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Mes: enero 2024

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Lectio Sunday 28 January, 2024

Gospel: «May you listen to his voice today».

On this fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time, we are confronted with the characteristics proper to prophethood and, in turn, with the authority that Jesus possesses because he is the Son of God. We observe the balance he shows between what he is, what he thinks and what he does.

First Reading: Deuteronomy 18:15-20

Second Reading: 1 Corinthians 7:32-35

Gospel: Mark 1:21-28

 

First Reading: Deuteronomy 18:15-20

The reading from Deuteronomy contains the words of Moses addressed to the people of Israel. Moses communicates the divine promise to raise up a prophet like himself among the Israelites. Many Christians see this prophecy as a messianic reference to Jesus Christ, the supreme prophet and mediator between God and humanity. This passage reminds us of the importance of being attentive to divine guidance in our lives, to listen and follow the teachings God gives us through various means, including the Scriptures and those He raises up as messengers. The warning about the false prophet highlights the importance of discerning between God’s authentic messengers and those who seek to deceive. In a world full of different voices and messages, it is vital to seek God’s truth and guidance, remaining faithful and avoiding being deceived by flashy and strange doctrines.

Second Reading: 1 Corinthians 7:32-35

In the reading from Corinthians, the apostle Paul shares his advice about marital status and how to live a life focused on serving God. He stresses that those who are not married can devote more time and energy to the things of the Lord rather than dividing their attention between family responsibilities and the cares of the world. Paul does not dismiss marriage, but highlights how singleness allows for a more focused approach to serving God. This text invites us to consider the importance of our priorities in life and to seek the right balance between our daily responsibilities and our commitment to God, whether in marriage or singleness. The key lies in how we use our lives to honor God and serve others in the best possible way.

Gospel

 «This teaching with authority is new!» (Mk 1:27).

The beginning of Jesus’ public life highlights the authority with which he teaches, heals and expels what disturbs human life. His teachings break with the traditional prototypes of the laws and the methods of the scribes. Jesus uses a colloquial pedagogical method, but full of authority, not only because he is the Son of God, but also because of the balance he manifests in his thought and actions.

Teaching entails sacrifice, balance, perseverance, witness, research and, especially, living according to the Gospel. Jesus, the great teacher, taught with divine and human authority. His teachings made sense because of the balance manifested in his life.

Fruit:

Ask the Lord to enable you to teach with your life the values of the Gospel and to expel with the experience of faith all that torments the soul.

 

S. Johanna Andrea Cifuentes Gómez, tc

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Lectio Sunday 21 January, 2024

The Kingdom of God is not a Utopía, it is a Relationship

Introduction

 Today we celebrate in our Church the Third Sunday in Ordinary Time; on this Sunday as Catholics we celebrate the day of the Word of God, that is, as the Lord speaks to us through the Sacred Scripture and exhorts us to a Christian life enlightened by His Word.

First reading: From the prophecy of Jonah 3:1-5. 10

Second reading: From the first letter of the Apostle Paul to the Corinthians 7:29-31.

Gospel: according to St. Mark 1:14-20

 In the first reading of the prophecy of Jonah, God sends his prophet to the city of Nineveh to invite it to conversion, likewise God continues to send prophets in the midst of his people, the Church, to encourage them to change from a concrete lifestyle. The first great prophet in our midst is undoubtedly the Holy Scriptures, where we find daily spiritual nourishment and admonition to find true happiness. Nineveh needed Jonah for God to speak to him, we need our brothers for God to speak to our hearts. Let us look at our lives, as did the people of Nineveh and take the first step in accepting that we will always have to change something in our lives, let us open ourselves to be attentive to change.

In the Second Reading We are in front of an eschatological text typical of the first Christian communities, however, still remains the affirmation and faith as it allows us to trust in the eternal, because everything is ephemeral and has the limitation of time, it is therefore urgent that we seek a lifestyle of total surrender to the Lord from the vocation to which we have been called, because all of them lead us to God.

In Mark’s Gospel, the public life of Jesus is presented and with it the resounding preaching that he makes about the Kingdom of God, ratifying not only the essential but also what it implies to assume and live the Kingdom of God. Different interpretations are made of the Kingdom, however, I want to focus on what it implies to live the Kingdom of God. It is exactly a relationship. Jesus, in the midst of his discourses, wanted nothing more than for humanity to learn to love, this implies knowing how to relate and even learning to discover in the other the divine presence of God, this is the Kingdom, a permanent relationship with the other. In the second part of the text Jesus’ forceful call to go and look for new souls and unite them to the truth of the Kingdom is presented, for he says «Come after me and I will make you fishers of men». It is an expression that comes loaded with commitment, it implies walking towards a goal, directing the gaze only to Him. As the virgin and martyr says, if you say «Yes» to his «Follow me», then we are his and the way is free for his divine life to pass to us (Edith Stein).

Fruit: Ask the Lord to give you the grace to long for the eternal, to follow what is true, to bear witness and especially to be an builder of the Kingdom from your being a Christian.

S. Johanna Andrea Cifuentes Gómez, tc

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Lectio Divina of January 14

Following Christ from the twofold path of call and response.

«Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening».

The experience of walking with Jesus is materialized in a call and a response proper to the one who receives the call. Therefore, it is a bidirectional path that implies listening and responding, even with the fears inherent in existence.

First Reading: From the first book of Samuel 3:3b-10. 19

Second Reading: From the first letter of St. Paul to the Corinthians 6:13c-15a. 17-20.

Gospel According to St. John 1:35-42

Samuel’s experience represents the constant response of humanity to embrace the diverse calls of life. We find ourselves faced with diverse voices urging us to live in a certain way, and we run in search of an answer. However, Samuel, despite his attempts, fails to identify the voice of the Lord until the third call and with the guidance of Eli. Samuel’s response is docile, attentive and with an open heart. Discovering the authenticity of the divine call requires recognizing the voice of the speaker and listening. Divine listening is a challenging virtue to cultivate in a noisy world full of flashy voices. In spite of this, Samuel, from the docility of his heart, responds: «Speak, Lord, your servant is listening. Docility and inner silence thus become essential tasks in order to respond with certainty and fidelity to the vocation and dream that God has prepared for those whom he loves.

First Letter of the Apostle Paul to the Corinthians 6, 13c-15a. 17-20

«Do you not know that your bodies are members of Christ? He who is joined to the Lord is one spirit with him.» The Christian understanding of the body is based on contemplating it as the tabernacle of the spirit. This perspective confers on the body a sacred value by allowing it to manifest the divine presence through its actions. In a culture obsessed with physical appearance and standards of beauty, the Christian view of the body implies a balanced care for one’s basic needs and pleasures. St. Paul’s teaching stresses that the body can become an expression of glorification of the Lord, which implies caring for it, loving it, respecting it and valuing it. It is crucial to delve deeper into the theology of the body and the reflections of St. John Paul II in order to gain a new understanding of sexuality and love.

Gospel according to John 1:35-42

«He said to them, «Come and see».

The experience of the call translates into a response to the human search for happiness and the meaning of life. The call of Andrew and John reflects the characteristics of the call of Jesus, who teaches, accompanies and captivates with just a few profound words from the heart. Each person has different searches in life, some respond to personal stories, complex situations, desires and dreams. Jesus’ encounter with these disciples manifests the divine desire to meet with those seeking answers. Christ’s call presents new ways of thinking, acting and relating. St. Ambrose of Milan urges us to seek Christ not with bodily steps, but with the disposition of the soul and contemplation from the heart, which implies a deep faith and a soul capable of longing for the eternal from the earth.

Fruit: Ask the Lord to make you a contemplative of life, capable of listening to the calls he makes to you to live fully from the following proposed by Jesus Christ.

S. Johanna Andrea Cifuentes Gómez, tc

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Lectio Divina Solemnity of the Baptism of the Lord

Rediscover the virtuous BEING that you have received through the Holy Spirit.

«He on whom you see the Spirit descending and remaining on him, that is the one who baptizes in the Holy Spirit» (John 1:33).

First reading: A reading from the book of Isaiah 42, 1-4. 6-7

 Second reading: From the Acts of the Apostles 10:34-38.

Gospel According to Mark 1:7-11

Like an echo of the Epiphany, today we celebrate the Lord’s baptism, his public manifestation, «Behold my servant, whom I uphold; my chosen one, whom I prefer. On him I have put my spirit.

Prophethood is an authentic way of living, based on the choice made by the Lord from the womb, as Isaiah expresses it in his call. Identifying the actions of the Spirit requires discernment and prayer, as does understanding the works of the Kingdom. It is essential to recognize the extent to which we assume the choice of being chosen by God and, from this mission, to embrace our being Christian. If the Spirit of the Lord is upon you, your decisions, actions and thoughts will be directed toward proclaiming the truth of the One who gives you wisdom.

In the second reading… «It is clear that God does not make distinctions; he accepts those who fear him and practice justice, no matter what nation they are from».

One of the most beautiful characteristics of our God is the greatness of his mercy and the heart that allows him to love all his children without reserve. Our goal on earth is to achieve a heart like the Father’s, a challenging task but one that traces a path of configuration with the Lord. If you reflect on your heart, how much have you grown in loving without distinction, prejudice or criticism?

We will hear in the Gospel the Voice of the Father: «You are my beloved Son, with you I am well pleased».

The baptism of Jesus reveals the full and divine identity given to him as the Son of God, authentically manifesting the gifts of the Spirit in human life. As St. Cyril affirmed, «the first fruits and gifts bestowed on humanity were first shown in the humanity of the Savior.» From this affirmation, we can reflect on the gifts given to the Son of God in his humanity and rediscover the authentic seal that baptism gives us. The identity of Jesus is based on the principles of the Gospel; therefore, love and charity are the compass for decisions and actions, and truth and justice are criteria for opinion, observation and analysis. Faced with the seal of baptism that gives us faith and the identity of Jesus as the perfect culmination for acting, being and deciding, we are presented with the authentic life of a believer who does not live the virtues and gifts by himself, but by the GRACE of the Spirit. Exercising ourselves in the virtues and gifts of the Holy Spirit allows us to grow in authenticity, truth, justice and holiness. How do you assume this identity as a child of God that implies transforming your weakness into a gift and grace to live with your brothers and sisters?

S. Johanna Andrea Cifuentes Gómez, tc

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