21 January 2025 - Only By Grace Reflections

#OnlyByGraceReflections #CFC #CouplesforChrist

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TOPIC: DO I SEE GOD’S LAWS AS HIS WAY OF RESTRICTING ME OR EMPOWERING ME?  

First Reading: Hebrews 6: 10-20
Responsorial Psalm: Psalms 111: 1-2, 4-5, 9 and 10c
Alleluia: Ephesians 1: 17-18
Gospel: Mark 2: 23-28

In our Gospel today, our Lord Jesus Christ and His disciples were questioned by the Pharisees for doing what is unlawful on the Sabbath when they saw them picking heads of grain. However, Christ responded by reminding them of the spirit of the Sabbath, by telling them “The sabbath was made for man, not man for the sabbath. That is why the Son of Man is Lord even of the sabbath.”.
 
In a way, we can feel that Jesus is reminding us that, yes, there may be laws that are established to order our way of practicing our faith as Christ’s followers, but from God’s perspective, in the heart of God, the focus is man, His children, us—to guide us, to lead us, to equip us, to empower us, and not to hinder us from fully experiencing His plans and graces.

Pope Benedict XVI said, “God’s love for his people is so great that it turns God against himself, his love against his justice.” For it is the very nature of God, our God is love, and to love us is the spirit of His law—not to restrict us, but to empower us so that we can experience the fullness of His love and plan for each of us.

This is the 1731st installment of our CFC contemplation series focusing on the daily liturgical readings.

NOTE: Let us listen to our brother Lawrence Quintero, a member of the CFC International Council, as he brings us today's reflection.

All the regular reflections are between 3-7 minutes long, enough time for us to ponder what God's message is for us individually and to pray that we may live them out in our lives. This video is also available on Couples for Christ’s Facebook page. In You Tube, just type ONLY BY GRACE REFLECTIONS