Friday 1^st August – Memorial of St Alphonsus Mary de Liguori, Bishop and Doctor

Reflection: Jeremiah 26: 1-9

RESPONDING TO GOD’S WORD

Self defence is a basic human attribute that is deeply rooted into each of us. We are wired in such a way as to defend ourselves as soon as we feel threatened. This is a beautiful response which God has created in us that helps us to adapt well to our environment and survive under harsh conditions. However, this same attribute can become detrimental if we use it wrongly.

Our innate response of defence can make us unreceptive to God’s word when we are confronted with the truth. Jeremiah encountered such defense from the Israelites as he spoke God’s word to them in the first reading of today. They were confronted with their sinfulness; but rather than open their hearts to God’s message through his prophet, they took offense and wanted to kill the prophet.

Dear friend, are there times you have failed to own up to the truth about yourself? Are there times you have shut people up or avoided them because they were calling you to change some sinful patterns in your life? Today God calls you and I out of such self defense in the face of truth. He calls us to open our hearts to Him when he convicts us through Scriptures or through those around us. Beloved each time God allows us to come face to face with our sinfulness, He is simply giving us the chance to embrace His merciful love and forgiveness. Let us hold on to our Father today, confess our sins to Him and find joy an renewal in the peace He holds out to us.

PRAYER: Dearest Lord, please forgive me for the many times I have refused to own up to my faults. Have mercy on me Lord and grant me the grace of a new beginning. Amen.

KNOW YOUR FAITH: YOUCAT 20 – How can we respond to God when he speaks to us?

To respond to God means to believe him.

Anyone who wants to believe needs a heart that is ready to listen (see 1 Kings 3:9). In many ways God seeks contact with us. In every human encounter,…in every apparent coincidence, in every challenge, every suffering, there is a hidden message from God to us. He speaks even more clearly to us when he turns to us in his Word or in the voice of our conscience. He addresses us as friends. Therefore we, too, should respond as friends and believe him, trust him completely, learn to understand him better and better, and accept his will without reservation.

HIDE A TREASURE: “Come now, let us reason together, says the Lord: though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be white as snow; though they are red like crimson, they shall become like wool” Isaiah 1:18 RSV-CE

Readings for today: Jeremiah 26: 1-9; Psalm 69: 5, 8-10, 14; Matthew 13: 54-58