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Manila Bulletin devider Opinion devider He embraced them and blessed them

He embraced them and blessed them

Published Feb 28, 2025 04:04 pm

REFLECTIONS TODAY

Rich in what matters to God

Gospel • Mark 10:13-16

Our readings today speak of receiving God’s grace with an open heart. In the First Reading, receiving God’s command with an open heart is also like praying. In order for our prayers to be fruitful, we speak to God with our hearts and minds open to what God says and gives us—happiness, healing, joy, hardship, and forgiveness.

 
In the Gospel, we see that prayer is similar to the attitude of a child who receives any gift that is given to him or her. Often, we are not used to accept God’s little, unimposing graces, taken as we are by selfish interests and status in life. 


And because we are driven by our lofty aspiration, we tend to forget the value of the ordinary and simple graces we receive from God, thinking that they are below us. Let us not complicate life. 


There are so many simple yet beautiful graces for us to be happy about and be grateful to God for. Let us learn to have an open heart to receive the sometimes overlooked but ever-present grace of God.
 

First Reading • Sir 17:1-15 


God from the earth created man, and in his own image he made him. He makes man return to earth again, and endows him with a strength of his own. Limited days of life he gives him, with power over all things else on earth.


He puts the fear of him in all flesh, and gives him rule over beasts and birds. He created for them counsel, and a tongue and eyes and ears, and an inventive heart, and filled them with the discipline of understanding. He created in them knowledge of the spirit; with wisdom he fills their heart; good and evil he shows them.


He put the fear of himself upon their hearts, and showed them his mighty works, that they might glory in the wonder of his deeds and praise His holy name. 


He has set before them knowledge, a law of life as their inheritance; an everlasting covenant he has made with them, his justice and his judgments he has revealed to them. His majestic glory their eyes beheld, his glorious voice their ears heard. 


He says to them, “Avoid all evil;” each of them he gives precepts about his fellow men. Their ways are ever known to him, they cannot be hidden from his eyes. Over every nation he places a ruler, but God’s own portion is Israel. All their actions are clear as the sun to him,  His eyes are ever upon their ways.

Source: “365 Days with the Lord 2025,” St. Paul’s, 7708 St. Paul Rd., SAV, Makati City (Phils.); Tel.: 632-895-9701; E-mail: [email protected]; Website: http://www.stpauls.ph.

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