02 Apr – Holy Monday
Come and Serve
The Easter Triduum is coming with a total of five different Masses and readings over the four days (Thursday to Sunday). And as always, I need help. As part of the annual OXYGEN tradition, I would like to invite volunteers to do reflections on these readings.
Reflections for the Chrism Mass and the Lord’s Supper have been reserved. We still need volunteers for Good Friday, Easter Vigil and Easter Sunday reflections.
If you are interested to contribute, please email me (chryskyva@yahoo.com) by Tuesday evening with your choice(s) of reflection. This will be on a first-come-first-serve basis… although as I write this, I see the word ‘serve’ take on a whole new meaning. Confirmation will be sent out by Wednesday afternoon.
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Proclaiming the Word
This story is told by a missionary in New Guinea. An old man, a recent convert to Christianity, used to come to the mission hospital every day to read the gospel for the patients. One day the man was having real difficulty reading. The doctor examined his eyes, and discovered that he was going blind and would probably be totally blind in a year or two. After that, there was no sign of the man coming to the hospital. No one knew what had happened to him. Eventually, a young man found him, and brought the mission doctor to him.
The old man explained to the doctor that he was busy memorizing the gospels while he still could see. “Soon, I’ll be back at the hospital, doctor, and I’ll continue my work of teaching the gospel to the patients.”
– The barometer for my own level of being evangelized is my enthusiasm to tell the Good News to others.
– taken from “150 More Stories for Preachers and Teachers” by Jack McArdle
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Isaiah 42:1-7
Here is my servant whom I uphold,
my chosen one in whom my soul delights.
I have endowed him with my spirit
that he may bring true justice to the nations.
He does not cry out or shout aloud,
or make his voice heard in the streets.
He does not break the crushed reed,
nor quench the wavering flame.
Faithfully he brings true justice;
he will neither waver, nor be crushed
until true justice is established on earth,
for the islands are awaiting his law.
Thus says God, the Lord,
he who created the heavens and spread them out,
who gave shape to the earth and what comes from it,
who gave breath to its people
and life to the creatures that move in it:
I, the Lord, have called you to serve the cause of right;
I have taken you you by the hand and formed you;
I have appointed you as covenant of the people and light of the nations,
to open the eyes of the blind,
to free captives from prison,
and those who live in darkness from the dungeon.
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John 12:1-11
Six days before the Passover, Jesus went to Bethany, where Lazarus was, whom he had raised from the dead. They gave a dinner for him there; Martha waited on them and Lazarus was among those a table. Mary brought in a pound of very costly ointment, pure nard, and with it anointed the feet of Jesus, wiping them with her hair; the house was full of the scent of the ointment. Then Judas Iscariot – one of his disciples, the man who was to betray him – said, “Why wasn’t this ointment sold for three hundred denarii, and the money given to the poor?” He said this, not because he cared about the poor, but because he was a thief; he was in charge of the common fund and used to help himself to the contributions. So Jesus said, “Leave her alone; she had to keep this scent for the day of my burial. You have the poor with you always, you will not always have me.”
Meanwhile a large number of Jews heard that he was there and came not only on account of Jesus but also to see Lazarus whom he had raised from the dead. Then the chief priests decided to kill Lazarus as well, since it was on his account that many of the Jews were leaving them and believing in Jesus.
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Today’s first reading seems to refer to Jesus. However, as all scripture is God’s word to us, it also refers to us.
God is calling us today. He is telling us that he has taken us by the hand and formed us. We are what our experiences have made us. Our experiences are unique to us, that is why we are all unique people. Each of our experiences has made us what we are today, and we have been allowed to go through each of our experiences because it is God’s way of forming us.
The job is not yet done, however, for God is still forming us to do his will. Even so, God has already appointed us as “covenant of the people and light to the nations”. This means that wherever we go, whatever we do, we must always be a sign of God’s love for his people. We must radiate God’s love to his people.
Look at Lazarus. Jesus raised him from the dead, and he became the voice of truth and love. We see that that chief priests wanted to kill Lazarus because Lazarus was winning the hearts of many of the Jews. Lazarus was a threat. He was a danger to the chief priests, because he spoke for Jesus.
What about you? Do you speak for Jesus and win the hearts of many to follow Jesus? Is there anyone who wants to silence you because you speak the truth? If not, perhaps it is time to start.
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Prayer:
Dear Jesus, grant us the courage to speak up for you when we are in the presence of people who do not know your love. Help us to speak up for you and your values when they are threatened by the people of the world. Amen.
Give Thanks to the Lord for: Those who speak God’s truth in the world today by the way they live and the way they love.
Upcoming Readings:
Tue, 03 Apr – Isaiah 49:1-6; John 13:21-33, 36-38
Wed, 04 Apr – Isaiah 50:4-9a; Matthew 26:14-25
Thu, 05 Apr (Chrism Mass) – Isaiah 61:1-3a. 6a, 8b-9; Revelation 1:5-8; Luke 4:16-21; NC
Thu, 05 Apr (The Lord’s Supper) – Exodus 12:1-8, 11-14; 1 Corinthians 11:23-26; John 13:1-15; NC
Fri, 06 Apr – Isaiah 52:13-53:12; Hebrews 4:14-16; 5:7-9; John 18:1-19:42; Good Friday
Sat, 07 Apr – Genesis 1:1-2:2 or 1,26-31a; Genesis 22:1-18 or 22:1-2, 9a, 10-13, 15-18; Exodus 14:15-15:1; Isaiah 54:5-14; Isaiah 55:1-11; Baruch 3:9-15, 32-4:4; Ezekiel 36::16-17, 18-28; Romans 6:3-11; Luke 24:1-12; Easter Vigil
Sun, 08 Apr (Easter Sunday morning) – Acts 10:34a, 37-43; Colossians 3:1-4 or 1 Corinthians 5:6b-8; John 20:1-9or Luke 24:1-12
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Disclaimer: The reflections expressed in this e-mail are the writer’s own. They may not necessarily reflect the teachings of the Catholic Church. Nonetheless we should all be able to learn something from it.
OXYGEN 