REFLECTIONS ON THE WORD – 12/11/21 (Saturday)

For the readings, click here: https://www.ewtn.com/catholicism/daily-readings

Blessed Saturday of the Second Week of Advent! In the gospel reading, Jesus told the disciples that Elijah already came to prepare the people for the coming of the Savior, but they simply killed him. The disciples understood this to refer to St. John the Baptist, and Jesus Christ said that He would suffer as well. What's interesting here was that St. John the Baptist did not just prepare the people by speaking of repentance, he also prepared them by showing the importance of suffering, for he himself was persecuted. 

For some of us, we may not like the idea of suffering. We may like the consolations and good feelings we receive during prayers, but when we experience spiritual dryness which is God's way of purifying us, we may be discouraged to deepen our faith. We may give thanks to God for the blessings we receive, but when we experience problems and struggles, we may forget to go back to God. We may be enlightened by the teachings of Jesus and the Catholic Church, but when our families and friends accuse us and criticize us, we may be afraid of standing firm to our beliefs. Why is this the case? Perhaps, we are attached to the comfort, convenience and blessings that we receive, but God is inviting us to be attached only to Him, so we may be able to imitate Jesus and St. John the Baptist and embrace the crosses of our lives. 

Let us be faithful to Jesus that whatever challenges we experience, our faith in Him will never vanish but will even be deepened. Let us give thanks to God when we experience sufferings from other people because we are given an opportunity to imitate Jesus and St. John the Baptist. May we always be dependent on God and pray to Him, for it is only by His grace that we can endure in this life that is full of trials. Our God is always pleased when we accept the sufferings we experience out of love for Him, and our patience will be rewarded in heaven after being tested by many trials.

Amen +

 

Jesus, Mary, and Joseph, be with us always until the hour of our death. Amen. +

 

May God bless us and may He grant us the grace of holy perseverance. May He be with us, most especially during the moments of our sufferings, and may He give us peace in the darkest hours of our lives. Amen. + 

Reflection by: Dominic