Today’s Gospel Text: Now when they had departed,
behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said,
"Rise, take the child and his mother, and flee to Egypt, and remain there
till I tell you; for Herod is about to search for the child, to destroy
him." 14 And he rose and took the child
and his mother by night, and departed to Egypt, 15 and remained there until the
death of Herod. This was to fulfil what the Lord had spoken by the prophet,
"Out of Egypt have I called my son." 16 Then Herod, when he saw that he
had been tricked by the wise men, was in a furious rage, and he sent and killed
all the male children in Bethlehem and in all that region who were two years
old or under, according to the time which he had ascertained from the wise men.
17 Then was
fulfilled what was spoken by the prophet Jeremiah: 18 "A voice was heard in
Ramah, wailing and loud lamentation, Rachel weeping for her
children; she refused to be consoled, because they were no
more." Matt 2:13-18
Reflection: Sometimes
some people spend time in the ejaculatory one liner prayers with fervent
devotion. They will repeat these prayers
again and again raising their hearts and mind to God.
One
such person I recently came across would recite this particular one liner a
hundred times daily: “Nothing is impossible with God.”
Indeed
our God is the God of all possibilities there is nothing that he can’t
accomplish.
But
such faith, if not open to the wisdom of God, can land us in severe trouble, even
for all eternity; it is as if forcing God to work according to our will in all
things and in everything.
Faith
is best lived according to the good, pleasant and pleasing will of God and that
is what we as Christians are called to train our minds at. (cfr. Rom. 12:2)
In
this gospel passage of today, Joseph and Mary could have asked the God of all possibilities,
the luxury of life and to work a miracle for them in Bethlehem itself rather
than ask of them to rush to Egypt in this condition, that too with a divine
child.
The
scripture clearly tells us that it is his will which is of prime importance in
every prayer we make. In other words the goal of prayer, even before we learn
to ask is to learn how to grow in knowing and understanding his will and
plan for us.
Each
one is called to grow in the knowledge of God, which is necessary for our own
growth. Seeking to please him is first and foremost an action that will help us
to grow and reach our completeness and thus our happiness.
Great peace have
those who love thy law; nothing can make them stumble. Ps 119:165
Therefore
the Psalmist would say; there is nothing shall I want. (Ps. 23:1)
Prayer: Lord, may I have your wisdom and learn to rest in
your will rather than seek those comforts which does not glorify you.
DD = Dedicated
Discipleship: Come grow
in the Lord with us
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