The daily reading for March 26, 2017 begins with a reading from the first book of Samuel. This reading focuses on outward appearances and how Yahweh sees through people to their heart whereas humans see outward appearances. Yahweh’s spirit takes hold of David once Samuel follows God’s word to anoint him with oil, because he is the chosen one. The response to this reading was Psalm 23 which celebrates Yahweh as our shepherd who provides for us, allows us to live in abundance, social justice, tranquility, and ends with the affirmation that we make our house in Yahweh’s name forever and for all of eternity. The next reading comes from Ephesians from the letter of the Apostle Paul. This letter details how we have come from darkness and now live in the light under God and take no part in acts of darkness. How we must “wake up from the dead and Christ will shine on you.” John (9) details a story in which Jesus crosses a man who is blind and gave him the gift of sight. This man believed Jesus was a prophet, whereas others could not believe. This man’s parents agreed that their son was born blind but let their son speak for himself. When he tried to speak again, they still would not believe him, and hurled abuse at him and ejected him. When Jesus heard of this and that it is for judgment that he has come into this world, so that those without sight may see, and those with sight may become blind.
This reading collectively calls upon several different areas of scripture to show how God provides sight. In terms of how we view others: instead of focusing on how someone looks and basing their worth on that we must call upon the Lord’s message and see others through his eyes. To be cable to see your students for their hearts and thoughts is crucial, a student should never be judged for their outward appearances and they must learn to not judge others for their appearances as well. God also provides lightness to the dark, this is crucial in high schools where students have several opportunities to stray away from the light and be consumed by darkness. It is our job to guide them constantly towards the light of God and using this scripture specifically is a great way to ground them back in their faith. Finally, this reading concludes with the Gospel according to John where it solidifies this theme of God providing sight when Jesus gives a blind man his sight. What we learn from this is that only the man with sight is able to believe in Jesus and defend him, even his parents and especially his community all disbelieve in Jesus. This is especially significant for our Catholic schools who are surrounded by secular communities and families. The connection between Jesus and the experience many Catholics face is crucial in our understanding of what it means to truly believe. Jesus never wavered in his faith and trust in God, and neither should we as teachers and should be there to help our students when they are faced with blindness. The daily reading for March 28 begins with a Reading from the prophet Ezekiel (47). Ezekiel explains how he was led through a steam which went deeper and deeper until it was a river that was too impossible to cross. When he is brought to the bank of the river he is told that “wherever the river flows all living creatures will thrive.” The response from Psalms 46 asks us to admire the wonders of Yahweh, the astounding deeds he has done on the earth. This reading concludes with a reading from the Gospel according to John (5). There was a festival which Jesus attended in Bethesda, where many sick people covered the land. Jesus asked one of the sick men if he would like to be healed, and he told the man to pick up his mat and walk around, and he was healed. It was the Sabbath so many people were upset that this man was walking around, and the healed man told them that is was Jesus who healed him which led the community to harass Jesus. These readings begin by reminding me how important it is to take care of not only the physical world, but the humans who inhabit it as well. Our global citizenship and global climate change are constantly at risk and are suffering more and more every day. This first reading is crucial in educating youth, to remind them that this life and this world are not just simply here for us to use and abuse. We must take care of our planet, and of fellow humans, and thank the lord for giving us both. The final Gospel reading reminds us that believing in God is active work. This reminds us that learning and teaching in faith must be an active duty. We must incorporate our faith into the everyday atmosphere and lives of our students so that they are actively participating in their faith every day. In unity of atmosphere and self the goal is to ground ourselves and our school community in faith. The daily reading for March 27th begins with a reading from the prophet Isaiah (65). This scripture explains how God has removed a troubling past from the minds of the people in Jerusalem and how he has extended life and at 100 the sinner will be absolved. Psalms (30) exclaim that we make music for Yahweh and that his favour will last for a lifetime. He turns our mourning into dancing, and we will sing for Yahweh to celebrate our gratitude. The Gospel according to John (4) explains how Jesus arrived in Galilee and an official came to Jesus to ask him to heal his son. Jesus told him to believe and go home and his son shall be healed. The official was met on the road by messengers who told him that his son’s fever lifted him the moment Jesus told him that his son shall be healed. These readings really work together to remind us that God’s love is a celebration. Our faith is meant to uplift us, be celebrated, and heal us from grief. This is essential in a Catholic school. During prayer I remind students that this is a moment of reflection and a time when we can find strength from God and allow him to live through us and lead us towards lightness. These readings remind us of all the goodness he offers us and how we can celebrate and profess our faith proudly. Many students feel pride in attending a Catholic school and we must do all that we can to reinforce this pride and ensure that we, as Catholic educators, take time for celebration on a daily basis and remind ourselves just how much strength we can draw from our faith.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
ArchivesCategories |