A WORD FOR TODAY 13 JUNE 2020

A WORD FOR TODAY

FOLLOW JESUS AND STAND BY THE TRUTH

"And do not swear by your head, for you cannot make one hair white or black. Let what you say be simply ‘Yes’ or ‘No’; anything more than this comes from evil." (Matthew 6:3)

The call to follow Jesus is something that happens on a daily basis and if we say yes to Him, He will use us in the area where He knows we shall bear much fruit for Him. The one who calls is God and He expects us to say yes to Him and when that is done, we shall become wonderful channels through which souls will be won over to His kingdom.

The first reading of today presents us with the story of how Elisha was chosen to replace Elijah. The mantle was cast upon him as a sign that he has been chosen and when he realised what is happening he had to say good bye to his family and workers and followed Elijah to minister to him and to serve the Lord.

We cannot follow Jesus well without detaching ourselves from every attachment to the things of this life that may hold us back from giving our all to the Master who has called us to come and follow Him.You cannot follow Jesus if you do not let go of any entanglement that will distract you in the course of your discipleship.

Jesus reminds us in the gospel reading to live a life with integrity. We will not need to swear an oath to convince people about the things we do, instead our way of life will show them where we belong and who we serve. If we choose to follow Jesus we must stand by the truth always. We must know the truth and we must speak the truth and the truth shall set us free._

People will come to follow Jesus if they see us live a life worthy of our calling. We must remain faithful and bear fruits of love, justice and peace. Our lives should reflect that of our Lord Jesus Christ who came to show us the way to the Father and He suffered for us and died on the cross because of the love He has for us. In the same way we must love Him and be willing to live our lives in His honour here on earth with credibility and truthfulness.

Today we celebrate the memorial of saint Anthony of Padua, confessor and doctor of the Church. (1195-1231). He was an Augustinian monk, but later became a Franciscan friar as a result of the experience had about the death of five franciscans who were preaching the word of God in Morroco. He is a great theologian and preacher of the word and He is the patron saint of travellers, pregnant and barren, of the poor and he is invoked for the recovery of lost articles. Let us learn from Him to be true to our calling and may we devote our whole life serving the Lord in the people with integrity.

Good morning dearest one. Smile😊as you do your work and do have a beautiful weekend. May Jesus help you to follow Him in truth and win souls for Him. Amen. And may the Almighty God bless you: the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Meditation: 1 Kings 19:19-21/Psalm 16:1-2,5-10/Matthew 5:33-37

Watch-Word: It is you, O Lord who are my portion.

Do not look back when you follow Jesus, live well in the truth and you will inspire others to follow the way of the Lord.

(Saturday of the 10th week in the Ordinary Time. Year II. Memorial of saint Anthony of Padua.)