Daily Bible Reflections- January 5, 2012

LIGHT AT THE END OF THE TUNNEL

“Can anything good come from Nazareth?” Nathanael asked. “Come and see,” answered Philip. – John 1:46

Claire just got home when she received a phone call from her mother. “Claire, your father is dead!”
She rushed back to her parents’ house, which was only a few blocks away from her home. Upon arrival, she learned that robbers had forcibly entered the house. One of them shot her father when he obstructed the criminal’s path.
Questions hounded Claire. What did they do to deserve this? Doesn’t God care about her and her family? They were already serving actively in their parish yet God allowed this tragedy to happen.
But after much prayer and reflection, her perspective started to change. She became thankful that the robbers panicked after they fired the gun and immediately left the scene, leaving other family members unharmed. Now, Claire continues to serve and invite others to experience God in the Renewal movement of their parish.
The family tragedy brought darkness into her life but, with the grace of God, she continues to bring a lot of strangers into the light of Christ through her service. Alvin Fabella (alvinfabella@yahoo.com)
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REFLECTION:
When faced with trials, will you become bitter or better?

Lord, thank You for being the light in the dark situations of my life. Amen. St. John Neumann, bishop, pray for us.

Daily Bible Reflections- January 4, 2012

WHO I AM

Anyone who does not do what is right is not God’s child, nor is anyone who does not love their brother and sister. – 1 John 3:10

Does God speak to you? He does to me. I mean not directly — not like He appears before me in all His glory. I wish!
God speaks to me through His words, which come to me just when I need them. Like the reading today in the book of 1 John.
For some time, I carried a grudge against a friend. I knew I should forgive but tried as I may, I just couldn’t go up to that level. Then, I received a call from Angie Espuerta, Didache’s editorial assistant. I had already submitted my assigned articles for 2012 but she requested me to rewrite my January 4 article. “You wrote about 1 John 3:16. You’re supposed to reflect on 1 John 3:7-10,” she said.
So I quickly looked up the passage and… wham! I could almost hear God’s booming voice: “You’re my child. Do what is right. Love your friend!”
All right, already. After I’m done with this reflection, I’m gonna forgive and reconcile with my friend.
And I am going to post 1 John 3:7-10 on my desk — better yet, in my heart — so throughout 2012 and the rest of my life, I will be reminded of who I am. Cynthia Santiago (cusantiago@gmail.com)

REFLECTION:
Have you talked — and listened — to God lately?

Lord, grant that I may always feel Your presence and always listen to You. St. Elizabeth Ann Seton, religious, pray for us.

Daily Bible Reflections - January 3, 2012

HUMILITY, NOT PRIDE

“He is the one of whom I said, ‘A man is coming after me who ranks ahead of me because he existed before me.’” – John 1:30

St. Thomas Aquinas and St. Bonaventure were commissioned to write a hymn for the feast of Corpus Christi. Upon reading the opus of Aquinas, Bonaventure burned his own work. He knew that his composition was inferior to the masterpiece of Aquinas and accepted it graciously. What humility!
My wife would tell me which way to turn if she thinks that I am going the wrong way. Her navigational skills are better than mine so I just “swallow my pride” and follow the road she points to. I could ignore her, but that would lead to a wrong route and a disconcerting silence after.
Have we let pride take over and ruin relationships? Many marriages could have been saved if more of these were said: “Please forgive me. You were right. I was wrong.”
No one has a monopoly of being right. We might be better in some areas than others, but, certainly, some will know more than us in other things. Let us not choose to be wrong for the sake of saving face or pride. Jun Asis (mabuting.balita@gmail.com)
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REFLECTION:
I am good in many areas but not so in others. Have I let my pride strain my relationships by not admitting my mistakes or shortcomings?

Lord, grant me the humility to accept my limitations and the grace to accept that others may be better than I am. Amen. St. Genevieve, pray for us.

Daily Bible Reflections- January 2, 2012

A clear image of god

Be sure, then, to keep in your hearts the message you heard from the beginning. – 1 John 2:24

ACT 1
Creator: I create you in my image. You have dominion over the earth.
ACT 2
Created One: Lord, I have no suitable partner.
Creator: Of your rib, I create one. But this I made different – I threw in a fragile ego.
Between us girls, we have to make him believe he came first.
This short play is my tongue-in-cheek take on the story of creation. It draws a different, feminist picture of God and gives a funny twist to the tale of man’s (or woman’s) beginnings.
Seriously now, what’s your image of God? Is He a distant God up in the heavens or a loving parent whose spirit is with you every day? Is He a wrathful God who sends personal thunderbolts when you sin or a forgiving One who sent His only son to save you?
We may not have a clear image of what God looks like but as Christians let’s have a clear image of His heart. His heart is in His words given in the Bible. The message of the Bible is constant from beginning to end. It’s a message of love and mercy. Lella Santiago (mirellasantiago@yahoo.com)
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REFLECTION:
What’s your image of God? The picture we have of Him sets the tone for your relationship with Him.

O Lord, my Creator, engrave Your message of love deep in my heart.

Sts. Basil the Great and Gregory Nazianzen, bishops and doctors of the Church, pray for us.