19th Sunday in Ordinary Time(Cycle A, Year I)
Community Word:
The glory of God transforms our lives.
Theme: We are transformed as we set our eyes of faith on Jesus.
Promise: “The Lord himself will give his benefits; our land shall yield its increase.”(Ps 85:13)
Reflection:
The gospel for the 19thSunday in Ordinary Time is an invitation of Jesus to put our trust in Him at all times with our whole being. In our daily trials, the Lord invites us to keep our hearts focused on Him because His loving presence is the reason why we can overcome fear, doubt and anxiety and be able walk in faith with Him.Jesus presence in our lives comforts us because He is there to walk with us through our suffering and pain. Jesus promises us with these words from Psalm 85:13: “The Lord himself will give his benefits; our land shall yields its increase,” when we set our eyes of faith on Him.
As we are comforted by the Lord when we go through our own experiences of pain, we also become comforters to others. We are able to empathize with our brothers and sisters who undergo emotional hurts and trauma, grief and many of life’s burdens because we know that our Lord does not fail those who also seek His help. We are enabled to be God’s helpers and to reach out to others in love and compassion. Comfort is received when we cry out to the Lord: “My soul languishes for your salvation; I hope in your word,” (Ps 119:82).
Jesus does not expect us to follow Him with blind faith. In putting our trust in the Lord, we have to walk by faith, not by sight. When we walk by sight, we rely on our own strength, and when trials come, either we don’t do anything or we live in fear and uncertainty. To walk by faith is to rely and trust in God’s guidance and discernment even if we are not sure what comes next. Nothing is impossible with God, so we can walk where we have never imagined we could be and we can do what is humanly impossible.
So, our theme for this week is: We are transformed as we set our eyes of faith on Jesus. Faith is the key. When we have faith, God is never out of sight. He is our stronghold and our security against any negative situations or forces that would render us helpless and hopeless. We saw this situation with Peter. As soon as his faith was shaken, he began to sink and Jesus pulled him up to safety. Addressing Peter’s apparent weakness, He told him, “O you of little faith, why did you doubt?” (Mt. 14:31b). Peter faltered because he took his eyes off from Jesus. Same is true with us when we focus on our problems and feel we are alone to solve them, we lose sight of Jesus and we begin to sink into despair and hopelessness.
In the second reading, Paul is facing a storm of his own, a “great sorrow and constant anguish” in his heart over the spiritual condition of the Jews, despite enumerating to them the many blessings they have been receiving and they still refuse to recognize Jesus as the Messiah. But Paul, being a man of faith and prayer, does not let any trial turn his heart away from the presence of the Lord. He does not allow himself to be overcome by negative thoughts and emotions, instead he concludes with an act of faith and prayer of praise as he accepts the mysterious contradiction in the unfolding of God’s plan, “blessed forever be God who is over all,” (Rom 9:5b).
Christian life is not a vacation tour or a pleasure cruise, but a constant struggle against the forces of evil and darkness. There are moments when these struggles are a matter of life or death. But a Christian can always look forward to a joyful ending if he accepts that as he is often weak and helpless, he is humble enough to cry out to Jesus and reach out for His hands. In times when we are confronted with difficulties, when we seem to experience situations of hopelessness, when we are facing a storm of difficulties and trials, fix your hearts on Jesus and, like Peter, cry out in despair: “Lord save me!” (Mt. 14:30b). And Jesus certainly will.
Prayer:
“Lord, let my faith be full and unreserved, and let it penetrate my thought, my way of judging Divine things and human things.
Lord, let my faith be joyful and give peace and gladness to my spirit, and dispose it for prayer with God and conversation with men, so that the inner bliss of its fortunate possession may shine forth in sacred and secular conversation.
Lord, let my faith be humble and not presume to be based on the experience of my thought and of my feeling; but let it surrender to the testimony of the Holy Spirit. Amen.”
Reflection Guides:
1. Am I aware of the presence of the Lord each day?When confronted with problems, do I place my confidence in God?
2. What do I do when overwhelmed by negative thoughts and emotions? Do I turn to the Lord in prayer and ask for intercession?
This Week’s Daily Mass Reading Guide:
August 13, 2017 (Sun) – 1Kgs 19:9, 11-13/Ps 85:9-14/Rom 9:1-5/Mt 14:22-33
August 14, 2017(Mon)- Dt 10:12-22/Ps 147:23-15, 19, 20/Mt 17:22-27
August 15, 2017(Tues)- Rv 11:19; 12:1-6, 10/Ps 45:10-12, 16/1Cor 15:20-27/Lk 1:39-56
August 16, 2017(Wed)- Dt 34:1-12/Ps 66:1-3, 5, 8, 16-17/Mt 18:15-20
August 17, 2017 (Thur)-Jos 3:7-10, 11, 13-17/Ps 114:1-6/Mt 18:21-19:1
August 18, 2017 (Fri)- Jos 24:1-13/Ps 136:1-3, 16-18, 21, 22, 24/Mt 19:3-12
August 19, 2017(Sat) -Jos 24:14-29/Ps 16:1, 2, 5, 7, 8, 11/Mt 19:13-15
“Ignorance of the Bible is ignorance of Christ. Read your Bible daily!”
