GOD’S WORD FOR THE DAY (based on Catholic Liturgical Readings)
DATE: 11TH SEPTEMBER 2017
MONDAY OF THE TWENTY-THIRD WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME
FIRST READING: Colossians 1:24 – 2:3
PSALM: Psalm 62:6-7,9
GOSPEL: Luke 6:6-11
THEME: CHRIST IN YOU THE HOPE OF GLORY
Certain persons carry with them a presence that can be described as heavenly in character. When they walk into your life, SOMETHING GOOD happens to you. Some of us can call to mind persons who walked into our lives at moments when everything was dark and bleak and their very presence brought so much light into our world. These persons can be called ‘bearers of God’s glory’.
Jesus Christ, however, is not simply a bearer of God’s glory; he is the epitome and crown of divine glory itself. In him can be found divine glory in all its forms. Wherever Jesus Christ goes, the manifest presence and power of God can be experienced in a tangible manner.
In our First Reading, Paul writes to the Church in Colossae and speaks of the revelation of the mystery that has been hidden throughout the ages and generations. Paul goes ahead and points out this mystery in the words, “Christ in you the hope of glory” (Col 1:27). For Paul, the indwelling presence of Christ among those who believe is the secret of their victorious living.
The Gospel text offers us a taste of the glory of the Lord in a practical way. There was a man whose hand was withered. The synagogue with its scribes and Pharisees had been unable to heal him. One Sabbath, Jesus walked into the synagogue, saw the man and called out to him: “Stand up! Come out into the middle…Stretch out your hand” (Lk 6:8,10). And it happened, the glory of the Lord was revealed; the man was healed.
We all battle with different kinds of illnesses, problems and challenges but when you have ‘Christ in you’, you can be hopeful that the glory of God would show forth. Faith in Jesus Christ has tangible effects and to be associated with him is to sign up to live a life of glory.
As we go about our daily activities, may we have that expectant faith that in union with Christ, the glory of God will locate us and something good will happen to us.
PRAYER: Lord Jesus Christ, I long to see your glory in a tangible way today. Cause me to move with divine power and show yourself strong in my life. Amen
Andrews Obeng, svd
DIVINE WORD MISSIONARIES
BIBLICAL PASTORAL MINISTRY
(Ghana Province)
“May the darkness of sin and the night of unbelief vanish before the light of the Word and the Spirit of grace. And may the heart of Jesus live in the hearts of all people” (St Arnold Janssen).