From: Nivard , , .
Sent: Friday, 7 October 2011, 20:02
Subject: Daily Reading & Meditation
Saturday (October 8): "Blessed are those who hear the word of God and keep it"
Scripture: Luke 11:27-28
27 As he said this, a woman in the crowd raised her voice and said to him, "Blessed is the womb that bore you, and the breasts that you sucked!" 28 But he said, "Blessed rather are those who hear the word of God and keep it!"
Meditation: Who do you seek to favour and bless? When an admirer wished to compliment Jesus by praising his mother, Jesus did not deny the truth of the blessing she pronounced. Her beatitude (which means "blessedness" or "happiness") recalls Mary's canticle: All generations will call me blessed (Luke 1:48). Jesus adds to her words by pointing to the source of all true blessedness or happiness – union with God in heart, mind, and will. Mary humbly submitted herself to the miraculous plan of God for the incarnation of his only begotten Son – the Word of God made flesh in her womb, by declaring: I am the handmaid of the Lord; let it be done to me according to your word (Luke 1:38). Mary heard the word spoken to her by the angel and she believed it.
On another occasion Jesus remarked that whoever does the will of God is a friend of God and a member of his family – his sons and daughters who have been ransomed by the precious blood of Christ. (Luke 8:21). They are truly blessed because they know their God personally and they find joy in hearing and obeying his word.
Our goal in life, the very reason we were created in the first place, is for union with God. We were made for God and our hearts are restless until they rest in him. An early martyr once said that "a Christian's only relatives are the saints." Those who follow Jesus Christ and who seek the will of God enter into a new family, a family of "saints" here on earth and in heaven. Jesus changes the order of relationships and shows that true kinship is not just a matter of flesh and blood. Our adoption as sons and daughters of God transforms all our relationships and requires a new order of loyalty to God and his kingdom. Do you hunger for God and for his word?
Father, our hearts are restless until they rest in you. Help us to live in your presence and in the knowledge of your great love for each one of us, through Christ our Lord.
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Carry the gospel with you
Gospel reading of the day:Luke 11:27-28
While Jesus was speaking, a woman from the crowd called out and said to him, “Blessed is the womb that carried you and the breasts at which you nursed.” He replied, “Rather, blessed are those who hear the word of God and observe it.”
Reflection on the gospel reading: A woman in today’s gospel comes to Jesus and marvels at who she perceives Jesus to be. She likely did not know who Jesus’ mother was, but in an expression that was appropriate within her cultural context, she praised Jesus by praising the mother who nurtured such a son. When Jesus gently contradicts her, there is some humility in it. He essentially is saying, don’t praise me, but marvel at the wonderful things God does when God moves hearts in a way that lives in conformity to God’s will.
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