First reading Apocalypse 10:8-11
I was told to swallow the scroll, and to prophesy
I, John, heard the voice I had heard from heaven speaking to me again. ‘Go,’ it said ‘and take that open scroll out of the hand of the angel standing on sea and land.’ I went to the angel and asked him to give me the small scroll, and he said, ‘Take it and eat it; it will turn your stomach sour, but in your mouth it will taste as sweet as honey.’ So I took it out of the angel’s hand, and swallowed it; it was as sweet as honey in my mouth, but when I had eaten it my stomach turned sour. Then I was told, ‘You are to prophesy again, this time about many different nations and countries and languages and emperors.’
Responsorial Psalm 118(119):14,24,72,103,111,131
Your promise is sweet to my taste, O Lord.
I rejoiced to do your will
as though all riches were mine.
Your will is my delight;
your statutes are my counsellors.
Your promise is sweet to my taste, O Lord.
The law from your mouth means more to me
than silver and gold.
Your promise is sweeter to my taste
than honey in the mouth.
Your promise is sweet to my taste, O Lord.
Your will is my heritage for ever,
the joy of my heart.
I open my mouth and I sigh
as I yearn for your commands.
Your promise is sweet to my taste, O Lord.
Gospel Luke 19:45-48
You have turned God’s house into a robbers’ den
Jesus went into the Temple and began driving out those who were selling. ‘According to scripture,’ he said ‘my house will be a house of prayer. But you have turned it into a robbers’ den.’
He taught in the Temple every day. The chief priests and the scribes, with the support of the leading citizens, tried to do away with him, but they did not see how they could carry this out because the people as a whole hung on his words.
__________________________________________
House of prayer
Jesus tells us today what our lives are meant to be: a house of prayer where we live in a loving and personal relationship with God. This is our purpose- to live our lives with God. However, in the busyness of life, we often overlook God’s presence. Instead of living with Him, we may end up living life alone. In our loneliness, we might try to fill our lives with material possessions and superficial relationships that fail to truly satisfy us, ultimately preventing us from finding true fulfilment in God.
“He taught in the temple every day.” Jesus comes to us daily because He never tires of calling and teaching us how to live with God. Let us learn to turn to Him in our troubles, rejoice together in life’s simple blessings and to remember in faith that we are never alone. May today be a day of living with God and enjoying His presence.
Reflective question:
Do I spend my day connected to God?
Acknowledgment: Reflections are based on “Prayer for Living: The Word of God for Daily Prayer Year B” by Sr Maria Jose FMVD.
