LET THESE WORDS SINK IN…

Zechariah 2:1-5,10-11

1 And I lifted my eyes and saw, and behold, a man with a measuring line in his hand!2 Then I said, “Where are you going?” And he said to me, “To measure Jerusalem, to see what is its breadth and what is its length.”
3 And behold, the angel who talked with me came forward, and another angel came forward to meet him,
4 and said to him, “Run, say to that young man, ‘Jerusalem shall be inhabited as villages without walls, because of the multitude of men and cattle in it. 5 For I will be to her a wall of fire round about, says the LORD, and I will be the glory within her.'”

10 Sing and rejoice, O daughter of Zion; for lo, I come and I will dwell in the midst of you, says the LORD.
11 And many nations shall join themselves to the LORD in that day, and shall be my people; and I will dwell in the midst of you, and you shall know that the LORD of hosts has sent me to you.

Luke 9:43-45

43 And all were astonished at the majesty of God. But while they were all marveling at everything he did, he said to his disciples,
44 “Let these words sink into your ears; for the Son of man is to be delivered into the hands of men.”
45 But they did not understand this saying, and it was concealed from them, that they should not perceive it; and they were afraid to ask him about this saying.  

MEDITATION

ZECHARIAH THE PROPHET describe a vision of a man who goes out to measure the boundaries of Jerusalem, but alas an angel of God dismissed the man because this City of God will be borderless to allow all God’s people to enter in. Zachariah’s vision point to God’s word that is destined to become flesh to dwell in and amongst the people. We note the typological allusion to the Shekhina or dwelling of God in the temple. 

THE GOSPEL READING: The Apostles expressed their astonishment at the power that Christ yielded over the demons, which led Jesus to inform and remind them that He was to be handed over to the enemy! This revelation left the apostles numb and afraid to even interrogate our Lords prognostication. To be sure, the Apostles struggled to wrap their minds arround the idea that their master was to suffer and die in view of His power to raise the dead!?

Believers in Christ should on a regular basis be considering and contemplating the eminent hour of our death in view of the state of our relationship with Christ Jesus. Our apparent fear and reluctance to traverse, meditate on and engage this subject can be said to be in opposition to our belief that Christ has the last say,never mind our acceptance that He is truly made present in the Holy Eucharist so we may invite Him to reside in us! Luke 24:35; Acts 1:3 Our state of sin that we refuse to relinquish is possible at the heart of our stubborn cognitive inability to let Christs words sink in and accept His promise that there is life after death.We aught to look forward to that day and embrace it with joy, unless of course the demon has a hold over us adults in the room! 

LET US PRAY:Jeremiah 31:10-13

10 “Hear the word of the LORD, O nations, and declare it in the coastlands afar off; say, ‘He who scattered Israel will gather him, and will keep him as a shepherd keeps his flock.’11 For the LORD has ransomed Jacob, and has redeemed him from hands too strong for him.
12 They shall come and sing aloud on the height of Zion, and they shall be radiant over the goodness of the LORD, over the grain, the wine, and the oil, and over the young of the flock and the herd; their life shall be like a watered garden, and they shall languish no more.
13 Then shall the maidens rejoice in the dance, and the young men and the old shall be merry. I will turn their mourning into joy, I will comfort them, and give them gladness for sorrow.

Author. Henry R SYLVESTER Note: The daily scripture readings are taken from the Roman Missal which the Catholic Church use in the daily Celebration of the Holy Eucharist throughout the world.Some weekly readings may differ because of the celebration of local feast.