Today's Gospel Reading

Matthew 17:22-27 ©

One day when they were together in Galilee, Jesus said to his disciples, ‘The Son of Man is going to be handed over into the power of men; they will put him to death, and on the third day he will be raised to life again.’ And a great sadness came over them.
When they reached Capernaum, the collectors of the half-shekel came to Peter and said, ‘Does your master not pay the half-shekel?’ ‘Oh yes’ he replied, and went into the house. But before he could speak, Jesus said, ‘Simon, what is your opinion? From whom do the kings of the earth take toll or tribute? From their sons or from foreigners?’ And when he replied, ‘From foreigners’, Jesus said, ‘Well then, the sons are exempt. However, so as not to offend these people, go to the lake and cast a hook; take the first fish that bites, open its mouth and there you will find a shekel; take it and give it to them for me and for you.’

Today's Gospel Reading

Matthew 13:54-58 ©

Coming to his home town, Jesus taught the people in their synagogue in such a way that they were astonished and said, ‘Where did the man get this wisdom and these miraculous powers? This is the carpenter’s son, surely? Is not his mother the woman called Mary, and his brothers James and Joseph and Simon and Jude? His sisters, too, are they not all here with us? So where did the man get it all?’ And they would not accept him. But Jesus said to them, ‘A prophet is only despised in his own country and in his own house’, and he did not work many miracles there because of their lack of faith.

Today's Gospel Reading

Let's meditate on the Gospel reading of today:

Matthew 11:28-30 ©
Jesus said, ‘Come to me, all you who labour and are overburdened, and I will give you rest. Shoulder my yoke and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. Yes, my yoke is easy and my burden light.’

Reflection:
Today's Gospel reading tells us that Jesus Christ is the solution to whatever trials, temptations, troubles, difficulty, challenges etc. we may be facing in this life. Also, He is the source of all our needs in this life be it physical, spiritual, mental or material, we can get all things in Jesus Christ. In addition, whatever adversary or evil we may be facing here on earth we can always overcome by the blood of the lamb “Jesus Christ". Since He has overcome the devil in the past we can also do so through him. 1 Cor 10:13 says that it is normal for we to face challenges in this life, but God does not abandon us - He ALWAYS provide a way out & will not allow us to be tested beyond our limit. Psalm 118: 5 says “in my distress I called to the lord & He answered & set me free". 2 Cor 12:9 says “My grace is enough for you, my power is greatest when you are weak". Romans 8:31 says if God is for us who can be against us? Verse 37 of the same chapter of Romans says “yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us". Romans 10:13 says “for whoever calls on the name of the lord shall be saved". Finally, Luke 11:9 says “ask & you will receive; seek & you will find; knock & the door will be opened to you". How can we then benefit from the assurances of these scriptural passages? The answer is already provided by Jesus Christ in today's Gospel reading - Come to me...and I will give you rest. The problem today is that we are so much overcome by the stress of work and other trivial things, the worries, trials & tribulations of this life that we forget the invitation by our friend Jesus Christ to come to him and rest. Even though we may not see the need, He desires our companionship, He is hungry for our souls, hence, we should frequently go to Him and also lead others to Him. The question today is how do we go to Jesus Christ? This is where the Church comes in. The Church has provided lots of avenues for we to meet Jesus Christ - this is done chiefly through reception of the Sacraments. We should frequently attend Mass and receive the Holy Communion as it is the main way we can go to Jesus Christ. We should also form an habit of visiting Jesus Christ in the Blessed Sacrament & spending about an hour with Him in Eucharistic adoration. The practise of group recitation of the Holy Rosary is also advisable, as it contains the prayer Jesus himself taught us. He also says that “where two or three are gathered in my name, I am there in their midst" (Matthew 18:20).

Prayer:
Father, I thank you for your invitation to come to you today. May I not be so busy in this life and miss this daily appointment with you, so that on the last day I will also be invited to that eternal banquet in heaven. This is my prayer through Christ our Lord. Amen.