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Dear Friend,
The Gospel last Sunday taught us that we are but servants to the Lord, and that it is a privilege to serve Him. We do not deserve thanks for doing our duty; on the other hand, we should thank the Lord for this privilege.
Let us now read the Gospel of this Sunday (Luke 17:11-19) to our families and learn from Jesus as His disciples learned from Him. After reading it, please relate it to the family in your own words.
What happened? Request the family to keep silent for a few minutes and imagine the ten men suffering from a dreaded skin disease as they requested Jesus to heal them. Follow them as they are sent by Jesus to the priests and be examined. Imagine how those ten men felt when they saw that they were cured. What was in their minds at that instant? If you were one of them, how would you have reacted? Would you have continued to see the priests? Would you have returned to Jesus like the Samaritan? All were cured physically, but only one was healed in his spirit.
Discuss this with the family.
Discuss how a relationship between Jesus and the Samaritan bloomed.
If you were that Samaritan, would you have become a follower of Jesus?
The disciples learned before that it is a privilege to serve Jesus. Now, they learned that everything is a gift to be thankful to the Lord seeing the experience of the Samaritan.
Discuss in the family what are the things each one must thank to the Lord for.
Prayer and Reflection ~
Recite this prayer forwarded to us from the internet by Becky Bravo:
DEAR LORD,
I thank You for this day. I thank You for my being able to see and to hear this morning. I'm blessed because You are a forgiving God and an understanding God. You have done so much for me and You keep on blessing me.
Forgive me this day for everything I have done, said or thought that was not pleasing to you. I ask now for Your forgiveness.
Please keep me safe from all danger and harm. Help me to start this day with a new attitude and plenty of gratitude. Let me make the best of each and every day to clear my mind so that I can hear from You.
Please broaden my mind that I can accept all things. Let me not whine and whimper over things I have no control over. Let me continue to see sin through God's eyes and acknowledge it as evil. And when I sin, let me repent, and confess with my mouth my wrongdoing, and receive the forgiveness of God.
And when this world closes in on me, let me remember Jesus' example -- to slip away and find a quiet place to pray. It's the best response when I'm pushed beyond my limits. I know that when I can't pray, You listen to my heart.
Continue to use me to do Your will. Continue to bless me that I may be a blessing to others. Keep me strong that I may help the weak. Keep me uplifted that I may have words of encouragement for others.
I pray for those that are lost and can't find their way. I pray for those that are misjudged and misunderstood. I pray for those who don't know You intimately. I pray for those that will delete this without sharing it with others. I pray for those that don't believe. But I thank you that I believe.
I believe that God changes people and God changes things. I pray for all my sisters and brothers. For each and every family member in their households. I pray for peace, love and joy in their homes that they are out of debt and all their needs are met.
I pray that every eye that reads this knows there is no problem, circumstance, or situation greater than God. Every battle is in Your hands for You to fight. I pray that these words be received into the hearts of every eye that sees them and every mouth that confesses them willingly.
This is my prayer. In Jesus' Name,
Amen.
Joe & Charito
THE CATHOLIC ARCHDIOCESE OF MANILA'S
ONLINE RESOURCE FOR FAMILY MINISTRIES
www.simbahayan.org
servants@simbahayan.org
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