No 120. How is Jesus’ offering expressed at the Last Supper?

COMPENDIUM SERIES

JESUS THE TEACHER:  Compendium Series Icon.

 

 

No 120.   How is Jesus’ offering expressed at the Last Supper? (CCC 610-611,621)

 

WHAT DOES THE COMPENDIUM SAY?

Compendium states:

‘At the Last Supper with His Apostles on the eve of His Passion, Jesus anticipated, that is, both symbolized His free self-offering and made it really present “This is My Body given for you ( Lk 22:19), This is My Blood poured out ( Mt 26:28). Thus He both instituted the Eucharist as ‘the memorial’ (1 Corinthians 11:25) of His sacrifice and instituted the Apostles as priests of the new covenant.’

 

What does this mean for me?

1.    In honour of Jesus’s free self-offering and making Himself truly present, I resolve to appreciate the gift of the Mass and receiving Jesus in Holy Communion more by making a better preparation for Mass and a sincere thanksgiving after Communion.

2.    Because Jesus instituted the Apostles as priests at the Last Supper, I can make every effort to appreciate my pastor/parish priest and to be thankful that through his ministry, Jesus is made truly present at Mass.

3.    I can make a commitment to pray for priests every day but especially my pastor/parish priest who acts in the persona of Christ at Mass and the sacraments.

 

Questions to consider.

1. .     What has been/is my attitude to receiving Jesus in Holy Communion at Mass? How have I received Holy Communion in the past and currently?  Do I believe that Jesus is truly present when I receive Holy Communion?
   
   
2. .       Do I ask for the graces of the Eucharist to be poured upon me?
   
   
3. .      In the light of Coronavirus and our parish churches closed, how can I continue to stay close to Jesus and remain faithful? 
   
   
4. .      In the light of the Coronavirus and parish churches are closed, how has it changed my attitude to receiving Christ through a spiritual communion?
   
   
5. .      How do I experience God’s divine love every day?
   
   
6. .      In what areas of my life do I need conversion of heart and need personal reconciliation with God?
   
   
7. .      Are there people in my life that I need to be reconciled?  What actions am I able to make to enter into a process of reconciliation?   

 

 

 

 

Collect for 16th Sunday of Year.

COLLECT SERIES

 

The Mass: Collect Series Icon.

COLLECT

The Collect for the 16th Sunday of Year reads as follows:

Show favour O Lord to Your servants

And mercifully increase the gifts of Your grace,

That, made fervent in hope, faith and charity,

They may be ever watchful in keeping Your commands.

Through our Lord Jesus Christ, Your Son,

who lives and reigns with You in the unity of the Holy Spirit,

one God for ever and ever.

REFLECTION QUESTIONS

In making this prayer tangible for during the week the following reflection questions emerged:

1.What are the areas of favour I would like to experience from God?  (spiritual, physical emotional, financial, social).

2.What are the gifts of Your grace- e.g.: the virtues, the gifts of the Holy Spirit, the fruits of the Holy Spirit, the commandments, sacraments, sacramentals.

3.What do the virtues of hope, faith and charity mean to me? You may find easily accessible answers in Compendium of the Catholic Church and in Catechcism of the Catholic church.

4.What are the commands of God?  Which commands do I find difficult to keep? Why?

5.What definite and practical steps will I put into place this coming week to become closer to God.?  Eg If I have not sat with the scripture to read it, I will choose to read a passage every day for a week for 5 minutes.  If I am familiar with reading scripture, then what area of my spiritual life needs attention?

GOSPEL REFLECTION

Today’s Gospel is a wonderful or fearful Gospel depending on our mindset. I think of it as a wonderful Gospel reading passage because it:

·         Reminds us that we are on a pilgrimage here on earth- our homeland is in heaven.

·         Reminds us to examine our lives and make necessary changes to our pilgrimage journey whilst we have the time here on earth.  It finishes with ‘Listen, anyone who has ears. ‘

Jesus came to save everyone. His salvation is for all.  However, God also gave us His freed will to choose Him or not.  If we decide not follow Him, Jesus respects our choice but we need to understand that Jesus does not put us into Hell but we have chosen by our own choice to go there.

The choice is stark for the end goal- Heaven or Hell.  The choice is ours.  We make it every day and in every moment of everyday.  We can, with God’s grace turn our choice around if we have been heading in the wrong direction.  Jesus is mild in judgement and lenient as the first reading  from Wisdom mentions. We are also reminded in the Responsorial Psalm that ‘The Lord is good and forgiving’.

Make your choice today and let’s continue to journey towards Heaven this coming.

God's loving grace

REFLECTION AND PRAYER SERIES.

My reflection and prayer series is about sharing reflections and Prayers which have impacted upon me and have provided food for thought. I hope that they will also nurture your soul and spirit.

 

My Scripture reflection is 

 

''From the fullness of His grace, we have all received one blessing after another”’   
( 1 Jn 1:16)

 

Christ The Redeemer.

 

 

My post is called:

 

God’s loving Grace.

 

Whatever the thorn that causes my pain,

Let me count it, not loss but my spiritual’s gain.

For as long as the Lord leaves the brier in place.

Let me accept is a blessing, a thorn of His grace.

No 119 In what way did Jesus offer Himself to the Father?

COMPENDIUM SERIES

                          JESUS THE TEACHER:  Compendium Series Icon.

 

No 119.   In what way did Jesus offer Himself to the Father? (CCC 606-609,620)

WHAT DOES THE COMPENDIUM SAY?

Compendium states:

‘The entire life of Christ was a free offering to the Father to carry out His plan of salvation.  He gave ‘His life as a ransom for many’ (Mk 10:45) and in this way, He reconciled all of humanity to God.  His suffering and death show how His humanity was the free and perfect instrument of that divine love which desires the salvation of all people.’

What does this mean for me?

1.    I can read and meditate on the passion and death of Jesus regularly to remind myself of God’s great love.
2.   Every time I see a crucifix or an image of it, or I make the sign of the cross, I can thank God for the perfect love of Jesus who desires my salvation.

Questions to consider.

1. .    What does the free offering of Jesus to carry out the plan of salvation mean to me 
2.       Do I believe in my heart that Jesus died for me personally?  
3.      How can we be converted in our hearts and re-evaluate my relationship with God?    
4.     In what areas of my life do I need conversion of heart and need personal reconciliation with God?
5.  Are there people in my life that I need to be reconciled?  What actions am I able to make to enter into a process of reconciliation?
6.   In the light of Coronavirus and our parish churches closed, how can I continue to stay close to Jesus and remain faithful? 
7. How do I experience God’s divine love every day?

      

Collect for 15th Sunday of Year A.

COLLECT SERIES

The Mass: Collect Series Icon.

COLLECT

The Collect for the 15th Sunday of Year reads as follows:

O God, who show the light of Your Truth to those who go astray,

So that they may return to the right path,

Give all who for the faith they profess are accounted Christians

the grace to reject what is contrary to the name of Christ

And to strive after all that does it honour.

Through our Lord Jesus Christ, Your Son,

who lives and reigns with You in the unity of the Holy Spirit,

one God for ever and ever.

REFLECTION QUESTIONS

In making this prayer tangible for during the week the following reflection questions emerged:

1.    What is the light of Your Truth?

2.    What is the light of Your Truth in my life this coming week?

3.    How will I seek the light of Your Truth this coming week?

4.    What steps do I need to take to return to the right path? (Devise a plan of action this coming week).

5.    What are the Achilles heel areas in my life which draw me to reject Christ and His graces?

6.    How will I honour Christ this coming week?  Devise a plan, an action or use of scripture that will help me through the grace of Christ honour Him each moment of every day this coming week.

GOSPEL REFLECTION

Today’s Gospel from Matthew is a challenging one because it invites us to really have a deep look at our spiritual journey. When we hear it at Mass and/or reflect on it before Mass as our preparation or during the week, we may identity with all the phases of the parable- we may identify in our lives when 

• we refused to accept the message. We may have been like St Augustine and said ‘ not now Lord’.
•  we were on fire for the Lord but because we had no strong roots, we did not accept the sacrifices that are required to live our faith well,
•  we got caught up in the practicalities of life of making a living and the worries of living was the focus of our attention without placing Christ as no 1.
•  we were faithful to Christ and His teaching and produced some good fruit- sometimes more than other times.

It is good to revisit our spiritual journey and see if and how we have progressed. Give thanks to God for those times we have been receptive to His grace and as a result bore good fruit and ask for His mercy where we have allowed the seed that He sowed in us to fall into disrepair through neglect or luke-warmness or through lack of attention to Christ.

Take the opportunity this week to visit your spiritual journey. Where would the seed of Christ fall on the path right now?  Of course, a good examination of this is essential but do not stop there.  The key this week is to both examine our spiritual journeys and to make the necessary changes.

Change of course is never easy. However, we do have the grace of Christ to help us and the friendship of the Holy Spirit to be our light and our guide.  Like any goal setting, set a goal that is achievable. For example, it is no use saying that I am going to go to Mass every day in a church if your country is in lockdown due to covid 19.  However, make the commitment to attend Mass online.  Do not just watch it passively but attend and participate in it fully by preparing the readings, considering any venial sins that you would like to take into that Mass so that the Penitential Rite of Absolution does not pass you by, to long to receive Jesus spiritually by making a good preparation to receive Him spiritually( if you are in lock down) or to receive Him physically if you are able to attend a public Mass and of course, to make a good thanksgiving after  Holy Communion.

Take up the challenge of today’s Gospel and reject what is contrary to Christ and turn around to face Him.  Jesus loves you and wants to be in relationship with us. 

Do you want to be in relationship with Him this coming week?