REFLECTIONS ON THE WORD – 01/16/22 (Sunday)

For Filipinos celebrating the Feast of Sto. Nino, kindly see the link below for the gospel reflection. 

http://smcdefense.blogspot.com/2022/01/reflections-on-word-011622-feast-of-sto.html

John 2:5,9-10

5 His mother said to the servants, "Do whatever He tells you."

9 When the steward of the feast tasted the water now become wine, and did not know where it came from (though the servants who had drawn the water knew), the steward of the feast called the bridegroom 10 and said to him, "Every man serves the good wine first; and when men have drunk freely, then the poor wine; but you have kept the good wine until now." 

For the full readings, click here: 

https://www.ewtn.com/catholicism/daily-readings

Blessed Second Saturday in Ordinary Time! All of us are unique people with individual gifts and talents from God. And yet, all of us have the same calling, which is to participate in the wedding feast in heaven between Jesus, the Bridegroom, and the Church, His Spouse. In order for us to enter heaven, we need to follow the instruction of the Blessed Virgin Mary, "Do whatever He tells you." In our gospel reading, the wine ran short in the wedding ceremony, and Jesus performed a miracle of turning water into a wine as His mother pleaded on behalf of the people. Then, when the steward tasted this wine, he recognized that this was better than what was previously served. 

We know that our purpose in life is to love God and make Him loved. In order to love Him, we should follow His commandments and avoid sin. However, it is difficult for many of us to be faithful to Jesus because we may find it easier to commit a sin, an offense against God. This can be because of the satisfactions that we may get from the sins we commit. Other people are attached to the satisfaction of expressing their frustration when their angry. Some people like the satisfaction of being superior when they are guilty of pride. Others may enjoy the satisfaction they feel in committing the sins of lust. The same is true for other sins, but Jesus is reminding us that the joy in heaven is infinitely superior to the worldly satisfactions of sins. Only the Merciful Love of Christ can fill our hearts while indulging in sinful actions will leave us empty. If we want to do whatever Jesus tells us to do, we should avoid the occasions of sins, and we should completely follow Jesus. Our Lord also wants us to recognize the importance of the intercession of our Mother Mary for us to experience a miraculous transformation in our lives. 

May we spend time with Jesus reflecting on our sinful actions and seeking His grace to be delivered from worldly satisfactions. Let us also pray to the Blessed Virgin Mary who will help us to follow the will of God. When we offer ourselves to Christ, He will not allow us to be overcome by evil. When we trust in Jesus, He will bring us to His wedding feast in heaven, and He will be our joy. 

Amen +

 

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

 

May the Lord + bless us, protect us from all evil and bring us to everlasting life. Amen. +  

Reflection by: Dominic