Lectionary: 458/650
Reading 1
jb 19:21-27
Job said:
Pity me, pity me, O you my friends,
for the hand of God has struck me!
Why do you hound me as though you were divine,
and insatiably prey upon me?
Oh, would that my words were written down!
Would that they were inscribed in a record:
That with an iron chisel and with lead
they were cut in the rock forever!
But as for me, I know that my Vindicator lives,
and that he will at last stand forth upon the dust;
Whom I myself shall see:
my own eyes, not another’s, shall behold him,
And from my flesh I shall see God;
my inmost being is consumed with longing.
Responsorial Psalm
ps 27:7-8a, 8b-9abc, 13-14
R. (13) I believe that I shall see the good things of the Lord in the land of the living.
Hear, O LORD, the sound of my call;
have pity on me, and answer me.
Of you my heart speaks; you my glance seeks.
R. I believe that I shall see the good things of the Lord in the land of the living.
Your presence, O LORD, I seek.
Hide not your face from me;
do not in anger repel your servant.
You are my helper: cast me not off.
R. I believe that I shall see the good things of the Lord in the land of the living.
I believe that I shall see the bounty of the LORD
in the land of the living.
Wait for the LORD with courage;
be stouthearted, and wait for the LORD.
R. I believe that I shall see the good things of the Lord in the land of the living.
Gospel
mt 18:1-5, 10
The disciples approached Jesus and said,
“Who is the greatest in the Kingdom of heaven?”
He called a child over, placed it in their midst, and said,
“Amen, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children,
you will not enter the Kingdom of heaven.
Whoever humbles himself like this child
is the greatest in the Kingdom of heaven.
And whoever receives one child such as this in my name receives me.
“See that you do not despise one of these little ones,
for I say to you that their angels in heaven
always look upon the face of my heavenly Father.”
REFLECTION
SOURCE: One Bread One Body
THEME: MY GUARDIAN DEAR
"For to His angels He has given command about you, that they guard you in all your ways." –Psalm 91:11
Angels are powerful creatures. On resurrection morning, a solitary angel overwhelmed the Roman guards placed around the tomb of Jesus (Mt 28:2). Twelve legions of angels would have utterly overpowered the Roman soldiers sent to arrest Jesus (Mt 26:53); even one angel was easily able to escort Peter past four squads of Roman guards to escape from his prison cell (Acts 12:6ff).
Guardian Angels are sent by God to guard your person. "Upon their hands they shall bear you up, lest you dash your foot against a stone" (Ps 91:12). "The angel of the Lord encamps around those who fear Him, and delivers them" (Ps 34:8); thus our guardian angel resembles God's encircling wall of protective fire (Zec 2:9).
Our guardian angel not only protects our physical body, but also our spiritual life, since our angel is the custodian of our soul (Bar 6:6). The context of this verse is that God has sent this angel to guard us from falling into sin and idolatry, from succumbing to the fear of man and giving in to the secular culture (Bar 6:2-5).
Because God commanded the angels to guard us (Ps 91:11) and because the angels obey God perfectly, our guardian angels won't quit on us. How sad that our angels have had to witness our sins, omissions, failings, apathy, etc. Surely the angels would prefer to guard us as we advance in our calling to build the kingdom of God, rather than strike up a defensive position against Satan as we avoid living out our calling from God. Let's bring joy to our guardian angels by living a life of obedient faith (Rm 1:5).
PRAYER: "Angel of God, my guardian dear, to whom God's love entrusts me here, ever this day be at my side, to light, to guard, to rule, to guide. Amen."
PROMISE: "See, I am sending an angel before you, to guard you on the way and bring you to the place I have prepared." –Ex 23:20
PRAISE: Praise You, Father, for sending us angels ever ready to guard us from evil and guide us to You.
Be an inspiration, kindly Share.
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