First reading Zechariah 2:5-9,14-15
‘I will be the glory of Jerusalem’
Raising my eyes, I saw a vision. It was this: there was a man with a measuring line in his hand. I asked him, ‘Where are you going?’ He said, ‘To measure Jerusalem, to find out her breadth and her length.’ And then, while the angel who was talking to me stood still, another angel came forward to meet him. He said to him, ‘Run, and tell that young man this, “Jerusalem is to remain unwalled, because of the great number of men and cattle there will be in her. But I – it is the Lord who speaks – I will be a wall of fire for her all round her, and I will be her glory in the midst of her.”’
Sing, rejoice,
daughter of Zion;
for I am coming
to dwell in the middle of you
– it is the Lord who speaks.
Many nations will join the Lord,
on that day;
they will become his people.
Responsorial Psalm Jeremiah 31:10-12,13
The Lord will guard us, as a shepherd guards his flock.
O nations, hear the word of the Lord,
proclaim it to the far-off coasts.
Say: ‘He who scattered Israel will gather him,
and guard him as a shepherd guards his flock.’
For the Lord has ransomed Jacob,
has saved him from an overpowering hand.
They will come and shout for joy on Mount Zion,
they will stream to the blessings of the Lord.
Then the young girls will rejoice and will dance,
the men, young and old, will be glad.
I will turn their mourning into joy,
I will console them, give them gladness for grief.
Gospel Luke 9:43-45
They were afraid to ask him what he meant
At a time when everyone was full of admiration for all he did, Jesus said to his disciples, ‘For your part, you must have these words constantly in your mind: “The Son of Man is going to be handed over into the power of men.”’ But they did not understand him when he said this; it was hidden from them so that they should not see the meaning of it, and they were afraid to ask him about what he had just said.
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To be faithful to the end
In the gospel, Jesus was not distracted by human approval because He did not base His life on them. Jesus came to live for God and others. In His mission, He knew that there would be people who would oppose Him and reject Him. He was willing to take on the path of suffering as a consequence of staying faithful to His mission. What about us? What drives us to do what we do? May our deep joy come from doing God’s will, and not from human approval.
Jesus told His disciples to prepare them for the future ahead. However, they heard His words but could not understand Him when He spoke about rejection, suffering and death. Like the disciples, we do not fully understand the events we live in, especially the experiences of suffering. When a loved one falls sick, when we go through a crisis, when bad things happen to innocent people, etc., we cannot grasp the meaning of it all. Our faith in God helps us trust that He is with us like He was with Jesus on the cross.
Reflective question:
What speaks to me in this time of prayer?
What speaks to me in this time of prayer?
Acknowledgment: Reflections are based on “Prayer for Living: The Word of God for Daily Prayer Year A” by Sr Sandra Seow FMVD.
