Teacher Nhanz (2024)

19/08/2023

20 August 2023
BEGGING FOR SCRAPS OF MERCY
Twentieth Sunday in Ordinary Time
READINGS FOR TODAY:
READING 1: Is56:1,6-7
All who keep the sabbath free from profanation and hold to my covenant, them I will bring to my holy mountain and make joyful in my house of prayer; their burnt offerings and sacrifices.will be acceptable on my altar, for my house shall be called a house of prayer for all peoples.

RESP. PS: 67:2-3,5,6,8
O God, let all the nations praise you!

READING 2: Rom11:13-15,29-32
For God delivered all to disobedience, that he might have mercy upon all.

VERSE BEFORE THE GOSPEL: Mt4:23
Jesus proclaimed the Gospel of the kingdom and cured every disease among the people.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.

GOSPEL: Mt15:21-28
At that time, Jesus withdrew to the region of Tyre and Sidon. And behold, a Canaanite woman of that district came and called out, “Have pity on me, Lord, Son of David! My daughter is tormented by a demon.” Matthew 15:21–22

EXEGESIS/REFLECTION:
After Jesus was harshly challenged by the Pharisees, He and His disciples took a 35-mile journey to the northwest to a region that was in pagan territory and outside of the jurisdiction of Herod and the Jewish leaders. It might have been a time of repose for Him and His disciples and an opportunity for Jesus to form the disciples more directly. It was during this retreat that a pagan woman came to ask Jesus for help.

As the story unfolds, we see that her prayer is a model for us all. First, she acknowledges Who Jesus is—the Son of David. This is a manifestation of her faith and a clear contrast to the lack of faith Jesus had experienced with many of the people in Galilee. Second, her request is expressed in straightforward and simple language, “Have pity on me!” And, “Lord, help me.” Third, her prayer is persistent. Jesus allows her to manifest her persistence by first being silent to her request and then telling her “It is not right to take the food of the children and throw it to the dogs.” Jesus obviously does not say this to be rude, but to invite her to manifest her faith in a persistent way. And that she does. Finally, her prayer is one of deep humility. She responds, “Please, Lord, for even the dogs eat the scraps that fall from the table of their masters.” She was begging for the “scraps” of Jesus’ mercy, and she received His mercy in abundance.

Do you desire the scraps of Jesus’ mercy in the way a dog desires the scraps from the table of its owner? Hopefully you do. This is the disposition that we must all have in prayer. Sometimes, out of pride, we can think that we have a right to God’s mercy. We can think that God owes us. And though we might realize that mercy is not deserved, we must allow that truth to sink in deeply. That is why this story is so important. It presents us with the ideal way to pray and the humble interior disposition we must have when approaching God.

Prayerfully sit with the image of a dog begging for scraps from the table. When a dog is given what is left over, it is thrilled. To us, eating the scraps from another’s plate is undesirable. But if the “plate” belongs to the Savior of the World and the “food” is His grace and mercy, then that changes everything. In the end, the Master also invites us to the table and feeds us with the finest of spiritual food. But that doesn’t change the fact that we must always have the humble disposition exemplified by this humble woman.

Reflect, today, upon this holy woman. In the end, Jesus cried out, “O woman, great is your faith!” But that did not come until she wholeheartedly expressed her faith with humility and persistence. With her as a shining example, reflect upon how you pray to God. Do you pray with self-righteousness, as if you deserve God’s mercy? Do you tend to see God as one Who owes you something? Do you get angry with God when He doesn’t immediately answer your demands? Try to humble yourself like this woman. Beg for whatever God wants to give to you. Do so with perseverance and the utmost trust. If you do, our Lord will not only pour forth the scraps of His mercy, He will also pick you up and invite you to the glorious meal of His abundant grace.

OUR PRAYER FOR TODAY:
Most merciful Jesus, I beg of You that I be given only the scraps from the table of Your mercy. I beg this of You with all my heart. Though I do not deserve You, I seek You anyway. You know what I need, dear Lord; please bestow upon me Your mercy for those needs.
Lord Jesus, I love and trust You!
-*-*-*-*-
Friends, thank you for sharing these readings with your relatives, friends and on your TIMELINE and CHAT GRPs. May the Good Lord reward us all for helping spread His Word!
😇😇😇

16/08/2023

17 August 2023
ALWAYS AND FOREVER FORGIVING
Thursday of the Nineteenth Week in Ordinary Time
Optional Memorial of St.
READINGS FOR TODAY:
READING 1: Jos3:7-10a,11,13-17
While all Israel crossed over on dry ground,
the priests carrying the ark of the covenant of the LORD remained motionless on dry ground in the bed of the Jordan until the whole nation had completed the passage.

RESP. PS: 114:1-2,3-4,5-6
Alleluia!

VERSE BEFORE THE GOSPEL: Ps119:135
Let your countenance shine upon your servant and teach me your statutes.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.

GOSPEL: Mt18:21-19:1
Peter approached Jesus and asked him, “Lord, if my brother sins against me, how often must I forgive him? As many as seven times?” Jesus answered, “I say to you, not seven times but seventy-seven times.” Matthew 18:21–22

EXEGESIS/REFLECTION:
Saint John Chrysostom, in commenting upon this passage, explains that “seventy-seven times” was a way of saying “always.” In other words, Jesus was not giving a specific number to the times we must forgive, He was saying that forgiveness must be offered forever and always, without limit. This is the depth of forgiveness offered to us.

This passage also shows the contrast between the human tendency towards forgiveness and God’s. Peter, no doubt, must have thought that he was being generous by asking if he should forgive his brother as many as seven times. Perhaps he thought Jesus would be impressed by this apparently generous suggestion. But the infinite mercy of God can never be outdone. There is simply no limit to the mercy of God, and, therefore, there must be no limit to the mercy we offer others.

What is your personal practice when it comes to seeking the forgiveness of God in your life? And what is your practice in regard to offering forgiveness to another? This line quoted above introduces the Parable of the Unforgiving Servant. In that parable, the servant owed his king a “huge amount.” In mercy, the king forgave the debt just as God is willing to forgive us no matter what. But forgiveness does have one price. The price is that we must also forgive others to the same extent. Thus, when the servant who was forgiven a huge amount later sees one of his servants who owed him a much smaller amount, he demands the debt be paid in full. The result is that the king hears of this and withdraws his mercy, requiring the servant to pay him back in full.

This tells us that forgiveness is not an option unless we are perfect and owe no debt to God. Of course, if anyone thinks that, then they are not living in reality. As we read in the letter to the Romans, “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23). As a result, it is essential that we offer forgiveness always and everywhere, without condition, without limit and without hesitation. How easily do you do this? How fully do you forgive?

One of the hardest persons to forgive is the one who has no sorrow for their sin. When this happens, it is easy to justify our condemnation of them. One thing that might be helpful to reflect upon if you are currently withholding forgiveness from another and remain angry, bitter or hurt, is that your lack of forgiveness does more damage to your own soul than to theirs. By refusing to forgive, you do immeasurable damage to your soul and to your relationship with God. Remaining angry and hurt only leads to more anger and hurt. It leads to vengeful thinking and even acting. And that is a sin for which you will be held accountable.

Reflect, today, upon the infinite depth of mercy and forgiveness you are called to offer to each and every person who has or will hurt you. To forgive is certainly not to excuse. On the contrary, the act of forgiveness acknowledges the sin. But mercy must be offered no matter what. Always, everywhere, unending and without any conditions, it must be offered. If this is difficult to do, do it anyway and do not stop. Doing so will not only help the sinner, it will also open the gates of mercy from God in your life.

OUR PRAYER FOR TODAY:
My forgiving Lord, Your mercy is infinite and unfathomable. You desire to forgive every sin in my life and to restore me completely to a life of perfect union with You. I accept this gift of forgiveness in my life, dear Lord, and I freely choose to offer this same depth of mercy to everyone who ever has or ever will sin against me. I forgive as completely as I can. Please help me to imitate Your unending mercy.
Lord Jesus, I love and trust You!
-*-*-*-*-
Friends, thank you for sharing these readings with your relatives, friends and on your TIMELINE and CHAT GRPs. May the Good Lord reward us all for helping spread His Word!
😇😇😇

07/08/2023

07 August 2023
GIVING WHAT YOU RECEIVE
Monday of the Eighteenth Week in Ordinary Time
Optional Memorials of St. Sixtus II, Pope and Companions, Martyrs and St. Cajetan, Priest
READINGS FOR TODAY:
READING 1: Nm11:4b-15
For they are crying to me, 'Give us meat for our food.' I cannot carry all this people by myself, for they are too heavy for me.
If this is the way you will deal with me, then please do me the favor of killing me at once,
so that I need no longer face this distress."

RESP. PS: 81:12-13,14-15,16-17
Sing with joy to God our help.

VERSE BEFORE THE GOSPEL: Mt4:4
One does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes forth from the mouth of God.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.

GOSPEL: Mt14:13-21
Taking the five loaves and the two fish, and looking up to heaven, he said the blessing, broke the loaves, and gave them to the disciples, who in turn gave them to the crowds. They all ate and were satisfied, and they picked up the fragments left over—twelve wicker baskets full.
Matthew 14:19–20

EXEGESIS/REFLECTION:
An important aspect of this miracle that is easy to miss is that Jesus multiplied the loaves and fishes through His disciples’ instrumentality. He did this by inviting them to assist in the distribution of the loaves and in the gathering of the fragments left over. This reveals that God often uses us as mediators of His superabundant graces given to others. Though God could pour forth His mercy directly, most often He does so through others.

As you ponder this miracle, try to see yourself as one of the disciples who was invited to distribute the bread to the people. If you were there and were hungry and then were given bread, you would be tempted to eat the bread yourself before giving any away. But Jesus gave the bread to His hungry disciples with the instruction to first give it to others.

Sometimes, when God calls us to give His mercy to others, we become selfish. It’s easy to think that we must first take care of ourselves and our own needs. We erroneously believe that we can only offer mercy to others after our needs are met. Imagine, for example, if upon receiving the bread from Jesus the disciples would have decided that they should eat of it first. Then, if there was anything extra, they could give it to others. Had they done this, the superabundance of the multiplication of the loaves would not have happened. In the end, the disciples themselves received a superabundance of food—precisely because they first gave away what they had received.

Spiritually speaking, the same is true with us. When we receive spiritual nourishment from our Lord, our first thought must be to give it away. We must first see all that we receive from God as an opportunity to bestow those blessings upon others. This is the nature of grace. For example, if we are given a sense of peace or joy within our hearts, we must realize that this peace or joy we receive is a gift that must be immediately offered to others. If we are given a spiritual insight into the Scriptures, this is given to us first and foremost to share with others. Every gift we receive from God must be understood as a gift given to us so that we can immediately share it with others. The good news is that when we seek to give away that which we have received, more is given to us and, in the end, we will be far richer.

Reflect, today, upon the action of the disciples receiving this food from our Lord and immediately giving it away. See yourself in this miracle, and see the bread as a symbol of every grace you receive from God. What have you received that God wants you to distribute to others? Are there graces you have received that you selfishly try to hold onto? The nature of grace is that it is given to give it to others. Seek to do this with every spiritual gift you receive, and you will find that the graces multiply to the point that you receive more than you could ever imagine.

OUR PRAYER FOR TODAY:
Most generous Lord, You pour forth Your grace and mercy in superabundance. As I receive all that You bestow, please fill my heart with generosity so that I will never hesitate to offer Your mercy to others. Please use me as Your instrument, dear Lord, so that, through me, You may abundantly feed others.
Lord Jesus, I love and trust You!
-*-*-*-*-
LET'S GET TO KNOW OUR SAINTS
St. Sixtus II, as pope, managed to restore the strained relationship between the Western and Eastern Churches. He was martyred by Emperor Valerian alongside several deacons.
St. Cajetan founded the Theatines, the Order of the Clerks Regular, to promote reception of the sacraments, do works of charity, and recall clergy to their vocations. St. Cajetan was an idealist who sought to demonstrate by example the power of virtue in a time when many in the Church were morally compromised.
-*-*-*-
Friends, thank you for sharing these readings with your relatives, friends and on your TIMELINE and CHAT GRPs. 😁

05/08/2023

06 August 2023
THE GLORY OF THE TRANSFIGURATON
Eighteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time
Feast of the Transfiguration of the Lord
READINGS FOR TODAY:
READING 1: Dn7:9-10,13-14
The one like a Son of man received dominion, glory, and kingship; all peoples, nations, and languages serve him.
His dominion is an everlasting dominion
that shall not be taken away, his kingship shall not be destroyed.
RESP. PS: 97:1-2,5-6,9
The Lord is king, the Most High over all the earth.
READING 2: 2Pt1:16-19
"This is my Son, my beloved, with whom I am well pleased."
We ourselves heard this voice come from heaven while we were with him on the holy mountain.
VERSE BEFORE THE GOSPEL: Mt17:5c
This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased; listen to him. R. Alleluia, alleluia.
GOSPEL: Mt17:1-9
Jesus took Peter, James, and his brother, John, and led them up a high mountain by themselves. And he was transfigured before them; his face shone like the sun.and his clothes became white as light.
And behold, Moses and Elijah appeared to them, conversing with him.
Then Peter said to Jesus in reply,
"Lord, it is good that we are here. If you wish, I will make three tents here, one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah."
While he was still speaking, behold, a bright cloud cast a shadow over them, then from the cloud came a voice that said,
"This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased; listen to him."
When the disciples heard this, they fell prostrate and were very much afraid. But Jesus came and touched them, saying,
"Rise, and do not be afraid."
And when the disciples raised their eyes,
they saw no one else but Jesus alone.
As they were coming down from the mountain, Jesus charged them,
"Do not tell the vision to anyone until the Son of Man has been raised from the dead."
EXEGESIS/REFLECTION:
Just prior to the Transfiguration, Jesus began to reveal to His disciples that He would suffer greatly, be rejected by the elders, be killed and then rise on the third day. This caused much fear for the disciples as they grappled with this unsettling revelation from our Lord. And even though Jesus remained firm with them and even rebuked Peter for his fear, Jesus also gave three of His disciples a very precious gift.

After much traveling, preaching, miracle working and private conversations about His passion with the Twelve, Jesus invited Peter, James and John to go with Him up a high mountain to pray. These disciples most likely had no idea what they would soon encounter. As they made the difficult and arduous journey, their minds must have been pondering not only the mighty deeds done by Jesus in the previous months but also His words about the suffering to come. As they struggled with this, much to their amazement, Jesus “was transfigured before them, and his clothes became dazzling white.” Suddenly Moses and Elijah appeared before them, representing the Law and the prophets. These two Old Testament figures appeared as a way of saying to these disciples that everything that Jesus was telling them was to take place to fulfill all that had been foretold about Him from of old. Perhaps Jesus thought that if His disciples would not fully listen to Him, then seeing Moses and Elijah would help. But Jesus went even further. The Voice of the Father Himself thundered and said, “This is my beloved Son. Listen to him.” Thus, if these disciples would not ultimately listen to Jesus alone, or if even Moses and Elijah failed to convince them, then the last hope was the Father Himself. And Jesus delivered such a grace.
The Transfiguration was a true mercy. These disciples had never seen anything like it before. But it was most likely this act of mercy that ultimately helped them to accept the hard truth that Jesus was trying to teach them about His coming suffering and death. If the Father in Heaven Personally gave witness to Jesus, then everything that Jesus had said was trustworthy.
As we read through the Gospels and the many teachings God has given us through the Church, think about whether there are some teachings with which you struggle? Or in your own life, on a personal level, are there some things you know God wants of you but you find it difficult to accept? When confusion sets in, that means we are not listening, are not fully hearing what God is saying to us or are not understanding. And though we will not see the Transfigured Lord with our eyes and hear the Voice of the Father with our ears as these three disciples did, we must choose to believe all that God has said as if it were the Transfigured Lord, with Moses and Elijah, and the Father Himself speaking clearly and directly to us. “This is my beloved Son. Listen to him.” Those words were not only spoken for the good of the disciples, they are also spoken to us.
Reflect, today, upon this powerful experience given to these disciples by our Lord. Try to place yourself in the scene so as to witness Jesus transfigured in the most glorious way, with Moses and Elijah and the Father's Voice.

Teacher Nhanz

19/08/2023

16/08/2023

07/08/2023

05/08/2023

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