Let’s all read the gospel from http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/091414.cfm for this week. I’ve included a short reflection below. Please include your comment and suggestions.
Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross
Lectionary: 638
Reading 1NM 21:4B-9
With their patience worn out by the journey,
the people complained against God and Moses,
“Why have you brought us up from Egypt to die in this desert,
where there is no food or water?
We are disgusted with this wretched food!”
In punishment the LORD sent among the people saraph serpents,
which bit the people so that many of them died.
Then the people came to Moses and said,
“We have sinned in complaining against the LORD and you.
Pray the LORD to take the serpents from us.”
So Moses prayed for the people, and the LORD said to Moses,
“Make a saraph and mount it on a pole,
and if any who have been bitten look at it, they will live.”
Moses accordingly made a bronze serpent and mounted it on a pole,
and whenever anyone who had been bitten by a serpent
looked at the bronze serpent, he lived.
Responsorial Psalm PS 78:1BC-2, 34-35, 36-37, 38
R. (see 7b) Do not forget the works of the Lord!
Hearken, my people, to my teaching;
incline your ears to the words of my mouth.
I will open my mouth in a parable,
I will utter mysteries from of old.
R. Do not forget the works of the Lord!
While he slew them they sought him
and inquired after God again,
Remembering that God was their rock
and the Most High God, their redeemer.
R. Do not forget the works of the Lord!
But they flattered him with their mouths
and lied to him with their tongues,
Though their hearts were not steadfast toward him,
nor were they faithful to his covenant.
R. Do not forget the works of the Lord!
But he, being merciful, forgave their sin
and destroyed them not;
Often he turned back his anger
and let none of his wrath be roused.
R. Do not forget the works of the Lord!
Reading 2PHIL 2:6-11
Brothers and sisters:
Christ Jesus, though he was in the form of God,
did not regard equality with God something to be grasped.
Rather, he emptied himself,
taking the form of a slave,
coming in human likeness;
and found human in appearance,
he humbled himself,
becoming obedient to death,
even death on a cross.
Because of this, God greatly exalted him
and bestowed on him the name
that is above every name,
that at the name of Jesus
every knee should bend,
of those in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
and every tongue confess that
Jesus Christ is Lord,
to the glory of God the Father.
Gospel JN 3:13-17
Jesus said to Nicodemus:
“No one has gone up to heaven
except the one who has come down from heaven, the Son of Man.
And just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the desert,
so must the Son of Man be lifted up,
so that everyone who believes in him may have eternal life.”
For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son,
so that everyone who believes in him might not perish
but might have eternal life.
For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world,
but that the world might be saved through him.
Source: www.usccb.org/bible/readings/091414.cfm
REFLECTION:
We are proud when we succeed to our goal. It’s only ok when you receive a grade of 95 in History but when you received 89 in Mathematics that is not your forte and favorite subject is something you should really be proud of. When our athletes won their games or our favorite teams in any sports, they raise their hand because of the success they achieved after tremendous hardship and efforts. This week, Catholics celebrate and raising up the Cross
Before, the sign of the cross is done to save us by the Lord against the bad. The first is put in the forehead as the sign that we truly respect the Father giving Him the highest praise and worship. Second, we put our fingers to our stomach as a sign that the Lord Jesus Christ lower His self into a man and born into the womb of Virgin Mary. Next is we put our fingers in our shoulders, asking for the Holy Spirit to give us strength. These are the reasons of doing the sign of the Cross. For Catholics, the Cross is different. You cannot remove the Cross in every Church of the Catholics. They said that the Cross is a sign of suffering, punishment and death. That is why others think of us like sadist. But why are we lifting up the Cross? We are lifting the Cross not because of the sufferings, not because that it is used to punish criminals, not because of death. We are lifting the cross because of its success, the success of our Lord Jesus Christ. What we remember is the Cross that brought us salvation.
As we remember all of this, some of our Brothers and Sisters suffer in Syria and Iraq. All of the Catholic Churches are destroyed and they keep on killing Catholics if they don’t convert into their religion. They suffer too much. They really need our prayers and help. It is also a reminder for others. Only few attended the mass because of the strong rain. This is a test for all of us. Others fight for their lives because of their faith. But we on the good and comfortable position have many excuses. The Feast day of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross remind us to have our faith to be strengthened. May the Lord bless all of us!
