The Son of Man is Coming
Life is a journey.
We have two options.
We can drift through life aimlessly and “become drowsy from carousing and drunkenness and the anxieties of daily life.”
Or we can live life with a purpose. We know that God is with us, the Emmanuel. Jesus is the origin and the destination of our life journey. And he is with us, accompanying us on our journey.
(Dawn on Long Island Sound, New York)
What Kingdom?
When Pilate asks Jesus “Then you are a king?”, Pilate has in his mind one kind of being kings and one kingdom – the Roman Empire that had conquered other peoples and nations by military power and force. That was why Pilate could not understand Jesus.
Similarly, we might want to ask ourselves, “If Jesus is my king, then what kind of kingdom do I belong to? And in my life, what type of a kingdom that I project to others?”
In today’s preface (the prayer before the Holy), we proclaim the kingdom of Jesus being “an eternal and universal kingdom, a kingdom of truth and life, a kingdom of holiness and grace, a kingdom of justice, love and peace.”
May we live each day as citizens of such a kingdom.
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“… will not pass away”
It’s autumn now. Another year is soon to coming to an end.
At this time of the year, each of us should ask, “What matters in my life?” and “Is it something that lasts forever?”
It’s also the season of Thanksgiving. Let us thank God for what really matters – eternal life.
Let us thank God for God’s gift of love in Jesus and in the people in whom we experience God’s love.
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To Love Is To Give All
Last week, Jesus reaffirmed the priority of the two commandments of love. And to love as Jesus teaches is to love with all that we are and have.
Today, we witness the poor widow’s sacrificing love – in giving “her livelihood.”
Moreover, Jesus is now already in Jerusalem. In a few days, Jesus himself would give the ultimate gift of love – the gift of his very life on the cross (we also hear this in today’s 2nd reading).
“No one has greater love than this, to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.” (John 15:13).
See how Jesus loves us!
In the US, this week is Vocation Awareness Week. Let’s pray that we may see our vocations as God’s gift of love to help us love as Jesus loves. And may young people embrace God’s vocation for them as such.
Image source: www.agnusday.org
