Aug 26 2021

First reading 1 Thessalonians 3:7-13

Now we can breathe again, as you are still holding firm in the Lord

Brothers, your faith has been a great comfort to us in the middle of our own troubles and sorrows; now we can breathe again, as you are still holding firm in the Lord. How can we thank God enough for you, for all the joy we feel before our God on your account? We are earnestly praying night and day to be able to see you face to face again and make up any shortcomings in your faith.

May God our Father himself, and our Lord Jesus Christ, make it easy for us to come to you. May the Lord be generous in increasing your love and make you love one another and the whole human race as much as we love you. And may he so confirm your hearts in holiness that you may be blameless in the sight of our God and Father when our Lord Jesus Christ comes with all his saints.

Responsorial Psalm 89(90):3-4,12-14,17

Fill us with your love that we may rejoice.

You turn men back to dust

and say: ‘Go back, sons of men.’

To your eyes a thousand years

are like yesterday, come and gone,

no more than a watch in the night.

Fill us with your love that we may rejoice.

Make us know the shortness of our life

that we may gain wisdom of heart.

Lord, relent! Is your anger for ever?

Show pity to your servants.

Fill us with your love that we may rejoice.

In the morning, fill us with your love;

we shall exult and rejoice all our days.

Let the favour of the Lord be upon us:

give success to the work of our hands.

Fill us with your love that we may rejoice.

Gospel Matthew 24:42-51

He is coming at an hour you do not expect

Jesus said to his disciples: ‘Stay awake, because you do not know the day when your master is coming. You may be quite sure of this, that if the householder had known at what time of the night the burglar would come, he would have stayed awake and would not have allowed anyone to break through the wall of his house. Therefore, you too must stand ready because the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.

‘What sort of servant, then, is faithful and wise enough for the master to place him over his household to give them their food at the proper time? Happy that servant if his master’s arrival finds him at this employment. I tell you solemnly, he will place him over everything he owns. But as for the dishonest servant who says to himself, “My master is taking his time,” and sets about beating his fellow servants and eating and drinking with drunkards, his master will come on a day he does not expect and at an hour he does not know. The master will cut him off and send him to the same fate as the hypocrites, where there will be weeping and grinding of teeth.’

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Reflection
1 Thessalonians 3:7-13, Matthew 24:42-51

“Stay awake, love!”
In today’s gospel, Jesus told His disciples and He is also reminding us to stay awake and be ready for the hour when the Son of Man would come unexpectedly. Jesus, our Master, comes to encounter us each day and at the hour of our death. How then can we prepare ourselves and be ready to meet Him? We find the answer in the first reading where St. Paul told the community in Thessalonica: “May the Lord increase and enrich your love for each other and for the whole human race as much as we love you. And may he so confirm your hearts in holiness that you may be blameless in the sight of our God and Father when our Lord Jesus comes with all his holy ones”. For St. Paul, the person who loves others daily will be the one who stands ready when the Master comes.

Today, let us pray that we may live a life based on love, mercy, and
integrity and constantly seek to serve God by serving others.

Question for reflection:
Am I preoccupied with the busyness of life that I forget to “stay awake” by living a life of love?

Renungan
1 Tesalonika 3:7-13, Matius 24:42-51

“Tetap berjaga, kasih!”
Dalam injil hari ini, Yesus mengingatkan para rasulNya dan juga kita untuk sentiasa berjaga dan bersiap sedia untuk saat ketika Anak Manusia datang tanpa diduga. Yesus, Guru kita, datang untuk bertemu dengan kita setiap hari dan ketika kematian kita. Kerana itu, bagaimana kita harus mempersiapkan diri kita untuk bertemu denganNya? Kita dapat menemukan jawapannya melalui pembacaan pertama di mana St. Paulus mengatakan kepada komuniti di Tesalonika: “Semoga Tuhan menjadikan kamu berkelimpahan dalam kasih seorang terhadap yang lain dan terhadap semua orang, sama seperti kami juga mengasihi kamu. Semoga Dia juga menguatkan hatimu, supaya tidak bercacat dan kudus, di hadapan Allah dan Bapa kita pada waktu kedatangan Yesus, Tuhan kita, dengan semua orang kudusNya”. Bagi St. Paulus, mereka yang mengasihi orang lain setiap hari akan menjadi orang yang bersedia ketika Guru datang.

Marilah berdoa pada hari ini agar kita dapat menjalani hidup yang penuh kasih, berbelas kasih dan berintegriti serta terus berusaha melayani Tuhan dengan melayani orang lain.

Soalan renungan:
Adakah saya disibukkan dengan kesibukan dunia sehingga lupa untuk ‘tetap berjaga’ dengan menjalani kehidupan cinta?

*1 Tisalonika 3:7-13; Matius 24:42-51*

Indagu i Jisus ra maamaya’-maamaya’ Nano: “Ilalai’ min, sabap ra kalo napandayan orou ra atan Tuhan mino rumatong. Karaa’ min gitio! Amon ru ampu’ ru baloi nakapandai sangulun mantatakou no matong, kalo mombolong io am kalo polosoon no mantatakou no sumubol ra baloi nano. Ginio ra akau pana musiti tumampos, sabap ra Anak ru Ulun matong paat ra orou kalo guangon min. Osoi kia ulipon ondo’ gumagaya’ am mapintar? Io noyo ulun ondo’ paningganayon ru tuan am manusub mapaakan ra ulipon-ulipon ra bokon paat ra inaru’ i. Mumpara’ boo bonsoi ru ulipon no paat ra tuan nano sumaguli’ am nakito ra ulipon nati giminagaya’ ra nanusuban nali. Balain Ku akau: Mampalansan tojojo tuan ti ra ngaangai’ rapu’ nano ra ulipon ragitio. Kaa’ amon ru ulipon ti ulun malaat, mampaguang io, ‘Mabuoi tuan kuli sumaguli’.’ Io pana tumalimpuun boo mampalamba’ ra ulipon-ulipon ra bokon no am mangakan am manginum io ra ulun gagaukon. Tuan ru ulipon ragitio pana muli’ boo ra paat kalo kinara’ am kalo natutunan nano. Tuan no pana monotok boo ra ulipon ti am poongoyon no ra intok ra ulun mangalaat. Giu’ no mantangi’ io am manguritot ripon nano.”
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Pagilalain, motogom!
Ralalom Injil ra orou raiti’, nambala’ i Jisus ra maamaya’-maamaya’ Nano am Io niayuk mampakara’ ritakau ra pagilalain am makatampos paat ra Anak ru Ulun no matong ra kalo matutunan. I Jisus, Tuhan takau, matong muma’ ritakau ra moonong orou am paat ra patayan takau. Ati kulaan takau makatampos ra inan galama’ am tumampos tumuum Riso? Matuum takau pataamon ralalom pambasaan kasaa’ ondo’ Santo Paulus nambala’ ra ulun-ulun giu’ ra Tisalonika: *”Gama’ ru Tuhan mangindangan ramuyun topot-topot motogom ra rondo’ am bokon am niayuk ra ngaangai’ ulun, saboi kinotogom min rumuang mogondo’ ra kinotogom mai ramuyun. Maa’ raginio mampaikang Io ramuyun, sanoi guang mino mapasau am kolondo’ sala ra pagilangan ri Aki Kapuuno’, Ama’ takau, paat ra ratangan ru Tuhan takau, i Jisus, mabaya’ ra ngaangai’ ulun Nano”*. Ri Santo Paulus, ulun ondo’ motogom ra ulun bokon ra moonong orou masauk ra rondo’ ondo’ migor ra nakatampos noyo paat ra Tuhan no matong.
Orou raiti’, ibok takau pakiasi’ maa’ raginio maayag takau mimpuun ra togom, makaasi’,
kabanisan am rayus maguyum ra mangandoi ri Aki Kapuuno’ ra mangandoi ra ulun bokon.
••••••••••••••••••••••••••
Pangkuatan ra paguangin:
Bambal aku kia kumantisuk ra kaayagan ti ra malilianan ku boo *”pagilalain”* ralalom kaayagan ra motogom?

Renungan
1 Tes 3:7-13; Matthew 24:42-51

“Bejaga, rindu!”
Dalam bacha Injil saritu, Jesus bejako ngagai bala Murid Iya enggau ngingatka kitai awak bejaga sereta ngadang lebuh penatai Anak Mensia ti enda disangka kitai maya Iya deka datai. Jesus, Pengajar kitai, datai ngagai kitai ninting hari enggau lebuh maya kitai deka mati. Kati kitai ulih nyedia diri deka betemu enggau Iya deh? Kitai bulih penemu ari bacha keterubah St. Paul ngagai orang Tesalonika: “Lalu awakka Tuhan ngasuh kita majak balat agi rinduka pangan diri, enggau rinduka semua orang, baka kami ke balat rinduka kita. Lalu awakka Iya ngeringka ati kita kudus sereta nadai bepenyalah di mua Allah Taala ti Apai kitai, lebuh Tuhan Jesus datai, sama enggau semua nembiak Iya ti kudus.” Bagi St. Paul, sida ti rindu ka orang bukai ninting hari nya meh ti udah nyedia diri lebuh Jesus datai.

Saritu, aram kitai besampi awak diau dalam pengidup rindu, bepengasih sereta bisi integriti bejalai ka pengawa mela Allah Taala enggau orang bukai.

Bisi aku keran kiruh ka pengawa dunya datai ka aku enda ingat deka bejaga sereta diau dalam pengidup ti bepengerindu?

省思
«得前三:7-13»
«玛廿四:42-51»

” 醒悟，爱！”
今天的福音，耶稣告诉他的门徒也提醒我们要醒悟。因为在我们料想不到的时辰，人子就来了。耶稣，我们的主人每天与我们相遇，包括在我们临终时。我们该如何准备自己呢？答案就在第一读经里，圣保禄宗徒致得撒洛尼前书：
“愿主使你们彼此间的爱情，和对众人的爱情增长满溢，就像我们对你们所有的爱情，好坚固你们的心，使你们在我们的主耶稣同他的众圣者来临时，于天主我们的父前，在圣德上无可指摘。”
对保禄而言，那每天爱近人的兄弟姐妹，就是在主人前来时，醒悟相迎的人。

今天，让我们祈祷，但愿我们能够以爱、慈悲及正直的心态来生活。与此同时，不断的以服务他人来服务天主。

省思题：
我是否被繁琐的事情占据了，而忘了爱近人的生活？我醒悟了吗？

Acknowledgment: Reflections are based on “Prayer for Living: The Word of God for Daily Prayer Year B” by Sr. Sandra Seow FMVD.