First reading Job 3:1-3,11-17,20-23
Why did I not perish on the day I was born?
Job broke the silence and cursed the day of his birth. This is what he said:
May the day perish when I was born,
and the night that told of a boy conceived.
Why did I not die new-born,
not perish as I left the womb?
Why were there two knees to receive me,
two breasts for me to suck?
Had there not been, I should now be lying in peace,
wrapped in a restful slumber,
with the kings and high viziers of earth
who build themselves vast vaults,
or with princes who have gold and to spare
and houses crammed with silver.
Or put away like a still-born child that never came to be,
like unborn babes that never see the light.
Down there, bad men bustle no more,
there the weary rest.
Why give light to a man of grief?
Why give life to those bitter of heart,
who long for a death that never comes,
and hunt for it more than for a buried treasure?
They would be glad to see the grave-mound
and shout with joy if they reached the tomb.
Why make this gift of light to a man who does not see his way,
whom God baulks on every side?
Responsorial Psalm 87(88):2-8
Let my prayer come into your presence, O Lord.
Lord my God, I call for help by day;
I cry at night before you.
Let my prayer come into your presence.
O turn your ear to my cry.
For my soul is filled with evils;
my life is on the brink of the grave.
I am reckoned as one in the tomb:
I have reached the end of my strength.
Like one alone among the dead;
like the slain lying in their graves;
like those you remember no more,
cut off, as they are, from your hand.
You have laid me in the depths of the tomb,
in places that are dark, in the depths.
Your anger weighs down upon me:
I am drowned beneath your waves.
Gospel Luke 9:51-56
Jesus sets out for Jerusalem
As the time drew near for him to be taken up to heaven, Jesus resolutely took the road for Jerusalem and sent messengers ahead of him. These set out, and they went into a Samaritan village to make preparations for him, but the people would not receive him because he was making for Jerusalem. Seeing this, the disciples James and John said, ‘Lord, do you want us to call down fire from heaven to burn them up?’ But he turned and rebuked them, and they went off to another village.
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Taking the same path of Jesus
Jesus’ resolutely’ travelled, not the easy road of life, but the difficult road to Jerusalem, even though He knew what would await Him there. He did so for the sake of the mission. He knew that God would want Him to proclaim to the people in Jerusalem that the kingdom of God is close at hand, i.e. God is here and that He cares for them. There are also difficult roads that we need to take in our lives which might cause us to face rejections and confrontations, but we walk on because we want to remain faithful to God’s purpose. In this journey, Jesus is our companion who walks alongside us, and His presence empowers us to walk on with determination.
Jesus entered a Samaritan village on the way to Jerusalem, but they rejected Him. James and John wanted to seek vengeance on the Samaritans for their rejection. Jesus, however, rebuked the two and chose to walk on instead. Today, let this be a lesson for us. When we face rejections from others, let us not react with anger but respond with peace.
Reflective question:
How can I become more Christ-like in my attitudes?
How can I become more Christ-like in my attitudes?
Acknowledgment: Reflections are based on “Prayer for Living: The Word of God for Daily Prayer Year C” by Sr Sandra Seow FMVD.
