14th Sunday in Ordinary Time(Cycle B, Year II)

Community Word:Faith anchored on Jesus Christ is unshakeable.

Theme:Unshakable faith gives us wisdom to do mighty deeds.

Promise: “My grace is sufficient for you, for power is made perfect in weakness.”(2Cor 12:9a)

Reflection:
Our theme this week says: Unshakeable faith gives us wisdom to do mighty deeds.As present-day disciples we have a mission to boldly proclaim the Good News despite opposition and rejection. St. Paul exhorts us to be faithful to God’s calling inspite of hardships and to place our complete and strong faith in God.Going to mission is not always easy and therefore, we need to trust God to strengthen us in facing the challenges along the way. Those who are called by God to be His servants are sometimes met with rejection and mockery.

Jesus himself was not accepted as the Messiah in his hometown because they only knew Him as an ordinary person. Sometimes, people who are called to serve are not accepted because others think that they are not equipped to take on higher responsibilities. As in the scriptural readings of this Sunday, the Lord makes it clear that we may lose faith while experiencing opposition and failures. That is why we need to posses immovable faith that is anchored on God alone.

God reaches out to us even when we go through a bad and undesirable experience. St. Paul himself struggled with what he called a “thorn in the flesh” – insults, hardships and persecutions in the course of his ministry. God answered his prayer to rid him of these sufferings, but not in the way he expected. Paul realized that God is powerfully present in the circumstances he was going through.In the same manner that when we struggle with something or someone, we will discover that such difficult experiences will open us up to God’s presence. The very thing we see as of no value or bothersome can create a space for God to powerfully workin our lives. We begin to see that these trials are merely a test of our faith. Like Paul, we can accept the will of God and allow His strength to shine through our weakness, knowing that lack of faith prevents us from being open to the healing and salvation that the Lord brings into our life. Relying on God’s call and trusting in the empowerment of His Spirit give us the strength, wisdom and guidance to proclaim God’s word faithfully and boldly.

Having a faith that is strong and steadfast, anchored in the Lord, gives us empowerment to share in the prophetic mission of Jesus. It is indeed a privilege to become instruments of faith in God’s kingdom. Our prophetic role means that we must be willing to speak up for our belief and relationship with God in the name of Jesus. It means that we must continue to deepen this relationship through adiscipline of daily prayer, living the word of God and other learning experiences that brings us spiritual growth. Further, we must share our loving relationship with Jesus with others – family, friends, community brethren and even strangers. While we might meet opposition and ridicule, we know that we are strong in faith and we can overcome these obstacles.

And as we continue to proclaim the glory of God our Father, to testify to the love of Christ and the works of the Holy Spirit in our life, we can stand firm on our faith anchored on this promise from the Lord:“My grace is sufficient for you, for power is made perfect in weakness,” (2Cor 12:9a). Often, when we feel that life as a struggle, we know and believe that God touches our lives most powerfully and we are victorious over our troubles because of our unshakeable faith in Christ Jesus. To God be the glory!

Prayer:
Lord God, You are forever faithful and true. Because of Your goodness, we are grateful for calling us to share in the prophetic mission to announce the Good News to Your people. Cast our fears and weaknesses away, especially when be are tempted to be lukewarm and uncommitted to do Your work. Give us the grace to anchor and deepen our faith in You that we may have the strength to faithfully “walk the talk” as true followers of Christ and help us keep our eyes fixed on Jesus, our Master and Teacher. Amen.

Reflection Questions:
1. What challenges have I encountered that shakened my faith in the Lord? In what ways have I overcome them?

2. What are my obstacles in sharing in the prophetic mission of Jesus? Do these obstacles make me incapable of going to mission and doing evangelization works?

This Week’s Daily Mass Reading Guide:
July 8, 2018 (Sun) -Ez 2:2-5/Ps 123:1-4/2Cor 12:7-10/Mk 6:1-6
July 9, 2018 (Mon) – Hos 2:16,17,18,21,22/Ps 145:2-9/Mt 9:18-26
July 10, 2018 (Tue) – Hos 8:4-7,11-13/Ps 115:3-10/Mt 9:32-37
July 11, 2018 (Wed) – Hos 10:1-3,7-8,12/Ps 105:2-7/Mt 10:1-7
July 12, 2018 (Thu) – Hos 11:1-4,8,9/Ps 80:2,3,15,16/Mt 10:7-15
July 13, 2018 (Fri) – Hos 14:2-10/Ps 51:3,4,8,9,12,13,14,17/Mt 10:16-23
July 14, 2018 (Sat) – Is 6:1-8/Ps 93:1,2,5/Mt 10:24-33

“Ignorance of the Bible is ignorance of Christ. Read your Bible daily!”