclaim all things to us." Jesus said to her, "I am he, the one who is speaking to you." ... Many Samaritans from that city believed in him because of the woman's testimony. "He told me everything I have ever done."..... And many more

"The Lord is with you. Be awake!"

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believed because of his word. They said to the woman, "It is no longer because of what you said that we believe, for we have heard for ourselves, and we know that this is truly the Savior of the world."

Prayerful Awareness The encounter between Jesus and the Samaritan villagers is a story of the possibility of a journey from no faith, to partial faith to full faith. After overcoming the original shock that a Jew would even speak to a Samaritan woman (Jn. 4:9), she cannot grasp what Jesus is offering her. He tells her, "Anyone who drinks the water that I shall give will never be thirsty again." She can only think of ordinary water and ordinary thirst. She cannot accept His words.

"Give me some of that water that I may never get thirsty .... and have to come here again to draw water." (vs.13-15).

But Jesus reaching outside Judaism into the missionary world for the first time in His story, takes her gently into something that she can understand; her marital situation (vs.16-18). Now Jesus' words suggest to her that He is a prophet (vs.19). A discussion between a Jewish prophet and a Samaritan over the right place for worship leads Jesus to announce that there will no longer be a 'place'. True worship happens 'in spirit and truth' (vs.20-24). She now suspects that He might even be the promised Messiah: 'Come and see a man who has told me everything I ever did; I wonder if he is the Christ' (vs.29. See also vs.

25-26). She has gone beyond her first response to the promise of Jesus. Now she thinks that He might be the Messiah.

We are soon to discover that He is more than the Messiah.

The Samaritan villagers, aroused by her story, go to the well to see Jesus and invite Him to stay with them (vs.30). At first they believe in Jesus because of the woman's words (vs.39). After hearing Him themselves, they come to believe in Him because of His word. On the

basis of the word of Jesus they arrive at an understanding that transcends all the woman had suggested. Jesus is not only a prophet and the Messiah, 'He really is the Saviour of the world.' (vs.42) The story of the Samaritan woman and the Samaritan villagers teach us of the possibilities of faith. The woman goes from no faith in Jesus, hoping that He will provide for her material needs (vs.5-15), to a partial faith, suspecting that He might be her expected Messiah. (vs.16-19). The villagers finally come to see that He is the Saviour of the world. (vs.39-42) Gaze at Jesus We too are capable of repeating the initial experience of the Samaritan woman. Often we simply do not hear the word of Jesus because we are too concerned with our own needs. Most of the time, however, we are happy to believe in Jesus. But if we reflect upon the quality of our faith we will see that, like the Samaritan woman again, we commit ourselves to faith in the Jesus of our expectations. As long as He is our prophet and the Messiah we are waiting for, we are comfortable. Only occasionally we listen to the word of Jesus and risk everything in confessing that He is the Saviour of the world.

Most of us live the major part of our lives perched somewhere between apostasy and sanctity. We do not have the courage to go one way or the other.

We need not be discouraged by this.

Today's gospel asks us to recognise the limitations of our faith, and to see the possibilities of an unconditional commitment to the Word of God, made known to us in Jesus.

Prayer Starter O come, let us sing to the Lord; let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation! Let us come into his presence with thanksgiving..... (Ps.95/1, 2...)

"The Lord is with you. Be awake!"

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zzY=oaOd;auhdfKkS" uu Tnjykafiag jkaokd kuialdr lrñ' ud l< hq;= l=ula±hs ug wK l< uekjZZ

Monday 20th March 2017

2 Samuel:7/4-6, 12-14 16 Psalm: 89/1-4,26,28 Romans:4/13,16-18,22 Matthew:1/16,18-21,24 OR Luke: 2/41-51 Gospel Proclamation and Jacob fathered Joseph the husband of Mary; of her was born Jesus who is called Christ. … This is how Jesus Christ came to be born.

His mother Mary was betrothed to Joseph; but before they came to live together she was found to be with child through the Holy Spirit. Her husband Joseph, being an upright man and wanting to spare her disgrace, decided to divorce her informally. He had made up his mind to do this when suddenly the angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, 'Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because she has conceived what is in her by the Holy Spirit. She will give birth to a son and you must name him Jesus, because he is the one who is to save his people from their sins.

'When Joseph woke up he did what the angel of the Lord had told him to do: he took his wife to his home.

Gaze at Jesus In 2 Samuel Lord tells Nathan to tell David that, he is not the one chosen to build God’s temple. The one who is to build the temple would come later.

God makes David aware that He has and will always live in their tents with them and travel with them. In the second reading, St. Paul says to the Romans that Abraham was justified by faith and not by his own righteousness. Finally, in the Gospel of Matthew relates how

Feast of St. Joseph God’s promise to David was fulfilled through Mary and Joseph. Jesus was the manifestation of God’s presence in the world. Thus, God became visible through Jesus.

Gaze at our sonship We now understand fully the meaning of God’s promise to David. Jesus is the ultimate authority of God who is and who will build God’s temple in the hearts of the people. Starting from Abraham to Mary and Joseph, many of our fore fathers surrendered their lives to God’s authority to fulfill God’s promise to humanity. To take up the difficult journey of His call they trusted that God’s presence was leading them through.

Therefore, we gaze at Jesus as our Lord who continues to be present in our lives in many ways. We also accept that God’s presence and authority lingers with us through His written word that guides and nourish and empower us.

Prayer Starter (Ps 89: 1-4, 26, 28) Let us sing Psalm 89 as trust God is passionately dwelling in our hearts making our hearts one.

I shall sing the faithful love of Yahweh forever, from age to age my lips shall declare your constancy, for you have said: love is built to last forever, you have fixed your constancy firm in the heavens.

'I have made a covenant with my Chosen One, sworn an oath to my servant David: I have made your dynasty firm forever, built your throne stable age after age He will cry to me, "You are my father, my God, the rock of my salvation!"

I shall maintain my faithful love for him always, my covenant with him will stay firm.

"The Lord is with you. Be awake!"

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Tuesday 21st March 2017 Daniel:3/25, 34-43 Psalm:25/4-9 Matthew:18/21-35 The Gospel Proclamation Then Peter came and said to him, "Lord, if another member of the church sins against me, how often should I forgive? As many as seven times?" Jesus said to him, "Not seven times, but, I tell you, seventy-seven times.

"For this reason the kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who wished to settle accounts with his slaves. When he began the reckoning, one who owed him ten thousand talents was brought to him, and, as he could not pay, his lord ordered him to be sold, together with his wife and children and all his possessions, and payment to be made. So the slave fell on his knees before him, saying, 'Have patience with me, and I will pay you everything.' And out of pity for him, the lord of that slave released him and forgave him the debt, But that same slave, as he went out, came upon one of his fellow slaves who owed him a hundred denarii, and seizing him by the throat, he said, 'Pay what you owe.' Then his fellow slave fell down and pleaded with him, 'Have patience with me, and I will pay you.' But he refused; then he went and threw him into prison until he would pay the debt. When his fellow slaves saw what had happened, they were greatly distressed, and they went and reported to their lord all that had taken place.

Then his lord summoned him and said to him, 'You wicked slave! I forgave you all that debt because you pleaded with me. Should you not have had mercy on your fellow slave as I had mercy on you?"' And in anger his lord handed him over to be tortured until

he would pay his entire debt. So my heavenly father will also do to every one of you, if you do not forgive your brother or sister from your heart Prayerful Awareness The rabbis taught that people should forgive those who offended them - only three times. Peter trying to be especially generous asked Jesus if seven (the "perfect" number) was enough times to forgive someone. But Jesus answered "SEVENTY-SEVEN times" meaning that we SHOULDN'T keep track of how many times we FORGIVE someone. We should always forgive those who are TRUELY REPENTANT, no matter how many times they ask.

In Bible times, serious consequences awaited those who could not pay their debts. A person lending money could SEIZE the BORROWER who could not pay and force him or his family to WORK until the debt was paid. The debtor could also be THROWN into prison, or his family could be SOLD into SLAVERY, to help pay off the debt. It was hoped that relatives would pay the debt. If not, the debtor could remain in prison for LIFE. Because God has forgiven ALL our sins, we should not withhold forgiveness, from others. Realizing how completely Christ has forgiven us should produce a FREE and GENEROUS attitude of forgiving - forgiveness towards others. When we DON'T forgive others, we are setting ourselves OUTSIDE and ABOVE Christ's law of LOVE. Handling problems God's way will have an impact NOW and for ETERNITY. Prayer Starter Heavenly Father, You love us too much to let us continue defying Your instructions. Your correction is never to harm us but only to heal us. You are God of all comfort.

"The Lord is with you. Be awake!"

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zzY=oaOd;auhdfKkS" uu Tnjykafiag jkaokd kuialdr lrñ' ud l< hq;= l=ula±hs ug wK l< uekjZZ

Wednesday 22nd March 2017 Deuteronomy:4/1, 5-9 Psalm: 147/12-13,15-16 19-20 Matthew: 5/17-19 The First Proclamation 'And now, Israel, listen to the laws and customs which I am teaching you today, ... Look: as Yahweh my God commanded me, I have taught you laws and customs, for you to observe in the country of which you are going to take possession. Keep them, put them into practice, .... Once they know what all these laws are, they will exclaim, "No other people is as wise and prudent as this great nation!"

And indeed, what great nation has its gods as near as Yahweh our God is to us whenever we call to him? ... 'But take care, as you value your lives! Do not forget the things which you yourselves have seen, or let them slip from your heart as long as you live; teach them, rather, to your children and to your children's children.

Fix your gaze on Jesus O Holy Spirit of God, show us the heart and mind of Jesus in today’s Good News….

The love of God works at awakening us to the power and the wonder of our being. Think about it! Mere dust (a few molecules of a few elements) gets together, and you have consciousness!

How is this done? When you look carefully, it is seen to be done with rules.

Energy, which is the fundamental nature of all that is seen and unseen, obeys very specific laws. We name them as gravity, electro-magnetism, energy conservation and conversion mechanisms, chemical and atomic forces etc.. The more you understand these natural laws and thereby the nature of this creation, the more you could use these natural forces

to reap desired beneficial results therefrom. Comparing the life situations of a century back and now, the differences we experience in our lives today are mostly due to our better understanding of the rules governing nature.

As each generation passes on the knowledge so gained on to the next generation, it seems as if we stand on the shoulders of our forefathers.

We live in an orderly universe. The more we abide (align ourselves to the natural flow of forces; in other words, use the natural laws), the more desired the outcome we could contrive.

It is essential for us to understand that the same orderliness that governs the outer reality, also governs the inner reality. The Lord God desires to teach us of this aspect which apparently we fail to glean, being so focused on the outer reality. The Israelites here are provided with a number of cautions and serious warnings; and although there is much reference to their national covenant, yet all may be applied equally to those who live under the gospel- that is, you and me!

We are partakers of the gift of God, which is eternal life through Jesus Christ.

The call is to become more and more aware of the ungodly and corrupt desires we harbour within, blossoming forth as the many temptations we are faced off with in varied circumstances. We have the great need to keep our hearts with all diligence. Those cannot walk aright, who walk carelessly. And in walking carelessly, we throw away the manifold blessing freely given.

Prayer Starter O Sin! O Error that we walk! O the sad results we reap! Turn us O Lord that we may become conscious of the grace abounding in the moment….

"The Lord is with you. Be awake!"

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Thursday 23rd March 2017

Jeremiah: 7/23-28 Psalm:95/1-2, 6-9 Luke: 11/14-23

one, a crushing one. The argument He used was really unanswerable. If Beelzebul lends power to defeat his own allies, he is doomed. Exorcists use incantations to drive out demons The Gospel Proclamation but Christ didn't. "It is by the finger Now he was casting out a demon of God that Jesus cast out demons. If that was mute, when the demon had God's law was written on tablets of gone out, the one who had been mute stone "by the finger of God", then the spoke, and the crowds were amazed. "letter from Christ" entrusted to the But some of them said, "He casts out care of the apostles, is written "with demons by Beelzebul, the ruler of the the Spirit of the living God, not on demons" Others, to test him, kept tablets of stone, but on tablets of hudemanding from him a sign from man hearts." The hymn 'Veni Creator heaven. But he knew what they were Spiritus' invokes the Holy Spirit as thinking and said to them, "Every the "finger of the Father's right hand" kingdom divided against itself be- (C.C.C. 700). Jesus uses another arcomes a desert, and house falls on gument, an equally strong one. There house. If Satan also is divided against is only one way for a strong man to be himself, how will his kingdom stand? defeated; that is for a stronger man to for you say that I cast out the demons defeat him. Jesus said, "It is rather by

by Beezebul. Now if I cast out the means of God's power that I drive out demons by Beelzebul, by whom do devils and this proves that the Kingdom your exorcists cast them out? There- of God has already come to you." The fore they will be your judges. But if feeling of complacency - we do like it is by the finger of God that I cast and cherish it. But often we resort to out the demons, then the kingdom slander. The human mind often tends to of God has come to you. When a think of the worst and the ear is tuned strong man, fully armed, guards his to hear the derogatory remarks rather castle, his property is safe. But when than complimentary. Sinful as we are one stronger than he attacks him how often do we tend to label others and overpowers him, he takes away with low motives, specially the ones his armor in which he trusted and we dislike. In idle chatter we repeat divides his plunder. Whoever is not malicious and slanderous tales and with me is against me and whoever murder others' reputation. We are in the Season of Lent and what better time does not gather with me scatters. do we have for self examination. It is Prayerful Awareness interesting to note that the victims were It is natural that sometimes people healed completely, i.e. both spiritually resort to slander when opposition is and physically. helpless. Jesus' opponents or enemies Prayer Starter were helpless in opposing Him by fair O Lord, we see that there is no means; so they resorted to slander.

According to them, His power was not place for neutrality in You. Help us to from God but from the devil. Jesus' be instruments that gather Your flock answer to their allegation was a strong together. Amen

"The Lord is with you. Be awake!"

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zzY=oaOd;auhdfKkS" uu Tnjykafiag jkaokd kuialdr lrñ' ud l< hq;= l=ula±hs ug wK l< uekjZZ

Friday 24th March 2017

Hosea: 14/2-10 Psalm:81/5-7, 8-11, 13, 16 Mark: 12/28-34 Gospel Proclamation One of the Scribes, when he came forward and heard them disputing and saw how well He had answered them, asked Him, “Which is the first of all Commandments?” Jesus replied, “The first is this: ‘Hear O Israel! The Lord our God is Lord alone! ‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your Heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.’ ‘The second is this : You shall love your neighbour as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.” The scribe said to Him, “Well said teacher, You are right in saying, ‘ He is One and there is no other than He.” And to love Him with all your heart, with all your understanding, with all your strength, and to love your neighbour as yourself’ is worth more than all burnt offerings and sacrifices.” And when Jesus saw that he answered with understanding, He said to him, “You are not far from the kingdom of God.” And no one dared to ask any more questions.

Prayerful Awareness To love God. First, how well do we know our God, our Creator. In Isaiah 46: 9-10 it is said “Remember the things I have done in the past. For I alone am God! I am God, and there is none like me. Only I can tell you the future before it even happens. Everything I plan will come to pass, for I do whatever I wish". Do we worship our God and depend only on Him, and do we love our God as required. If we

can appreciate what God has done for us from our young days to Protect us, to Guide us, to Help us and to bring up us, then we can know that He Loves us and Cares for us, and that His Love goes beyond all the material things we are eager in getting. But, how can we love Him. If we accept His Great Love. When we accept His Love, we can know that He really Cares for us and only then we will be able to give Thanks and Praise for everything what we have got. Then we can receive more blessings, because His Love comes with Blessings and His Love will anoint us and Raise us to Trust Him, Trust His Word and depend on Him for His Help for everything, and ask from Him, or pray to Him knowing that He Loves and Cares. The more we are connected to Him, the more we ask from Him or Pray to Him and then He grants His Spirit, the Holy Spirit (St. Luke 11:13), the Spirit of His love, who will teach us about everything ( St. John 14:25), and about God and about His Love.

Then our Lives will not be the same, we will be full of His Love and led by His Spirit as Children of God (Romans 8:14), and know that He never forsake us (1 Samuel 12:22) and that He is there to Help us all the time (Isaiah 41:13).

This way we can be full of God’s Love and share His Love with others as He wants us to do (1Corinthians 13:1 -13) and obey all His Commandments and this way we can love our God. Prayer Starter God our Loving Father, we pray and ask You to Grant us Your Holy Spirit and make Holy all our acts, all our words and all our thoughts and make us always do Your Will and bring You Glory. We ask this in the name of Your Son, our Saviour and our Lord, Jesus Christ, Amen

"The Lord is with you. Be awake!"

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Saturday 25th March 2017

Isaiah:7/10-14; 8/10 Psalm: 40/6-10 Hebrews:10/4-10 Luke:1/26-38 The First Proclamation Again the Lord spoke to Ahaz, saying, Ask a sign of the Lord your God; let it be deep as Sheol or high as heaven. But Ahaz said, I will not ask, and I will not put the Lord to the test. Then Isaiah said, "Hear then, O house of David! Is it too little for you to weary mortals, that you weary my God also? Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. Look, the young woman is with child and shall bear a son, and shall name him Immanuel.

Psalm 40/6-10 Sacrifice and offering you do not desire, but you have given me an open ear. Burnt offering and sin offering you have not required. then I said, Here I am; in the scroll of the book it is written of me, I delight to do your will, O my God; your law is within my heart."

I have told the glad news of deliverance in the great congregation; see, I have not restrained my lips as you know, O Lord. I have not hidden your saving help within my heart, I have spoken of your faithfulness and your salvation; I have not concealed your steadfast love and your faithfulness from the great congregation.

Prayerful Awareness Let us focus on vs. 40:8 I desire to do your will, my God; your law is within my heart.

I was lucky enough recently to catch a great sermon on Kithu Dana Pubuduwa Divasi Handa. Unfortunate-

The Annunciation of the Lord

ly, I do not remember the name of the priest that gave the sermon. The topic of his talk was God’s Will. Although I will not do justice to the eloquent and easy to understand manner in which the sermon was delivered, let me touch on a few important aspects that caught my attention.

Firstly, when God reveals His Will regarding a certain situation, such as the birth of Jesus (which was also the same example taken by the above speaker), God does not just speak to one person in the community. We see that Joseph, Elizabeth and Zachariah are also part of the message of God. Different people are revealed parts of the total revelation, such as the name to be given to God’s Son, is revealed to Joseph. It is also not wrong to go looking to confirm whether something is really God’s Will, such as when Mother Mary went to visit Elizabeth, because the angel revealed that her cousin was also carrying a child.

Another important message of the sermon, delivered humorously, is how certain members of our community may mistakenly think that God’s Will is revealed only to them. So they may say things like “This is God’s Will, and I AM going to do/not do this and I am not going to listen to anyone else!”. In fact, this is quite a mistake.

If we think God has revealed His Will to us, we MUST seek guidance from our community and pray with them.

In all likelihood, God has spoken to other people in the community about this same thing. Sometimes, we may be wrong to think that a certain thing is God’s Will. We have to open to all possibilities through prayer.

Prayer Starter Help us to see things with Your eyes and be where we ought to be. Amen.

"The Lord is with you. Be awake!"

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zzY=oaOd;auhdfKkS" uu Tnjykafiag jkaokd kuialdr lrĂą' ud l< hq;= l=ulaÂąhs ug wK l< uekjZZ

Sunday 26th March 2017 1 Samuel:16/1,6-7, 10-13 Psalm: 23/1-6 Ephesians:5/8-14 John:9/1-41 OR 9/1,6-9,13-17, 34-38

Fourth Sunday of Lent Ps. Week IV

The Second Proclamation

For once you were darkness, but now in the Lord you are light. Live as children of light - for the fruit of the light is found in all that is good and right and true. Try to find out what is pleasing to the Lord. Take no part in the unfruitful works of darkness, but instead expose them. For it is shameful even to mention what such people The First Proclamation do secretly, but everything exposed The Lord said to Samuel, "How by the light becomes visible, for evlong will you grieve over Saul? I have erything that becomes visible is light. rejected him from being king over Therefore it says, "Sleeper, awake!

Israel. Fill your horn with oil and Rise from the dead, and Christ will set out; I will send you to Jesse the shine on you."

Bethlehemite, for I have provided for The Gospel Proclamation myself a king among his sons....

As he walked along, he saw a man When they came, he looked on blind from birth.

Eliab and thought, "Surely the Lord's When he had said this, he sat on anointed is now before the Lord."

But the Lord said to Samuel, "Do the ground and made mud with the not look on his appearance or on the saliva and spread the mud on the height of his stature, because I have man's eyes, saying to him, "Go, wash rejected him; for the Lord does not in the pool of Siloam (which means see as mortals see; they look on the Sent). Then he went and washed and outward appearance, but the Lord came back able to see. The neighbors and those who had seen him before looks on the heart." as a beggar began to ask, "Is this not Jesse made seven of his sons pass the man who used to sit and beg?" before Samuel, and Samuel said to Some were saying, "It is he." Others Jesse, "The Lord has not chosen any were saying, "No, but it is someone of these." Samuel said to Jesse, "Are like him." He kept saying, "I am the all your sons here?" And he said, man."

"There remains yet the youngest, but They brought to the Pharisees the he is keeping the sheep". And Samuel said to Jesse, "Send and bring him; man who had formerly been blind. for we will not sit down until he comes Now it was a sabbath day when Jesus here." He sent and brought him in. made the mud and opened his eyes.

Now he was ruddy, and had beautiful Then the Pharisees also began to ask eyes, and was handsome. The Lord him how he had received his sight. He said, "Rise and anoint him; for this is said to them, "He put mud on my eyes. the one." Then Samuel took the horn Then I washed, and now I see." Some of oil, and anointed him in the pres- of the Pharisees said, "This man is ence of his brothers; and the spirit of not from God, for he does not observe the Lord came mightily upon David the sabbath." But others said, "How from that day forward. Samuel then can a man who is a sinner perform such signs?' And they were divided. set out and went to Ramah.

So they said again to the blind man

"The Lord is with you. Be awake!"

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"What do you say about him? It was your eyes he opened." He said, "He is a prophet."

They answered him, "You were born entirely in sin, and are you trying to teach us?" And they drove him out.

Jesus heard that they had driven him out, and when he found him, he said, "Do you believe in the Son of Man?" He answered, "And who is he, sir?" Tell me, so that I may believe in him". Jesus said to him, "You have seen him, and the one speaking with you is he". He said, 'Lord, I believe."

And he worshiped him.

Prayerful Awareness After the brief account of the miracle, where the waters of the pool of Siloam are interpreted as the person of Jesus, 'the sent one' (vs. 7), the man born blind is subjected to a series of interrogations. However, even though the man is being asked many questions, it is really Jesus who is being tried in His absence. Through one interrogation after another the cured man 'sees' more clearly who Jesus is. To his own friends he says, '"The man called Jesus' had worked the miracle" (vs. 8-12), but at the end of his first interrogation by the Pharisees, he goes further: 'He is a prophet' (vs. 13-17).

Abandoned by his parents 'for fear of the Jews', he must undergo a further abusive interrogation, but he becomes bolder. He finally teaches his interogators, 'If this man were not from God, he could not do a thing' (vs.24-34). Jesus re-enters the story to find the one who has come very close to true belief, now cast out of the synagogue by the Pharisees (vs. 34). He presents himself as the Son of Man whom the once blind man can now see and hear. 'The man said, "Lord I believe"; and worshiped him. (vs.35-38), A journey into the fulness of sight has come to an end. A once blind man prepared to admit there were many things that he could not know or understand (see vs. 12, 25, 36) now sees.

But another journey has been taking place as the blind man came to full sight.

At first the Pharisees accept the miracle, but are divided over its divine origins (vs. 16). Then, in an attempt to show that there never was a miracle, they call for the evidence of the parents, but the parents will not be drawn into the argument, as they fear the Jews who will drive out of the Synagogue anyone who confesses that Jesus is the Christ. (vs. 18-23). Foiled in this the Pharisees resort to abuse, giving total allegiance to Moses, regarding this man, whose origins they do not know, as a sinner (vs.

24-34). A journey away from sight has come to an end. Full of their knowledge and authority (see vs. 24, 29, 31) the custodians of the traditional faith have fallen into blindness.

Gaze at Jesus It is Jesus' own words which conclude this dual journey; 'If you were blind, you would not be guilty, but since you say, 'We see', your guilt remains."

The blind man was always prepared to say, 'I do not know', and to look towards Jesus, the Son of Man, as the giver of true light. The Pharisees were full of their own plans and knowledge, but this only led them on a journey into blindness.

Our sonship Lent is a time to examine where we have placed our hopes - in our own confident knowledge and self-trust, where God hardly has a place, or in a ready admission of our need for the good gifts God alone gives us.

Prayer Starter The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green pastures; he leads me beside still waters; he restores my soul. He leads me in right paths for his name's sake. Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I fear no evil; for you are with me your rod and your staff- they comfort me.

"The Lord is with you. Be awake!"

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zzY=oaOd;auhdfKkS" uu Tnjykafiag jkaokd kuialdr lrñ' ud l< hq;= l=ula±hs ug wK l< uekjZZ

Monday 27th March 2017 Isaiah:65/17-21 Psalm:30/1, 3-5, 10-12 John:4/43-54 Gospel Proclamation After the two days, He left there for Galilee. For Jesus Himself testified that a prophet has no honour in His native place. When He came into Galilee, the Galileans welcomed Him, since they had seen all He had done in Jerusalem at the feast; for they themselves had gone to the feast. Then He returned to Cana in Galilee, where He had made the water wine. Now there was a royal official whose son was ill in Capernaum. When he heard that Jesus had arrived in Galilee from Judea, he went to see Him and asked Him to come down and heal his son, who was near death. Jesus said to him, “Unless you people see signs and wonders, you will not believe.” The royal official said to Him, “sir, come down before my child dies.” Jesus said to him, “You may go; your son will live.” The man believed what Jesus said to him and left. While he was on his way back, his slaves met him and told him that his son would live. He asked them when he began to recover. They told him, “The fever left him yesterday, about one in the afternoon.” The father realized that just at the time Jesus had said to him. “Your son will live,” and he and his whole household came to believe. Now this was the second sign Jesus did when he came to Galilee from Judea.

Prayerful Awareness

not believe.” This could be applied even today as some of us expects Lord to do wonders the instant they pray in a way testing Lord without much Faith.. But, Lord Jesus said “Blessed are those who have not seen and have believed” John 20:29. We are called to be Guided by Lord’s Word to be strong in Faith. In Mathew 7:24 Lord said “Everyone who listens to His Word and acts on them will be like a wise man who has built his house on rock”. Lord Loves and Cares about us and Lord said that He will do whatever we ask in His Name John 14: 14 . But scripture also shows that whoever does not want to believe, will not believe even if he sees signs as stated in John 12: 37 “Although He had performed so many signs in their presence they did not believe in Him”. Sometimes we too try to make deals with God the Father in a manner of doing commercial transactions, if you do this, I will do that and so on. We must Trust God and His Word as it is said in Joshua 21: 45 Not a single promise that the Lord made was broken, everyone is fulfilled. God the Father has already fulfilled His Word (His promises), it is for us to reap the benefits by living according to His Will, only then we can inherit the Kingdom of God(Mathew 7: 21) Prayer Starter

God our Loving Father, we Thank and Praise You for all the Blessings granted to us. Grant us and Bless us and anoint us by Your Holy Spirit and shield us and protect us from all sins.

Help us to accept Your Spirit and be full of Your Love to love one another.

Lord Jesus said “Unless you peo- We ask this through the intervention ple see signs and wonders, you will of our Lord Jesus Christ, Amen

"The Lord is with you. Be awake!"

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Tuesday 28th March 2017 Ezekiel:47/1-9,12 Psalm:46/1-5,7-8 John:5/1-3,5-16 The First Proclamation The man led me back to the entrance of the Temple. Water was coming out from under the entrance and flowing east……A small stream of water was flowing out at the south side of the gate. With his measuring rod the man measured five hundred metres downstream to the east and told me to wade through the stream there. The water came only to my ankles…another five hundred metres, and the water came up to my knees… and there the stream was so deep…

“Mortal man, note all this carefully.”

Then the man took me back to the bank of the river, and when I got there I saw there were very many trees on each bank. He said to me, ……wherever it flows it will bring life. On each bank of the stream, all kinds of trees will grow to provide food. Their leaves will never wither, and they will never stop bearing fruit…

Prayerful Awareness Jesus is often equated to life-giving water; the water that originates from the earth provides only temporary relief but whoever drinks of the water He gives will never thirst again. This distinction is highlighted in today’s Gospel when a man who had had no movement in his limbs for thirty eight years, had remained by the pool of Bethzatha in hope of healing, is finally cured through the intervention of Jesus.

The extent of Jesus’ power is emphasized in the instantaneous physical transformation of the man, who is able to pick up his mat and start walking no sooner than Jesus had told him to do so. However, bearing in mind that it was Jesus who asked the man if he

wanted healing, the man demonstrates limited internal transformation. He did not even bother to ask for the identity of his deliverer. How much more does Jesus give those who actively seek Him in their life?

Gaze on Jesus In Ezekiel’s vision in the First Proclamation, we see a stream with unique characteristics that is a better representation of Jesus’ profound, transformational, life-giving presence.

It is directly opposite to the still pool found in the Gospel, surrounded by the sick and helpless waiting endlessly for redemption.

The origin of the stream is ambiguous except that it seems to come from underneath the Temple, signifying holiness. Furthermore, at the instruction of the man with the rod, Ezekiel wades in to explore the length of the stream. But the stream gets deeper and deeper until it becomes a coursing river. All along its bank are signs of life in abundance.

Its water is fresh and plentiful. The man tells Ezekiel, “Wherever it flows it will bring life.”

Thus, the growing stream can be taken as a symbol for the transformational course of Jesus’ redemptive love. While Jesus was a man, his reach was limited.

But after his resurrection, and through the apostolic mission, the experience of his love spread to all corners of the earth, begetting life as it went. The stream could also symbolize our own spiritual journeys. When we first enter, our understanding may run shallow. But as we continue deeper into this journey with Jesus, our experience grows more profound and we see it flourish in breathtaking and unimaginable ways.

Prayer Starter The Lord is my Shepherd And I want to follow; To lay myself down in his love.

"The Lord is with you. Be awake!"

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Wednesday 29th March 2017

Isaiah:49/8-15 Psalm: 145/8-9,13,14, 17,18 John:5/17-30 The First Proclamation Thus says Yahweh: At the time of my favour I have answered you, on the day of salvation I have helped you. I have formed you and have appointed you to be the covenant for a people, to restore the land, to return ravaged properties, to say to prisoners, 'Come out,' to those who are in darkness, 'Show yourselves.' Along the roadway they will graze, and any bare height will be their pasture. They will never hunger or thirst, scorching wind and sun will never plague them; for he who pities them will lead them, will guide them to springs of water.

I shall turn all my mountains into a road and my highways will be raised aloft. Look! Here they come from far away, look, these from the north and the west, those from the land of Sinim.

Shout for joy, you heavens; earth, exult! Mountains, break into joyful cries! For Yahweh has consoled his people, is taking pity on his afflicted ones. Zion was saying, 'Yahweh has abandoned me, the Lord has forgotten me.' Can a woman forget her baby at the breast, feel no pity for the child she has borne? Even if these were to forget, I shall not forget you.

Fix your gaze on Jesus

of 'who we really are'. The Lord of the Hosts is ever present in S/His Creation.

It would be correct to say that the entirety of this creation, is a part of the Intelligence we call 'God'. All the aspects of this wondrous cosmos, from the starry heavens filled with galaxies far-away, the Black Holes, the Nebulas, the Radio and the Neutron Stars, to down on earth the complex molecules, and atoms right down to sub-atomic particles; they all have a role, a part, a destiny pre-planned by this ever-present awesome Intelligence. All of these aspects named above (mostly left out due to space limitations), are in relationship, reflecting the true nature of our God! Yet, our own perception as to our ownselves incline towards that of being separated from God and the creation. This sense of alienation disempowers us from realising our own God Given destiny.

We are His creatures, His Spirit encamping in a temporal material housing we call a 'Body'. We use the housing/ the body and it's senses to relate to His creation, and with each other. We cannot exist separate from His creation, nor from the Creator. We have to work at erasing this error in our belief system.

Do continue to affirm to yourself that 'we are never-ever alone'. Face the truth that we are at all times in relation with this nurturing creation we're been endowed with. The energy released by the Sun stored by our cousins the plants in complex chemical form (we call it food) power our material housing. So, No. God cannot forget us! He is so intimately linked in to our very being! Even if our mother forgets us, there is no way that God could forget us. How could S/He? Prayer Starter

Dearest Lord, You are ever so gracious; indeed we who so often turn our back to you, going our own ways and reaping the sorry results there-of, feel ever so grateful for Your mercy and God lives in me; and I in Him...I see benevolence... thank you, thank You... this now....I feel this now....I know this The perennial question really is as now....Alleluia... to what extent we have become aware

"The Lord is with you. Be awake!"

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Thursday 30th March 2017 Exodus:32/7-14 Psalm: 106/19-23 John:5/31-47 The Gospel Proclamation

believe what I say?"

Prayerful Awareness In answer to the charges of His opponents Jesus uses their own methods.

"The signs worked by Jesus attest that the Father has sent Him. They invite belief in Him. To those who turn to Him in faith, He grants what they ask.

So miracles strengthen their faith in the One who does His Father's works; they bear witness that He is the Son of God. But His miracles can also be occasions for "offence", they are not intended to satisfy people's curiosity or desire for magic. Despite His evident miracles some people reject Jesus." (C.C.C. 548).

Jesus mentions John the Baptist who repeatedly bore witness to Him. He plays a tribute to Him - John was the lamp which burns and shines. In its nature a lamp burns itself out. It consumes itself in giving light. In a similar manner true witnesses burn themselves out for God. The way they (Pharisees) read the scripture was with a shut mind.

What a calamity - they were bent on finding arguments or facts to support their views. They loved the picture of God they painted - a made-up one, to suit their ideas, plans etc. They manipulated scripture to suit their whims. Are we in the same boat? And God's revelation is mainly in history in acting. Jesus' birth gave birth to a new calendar or broke the age old calendar into two - B.C. and A.D. Prayer Starter

If I testify about myself, my testimony is not true. There is another who testifies on my behalf, and I know that his testimony to me is true. You sent messengers to John, and he testified to the truth. Not that I accept such human testimony, but I say these things so that you may be saved. He was a burning and shining lamp, and you were willing to rejoice for a while in his light.

But I have a testimony greater than John's. The works that the Father has given me to complete, the very works that I am doing, testify on my behalf that the Father has sent me. And the Father who sent me has himself testified on my behalf. You have never heard his voice or seen his form, and you do not have his word abiding in you, because you do not believe him whom he has sent. ... I do not accept glory from human beings. But I know that you do not have the love of God in you. I have come in my Father's name, and you do not accept me; if another comes in his own name, you will accept him. How can you believe when you accept glory from one another and do not seek the glory that comes from the one who alone is God? Do not think that I will accuse you before the Father, your accuser is Moses, on whom you â&#x20AC;&#x192; May we be blessed with Your have set your hope. If you believed Moses, you would believe me, for he light to see through Your sternness wrote about me. But if you do not and flash of fire - Your unconditional believe what he wrote, how will you love. Amen.

"The Lord is with you. Be awake!"

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zzY=oaOd;auhdfKkS" uu Tnjykafiag jkaokd kuialdr lrĂą' ud l< hq;= l=ulaÂąhs ug wK l< uekjZZ

Friday 31st March 2017

Wisdom:2/1, 12-22 Psalm: 34/16-20, 22 John:7/1-2,10,25-30 The Gospel Proclamation Please read John 7/1-2,10 25-30 prayerfully.

Gaze on Jesus Jesus knew that the Jews wanted to kill Him and so He stayed back in Galilee where He will be quite safe.

There is the feast of the Tents in Jerusalem for which He has to go and He went there all by Himself so as not to attract attention to Him. Even here the people were looking for Him but only when the feast was half over that He went to the Temple and began to teach. Some of His listeners were keen to know from whom He got all the learning which He presented to them.

They knew that He would not have got it from any teacher. It would have been a surprise to them when Jesus told them that He received the teacher from the Father who sent Him. He also told them that anyone who does the Will of God will know whether His teaching is from God or whether He speaks on His own authority. Various people were expressing their opinion about Jesus and what the rulers considered Him to be. Jesus would have felt that this is a good moment when there was a large crowd of people who had come here from all over for the Feast of the Tents to say who He is and from where He came. He told them that He has not come on His own and that He was sent by the Father in heaven whom they do not know. Jesus said all this without any hesitation or fear and to be heard by all for He knew that the time for Him to be arrested has still to come.

The officers of the Temple whom the

Pharisees and the Chief Priest sent to arrest Him refrained from doing so when they heard how He spoke. They went back and told those who sent them to arrest Christ that no one ever spoke like this man.

Prayerful Awareness The Jews adhered to an established social order and to a certain manner of understanding of life and religion that was common in their time. It was social and religious formalities that were important to them, they were interested in God only in the measure to which they had made Him the defender of these things. It is important for us to know who Jesus is and from where He comes, because unlike the founders of other religions. He offers us the unheard gift of sharing in God's very life. "May they be one in us so that the world may know that you have sent me." (John 17/21) As a person Jesus attracts us, but His words shock us. When Jesus proclaims that the Kingdom is at hand, that we are sons and daughters of God, we may think that He uses figures of speech, since the reality appears to be so different.

But in time, with more experience and suffering we modify our viewpoint and discover the world and the people are just as He describes them. We then acknowledge Him as Saviour, but also in a different way, we are saved because we have acquired the capacity to see things as God does.

Prayer Starter Lord Jesus we believe that You came into the world in order to reveal to us the unconditional, forgiving and gratuitous love of the Father. Enable us through the power of Your Spirit not only to experience this love but also to share this love with those most in need of this love.

"The Lord is with you. Be awake!"

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