Faith Alive Outreach

Friday June 5, 2026. 9th Week in the Ordinary Time of the year 2

🌹Memorial of St Boniface, Bishop & Martyr

Red: ⛪📖⛓️⚔️🪓📤👑

📖1st Reading: 2Tim. 3:10-17

Responsorial Psalm: Ps. 119 🎺🎻🎷🎶 🎼 (R.v. 165) The lovers of your law have great peace.

Alleluia! Alleluai!!
Ps. 18:9

Your word gladden the heart, O Lord, they give light to the eyes. Alleluia!!!

📖Gospel Reading: Mk. 12:35-37

Theme: *Fighting to the finish!*

🎤Reflection:

➕St Paul narrated to his spiritual son, Timothy, his life, teachings, & ordeals reiterating the faith, patience, & constancy with which he faced his hardships & persecutions in his missionary journeys, & how the Lord rescued him from them all. He reminded him of the inevitable attacks awaiting those who live in devotion to Christ. While reminding him of the worsening deceit of the wicked impostors, he urged him to remain firm to what he has been taught, knowing that scriptures which were inspired should be used to refute errors & guide people's life to holiness. The life of anyone dedicated to God should be fully equipped & thus ready for any good work.

➕Steadfastness, commitment, perseverance, resilience, & hard work are the core values that catapult to success. There is no honeycomb devoid of bees & no crown without a cross. Paul admonished Timothy!

➕Dearest people of God, our vocation as Christians is a hurdle which we must keep jumping over until we get to our destination. It is a race done not only on a level ground but sometimes on rocky hills, deep valleys, stony grounds, under scorching sun, heavy rain, stormy wind etc. Under all these circumstances, we must resiliently keep the race alive until we get to the finish line.

➕Unfortunately, ours is an era that dissociates Christianity from the basic principles on which it is built. Flight from every discomfort while preaching a crossless Christianity has become the order of the day. While Paul recounted his ordeals & urging Timothy to run the race with faith & tenacity, St. Boniface laid down his life after the example of his forebears.

➕We are called today to reflect soberly on our commitment to the Christian faith. Yes, we shall have hard times, but the joy of the Lord will always be our strength, in our weaknesses, our strength shall be renewed & in our troubles we shall find perfect peace. Let us therefore with St. Paul fight the good fight, finish the race, & receive the crown of unfading glory (2Tim. 4:7).

🙏Let us pray: God our strength, fortify us in our witnessing to you. May we remain steadfast, finish the race & recieve the crown of glory. Amen!

🙏We pray for all those whose Christian witnessing is shaky as a result of the challenges & vicissitudes of life, may God supply the strength they need & accompany them to the finishing line. Amen!

🙏🏻St Boniface, pray for us!

🙌Victory is ours in our race of life!

Friday May 29, 2026. 8th Week in the ordinary time of the year 2

Green: ⛪🌳☘🌱🌴🌵

📖1st Reading: 1Pt. 4:7-13

Responsorial Psalm: Ps. 96 🎺🎻🎷🎶 🎼 (R.v.) The Lord comes to rule the earth!

Alleluia! Alleluai!!
Ps. 118:36, 29

Bend my heart to your will, O Lord, & teach me your law. Alleluia!

📖Gospel Reading : Mk. 11:11-26

Theme : *Authentic Christianity!*

🎤Reflection:

➕Aftering entering Jerusalem temple, Jesus went to Bethania with the 12. He was hungry & sought for fruits from a luxuriant fig tree. When He found none He laid a curse on it. On coming back to Jerusalem, He cast out those selling in the temple. He taught them that His Father's house should be a house of prayer for all nations & not a den of robbers. When they came to that city the following day, they found out that the fig tree had withered away. Peter remembered the curse placed on it & Jesus asked them to have faith; for whatever they asked for in faith without staggering of heart would be granted. In prayers, however, they must forgive wrongs so that their Father would forgive them. If not, theirs would not be forgiven.

➕Return on investment is a business strategy in which business owners & stakeholders expect harvest of profits from their investment. It is an expected outcome from a strategic input. Much was invested in the fig tree & instead of rich fruits, it produced only luxuriant leaves. Jesus' condemnation of it is a clarion call to be authentic witnesses in season & out of season!

➕Fruitful Christians, the word 'christian' is more of a 'doing' word than a 'being' word. The yardstick for measuring a true Christian is not necessarily by the number of times he/she prays, fasts, goes to church etc., but more by the fruits he/she produces. By their fruits of love, generosity, hardwork, piety, peaceful co-existence, honesty etc., we shall know them.

➕So many might be confused on why such an inconsiderate curse by Jesus even when it was not the fig's season of production. We must remember that this is just a parable that serves as pedagogic tool in the hands of Jesus. Hence, it is a notice on all of us Christians to be fruitful in season & out of season for we do not know at what hour that He who invested so much on us would ask for a return on His investment.

➕It is therefore a clarion call on each of us to be authentic in our Christian witnessing at all times. The watchword is "READINESS!" This means that God can ask of us at any point in our life to stand before Him handy with our fruits. There would be no excuses! May we never disappoint Him who has invested so much on us through the death of His only Begotten Son. He chose us to bear fruits; fruits that last (Jn. 15:16).

🙏Let us pray: God our Provider, do not lose hope on us; manure us, prune us in order to keep bearing fruits & witnessing authentically to your name. Amen!

🙏We pray for all those who are just nominal Christians & whose life does not reflect the fruits of their vocation; may God teach them more how to be Christian by words & actions. Amen!

😄Have a fruitful weekend!

🙌May we go out & bear fruits in season & out of season!