HOPE OF NEW LIFE SUSTAINS US

20260316 HOPE OF NEW LIFE SUSTAINS US

 

16 March 2026, Monday, 4th Week of Lent

First reading

Isaiah 65:17-21

Be glad and rejoice for ever at what I am creating

Thus says the Lord: Now I create new heavens and a new earth, and the past will not be remembered, and will come no more to men’s minds. Be glad and rejoice for ever and ever for what I am creating, because I now create Jerusalem ‘Joy’ and her people ‘Gladness.’ I shall rejoice over Jerusalem and exult in my people. No more will the sound of weeping or the sound of cries be heard in her; in her, no more will be found the infant living a few days only, or the old man not living to the end of his days. To die at the age of a hundred will be dying young; not to live to be a hundred will be the sign of a curse. They will build houses and inhabit them, plant vineyards and eat their fruit.

How to listen

Responsorial Psalm

Psalm 29(30):2,4-6,11-13

I will praise you, Lord, you have rescued me.

I will praise you, Lord, you have rescued me

  and have not let my enemies rejoice over me.

O Lord, you have raised my soul from the dead,

  restored me to life from those who sink into the grave.

I will praise you, Lord, you have rescued me.

Sing psalms to the Lord, you who love him,

  give thanks to his holy name.

His anger lasts a moment; his favour all through life.

  At night there are tears, but joy comes with dawn.

I will praise you, Lord, you have rescued me.

The Lord listened and had pity.

  The Lord came to my help.

For me you have changed my mourning into dancing:

  O Lord my God, I will thank you for ever.

I will praise you, Lord, you have rescued me.

Gospel Acclamation

cf.Ps129:5,7

Praise and honour to you, Lord Jesus!

My soul is waiting for the Lord,

I count on his word,

because with the Lord there is mercy

and fullness of redemption.

Praise and honour to you, Lord Jesus!

Or:	cf.Amos5:14

Praise and honour to you, Lord Jesus!

Seek good and not evil so that you may live,

and that the Lord God of hosts may really be with you.

Praise and honour to you, Lord Jesus!

Gospel

John 4:43-54

Go home: your son will live

Jesus left Samaria for Galilee. He himself had declared that there is no respect for a prophet in his own country, but on his arrival the Galileans received him well, having seen all that he had done at Jerusalem during the festival which they too had attended.

  He went again to Cana in Galilee, where he had changed the water into wine. Now there was a court official there whose son was ill at Capernaum and, hearing that Jesus had arrived in Galilee from Judaea, he went and asked him to come and cure his son as he was at the point of death. Jesus said, ‘So you will not believe unless you see signs and portents!’ ‘Sir,’ answered the official ‘come down before my child dies.’ ‘Go home,’ said Jesus ‘your son will live.’ The man believed what Jesus had said and started on his way; and while he was still on the journey back his servants met him with the news that his boy was alive. He asked them when the boy had begun to recover. ‘The fever left him yesterday’ they said ‘at the seventh hour.’ The father realised that this was exactly the time when Jesus had said, ‘Your son will live’; and he and all his household believed.

  This was the second sign given by Jesus, on his return from Judaea to Galilee.

 

HOPE OF NEW LIFE SUSTAINS US

SCRIPTURE READINGS: [ISA 65:17-21; PS 29:2,4-6,11-13; JN 4:43-54]

We have just completed the first part of the season of Lent.  Until last Saturday, the focus of the liturgy had been on conversion through penance, almsgiving, and prayer.  This stress on the penitential works of Lent gives the impression that Lent is a sombre, burdensome, and lifeless season.  Yet, this is not what Lent truly is.  All these works of Lent are meant to help us to prepare for the new life ahead of us.  Indeed, Jesus made it clear, “You cannot make wedding guests fast while the bridegroom is with them, can you? The days will come when the bridegroom will be taken away from them, and then they will fast in those days.”  (Lk 5:34f) Indeed, we fast and do penance only because God is far away from us.  Our sins have alienated us from His love and His presence.  So the penitential works of Lent are only means to an end, which is to welcome the Lord back into our lives.

That was why, yesterday, on the Fourth Sunday of Lent, midway through the season, the mood of the liturgy changed quite radically.  It gave us the anticipatory joy of the new life ahead of us.  This theme of rejoicing overflows into the Monday of the 4^thWeek of Lent as well.  The readings today provide us with a more positive mood compared to the dry, wearisome, and hopeless situation in the last three weeks.  The readings from Isaiah and the Gospel give us hope for a new heaven, a new earth, and a new life.  “Thus says the Lord: Now I create new heavens and a new earth.  Be glad and rejoice for ever and ever for what I am creating, because I now create Jerusalem ‘Joy’ and her people ‘Gladness’.  I shall rejoice over Jerusalem and exult in my people.”  In the Gospel, Jesus told the Court official, “Go home, your son will live.'”

Indeed, our sentiments are like those of people preparing hard for an exam or a project.  They spend much time studying and putting all their efforts into their work.  For years, they have been preparing for the day of reckoning when they will be assessed for promotion to the next level.  Greater still is the anticipatory joy of a seminarian or a medical student preparing for final exams.  They have spent five to eight years preparing for that final exam before they graduate.  Indeed, the preparation is tough, and the ordeal can be overwhelming.  Now that they are at the threshold of finishing their struggle, the thought of completion gives them the joy of anticipation, knowing that it will soon be over.  This sense of accomplishing what they have begun gives them the hope and the strength to give themselves fully as they enter the decisive lap of their journey to victory.

But what is needed for us to move forward?  We need to forget our past and leave our sins behind.   This is what the prophet asks of us.  “The past will not be remembered, and will come no more to men’s minds.”  We must be ready to let go of the old way of life.  The trouble with us is that we still want to cling to our sinful way of life, which is destructive to ourselves and others.  Indeed, Jesus remarked, “And no one after drinking old wine desires new wine, but says, ‘The old is good.'”  (Lk 5:39)

We are afraid of change.  We are afraid to look at life anew, like the Pharisees who were blinder than the blind man in St John’s Gospel.  (cf Jn 5) Rather, we must be like blind Bartimaeus, who threw off his cloak of security in this world and “sprang up and came to Jesus” saying, “My teacher, let me see again.” (Mk 10:51)

This is also what the Letter of Hebrews exhorts to do, “Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight and the sin that clings so closely, and let us run with perseverance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus the pioneer and perfecter of our faith, who for the sake of the joy that was set before him endured the cross, disregarding its shame, and has taken his seat at the right hand of the throne of God.”  (Heb 12:1f)

And the good news is that the moment we are ready to give up our sins, the Lord is there to take us back and restore us to the fulness of life.  In the story of the Prodigal Son, we read that the moment the young son came to the realisation of his sinful state and decided to return home, the Father welcomed him with open arms.  The Father did not even wait to hear the son’s explanation, justification, excuses, or even his apology for failing him.  Instead, his immediate reaction was to restore his sonship and to celebrate.   He said to his slaves, “Quickly, bring out a robe – the best one – and put it on him; put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet.  And get the fatted calf and kill it, and let us eat and celebrate; for this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found!”  (Lk 15:22-24) What mattered for the Father was not what his younger son had done in the past.  That he was back and alive was all that mattered.  For the Father, the past was gone.  There was only the present and the greater future ahead of him.  Indeed, as St Paul said, “love does not keep a record of wrongs.”  (1 Cor 13:5)

However, it is difficult for us to believe that we are forgiven so easily.  We cannot even forgive ourselves, much less believe that God could truly forgive us for all the wrongs we have done to Him and to our fellow men.  We want to pay for our sins, like the Prodigal Son who wanted to tell his Father, “Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you; I am no longer worthy to be called your son; treat me like one of your hired hands.”  (Lk 15:18f) Indeed, we want to earn our forgiveness, like the elder son who was furious when his father welcomed back the younger son, saying, “Listen! For all these years I have been working like a slave for you, and I have never disobeyed your command; yet you have never given me even a young goat so that I might celebrate with my friends. ”  (Lk 15:29f)

This is where we need to find faith in Christ.  Only Christ can assure us that we are forgiven and new life is ahead of us.  Jesus came precisely to offer us this new life.  He is the Way, the Truth and the Life.  (cf Jn 14:6) In the healing of the son of the  court official, Jesus showed Himself to be the giver of life.   However, faith in Him was required.  When the official asked the Lord, “to come and cure his son as he was at the point of death, Jesus said, ‘So you will not believe unless you see signs and portents!’ ‘Sir,’ answered the official ‘come down before my child dies.’ ‘Go home,’ said Jesus ‘your son will live.'”  The faith of the official was not yet perfect.  He needed to see Jesus ministering to his son for healing to take place.  That was why he pleaded with Him to come down.

However, the Lord insisted on complete faith in Him.  He said, “Go home, your son will live.”  And we read that the man submitted in perfect faith and surrendered to the Lord.  “The man believed what Jesus had said and started on his way; and while he was still on the journey back, his servants met him with the news that his boy was alive.  He asked them when the boy had begun to recover.  ‘The fever left him yesterday’ they said ‘at the seventh hour.’  The father realised that this was exactly the time when Jesus had said, ‘Your son will live’; and he and all his household believed.”

We too must perfect our faith in the Lord.  We must surrender our lives to Him.  Sometimes we pray, and things do not seem to be happening immediately, but we must never give up.  We must keep on striving and persevering in our faith in Him, in prayer and in the way we live out the Gospel life.  God is faithful.  As the responsorial psalm says, “Lord, you have rescued me and have not let my enemies rejoice over me. O Lord, you have raised my soul from the dead, restored me to life from those who sink into the grave. His anger lasts a moment; his favour all through life.  At night there are tears, but joy comes with dawn. The Lord listened and had pity. The Lord came to my help.  For me you have changed my mourning into dancing: O Lord my God, I will thank you for ever.”  Indeed, it is by listening to His word, imitating Him, living out the Gospel in faith that we receive new life in Christ.

Best Practices for Using the Daily Scripture Reflections

• Encounter God through the spirit of prayer and the scripture by reflecting and praying the Word of God daily. The purpose is to bring you to prayer and to a deeper union with the Lord on the level of the heart.
• Daily reflections when archived will lead many to accumulate all the reflections of the week and pray in one sitting. This will compromise your capacity to enter deeply into the Word of God, as the tendency is to read for knowledge rather than a prayerful reading of the Word for the purpose of developing a personal and affective relationship with the Lord.
• It is more important to pray deeply, not read widely. The current reflections of the day would be more than sufficient for anyone who wants to pray deeply and be led into an intimacy with the Lord.

Note: You may share this reflection with someone. However, please note that reflections are not archived online nor will they be available via email request.

Written by His Eminence, Cardinal William SC Goh, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Singapore © All Rights Reserved. 

ENLIGHTENED BY CHRIST OUR LIGHT

20260315 ENLIGHTENED BY CHRIST OUR LIGHT

 

15 March 2026, 4th Sunday of Lent

First reading

1 Samuel 16:1,6-7,10-13

David is anointed by Samuel

The Lord said to Samuel, ‘Fill your horn with oil and go. I am sending you to Jesse of Bethlehem, for I have chosen myself a king among his sons.’ When Samuel arrived, he caught sight of Eliab and thought, ‘Surely the Lord’s anointed stands there before him,’ but the Lord said to Samuel, ‘Take no notice of his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him: God does not see as man sees: man looks at appearances but the Lord looks at the heart.’ Jesse presented his seven sons to Samuel, but Samuel said to Jesse, ‘The Lord has not chosen these.’ He then asked Jesse, ‘Are these all the sons you have?’ He answered, ‘There is still one left, the youngest; he is out looking after the sheep.’ Then Samuel said to Jesse, ‘Send for him; we will not sit down to eat until he comes.’ Jesse had him sent for, a boy of fresh complexion, with fine eyes and pleasant bearing. The Lord said, ‘Come, anoint him, for this is the one.’ At this, Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed him where he stood with his brothers; and the spirit of the Lord seized on David and stayed with him from that day on.

How to listen

Responsorial Psalm

Psalm 22(23)

The Lord is my shepherd: there is nothing I shall want.

The Lord is my shepherd;

  there is nothing I shall want.

Fresh and green are the pastures

  where he gives me repose.

Near restful waters he leads me,

  to revive my drooping spirit.

The Lord is my shepherd: there is nothing I shall want.

He guides me along the right path;

  he is true to his name.

If I should walk in the valley of darkness

  no evil would I fear.

You are there with your crook and your staff;

  with these you give me comfort.

The Lord is my shepherd: there is nothing I shall want.

You have prepared a banquet for me

  in the sight of my foes.

My head you have anointed with oil;

  my cup is overflowing.

The Lord is my shepherd: there is nothing I shall want.

Surely goodness and kindness shall follow me

  all the days of my life.

In the Lord’s own house shall I dwell

  for ever and ever.

The Lord is my shepherd: there is nothing I shall want.

Second reading

Ephesians 5:8-14

Anything exposed by the light will turn into light

You were darkness once, but now you are light in the Lord; be like children of light, for the effects of the light are seen in complete goodness and right living and truth. Try to discover what the Lord wants of you, having nothing to do with the futile works of darkness but exposing them by contrast. The things which are done in secret are things that people are ashamed even to speak of; but anything exposed by the light will be illuminated and anything illuminated turns into light. That is why it is said:

Wake up from your sleep,

rise from the dead,

and Christ will shine on you.

Gospel Acclamation

Jn8:12

Glory to you, O Christ, you are the Word of God!

I am the light of the world, says the Lord;

whoever follows me will have the light of life.

Glory to you, O Christ, you are the Word of God!

Gospel

John 9:1-41

The blind man went off and washed himself, and came away with his sight restored

As Jesus went along, he saw a man who had been blind from birth. His disciples asked him, ‘Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, for him to have been born blind?’ ‘Neither he nor his parents sinned,’ Jesus answered ‘he was born blind so that the works of God might be displayed in him.

‘As long as the day lasts

I must carry out the work of the one who sent me;

the night will soon be here when no one can work.

As long as I am in the world

I am the light of the world.’

Having said this, he spat on the ground, made a paste with the spittle, put this over the eyes of the blind man, and said to him, ‘Go and wash in the Pool of Siloam’ (a name that means ‘sent’). So the blind man went off and washed himself, and came away with his sight restored.

  His neighbours and people who earlier had seen him begging said, ‘Isn’t this the man who used to sit and beg?’ Some said, ‘Yes, it is the same one.’ Others said, ‘No, he only looks like him.’ The man himself said, ‘I am the man.’ So they said to him, ‘Then how do your eyes come to be open?’ ‘The man called Jesus’ he answered ‘made a paste, daubed my eyes with it and said to me, “Go and wash at Siloam”; so I went, and when I washed I could see.’ They asked, ‘Where is he?’ ‘I don’t know’ he answered.

  They brought the man who had been blind to the Pharisees. It had been a sabbath day when Jesus made the paste and opened the man’s eyes, so when the Pharisees asked him how he had come to see, he said, ‘He put a paste on my eyes, and I washed, and I can see.’ Then some of the Pharisees said, ‘This man cannot be from God: he does not keep the sabbath.’ Others said, ‘How could a sinner produce signs like this?’ And there was disagreement among them. So they spoke to the blind man again, ‘What have you to say about him yourself, now that he has opened your eyes?’ ‘He is a prophet’ replied the man. However, the Jews would not believe that the man had been blind and had gained his sight, without first sending for his parents and asking them, ‘Is this man really your son who you say was born blind? If so, how is it that he is now able to see?’ His parents answered, ‘We know he is our son and we know he was born blind, but we do not know how it is that he can see now, or who opened his eyes. He is old enough: let him speak for himself.’ His parents spoke like this out of fear of the Jews, who had already agreed to expel from the synagogue anyone who should acknowledge Jesus as the Christ. This was why his parents said, ‘He is old enough; ask him.’

  So the Jews again sent for the man and said to him, ‘Give glory to God! For our part, we know that this man is a sinner.’ The man answered, ‘I don’t know if he is a sinner; I only know that I was blind and now I can see.’ They said to him, ‘What did he do to you? How did he open your eyes?’ He replied, ‘I have told you once and you wouldn’t listen. Why do you want to hear it all again? Do you want to become his disciples too?’ At this they hurled abuse at him: ‘You can be his disciple,’ they said ‘we are disciples of Moses: we know that God spoke to Moses, but as for this man, we do not know where he comes from.’ The man replied, ‘Now here is an astonishing thing! He has opened my eyes, and you don’t know where he comes from! We know that God doesn’t listen to sinners, but God does listen to men who are devout and do his will. Ever since the world began it is unheard of for anyone to open the eyes of a man who was born blind; if this man were not from God, he couldn’t do a thing.’ ‘Are you trying to teach us,’ they replied ‘and you a sinner through and through, since you were born!’ And they drove him away.

  Jesus heard they had driven him away, and when he found him he said to him, ‘Do you believe in the Son of Man?’ ‘Sir,’ the man replied ‘tell me who he is so that I may believe in him.’ Jesus said, ‘You are looking at him; he is speaking to you.’ The man said, ‘Lord, I believe’, and worshipped him.

  Jesus said:

‘It is for judgement

that I have come into this world,

so that those without sight may see

and those with sight turn blind.’

Hearing this, some Pharisees who were present said to him, ‘We are not blind, surely?’ Jesus replied:

‘Blind? If you were,

you would not be guilty,

but since you say, “We see,”

your guilt remains.’

 

ENLIGHTENED BY CHRIST OUR LIGHT

SCRIPTURE READINGS: [1 SM 16:1, 6-7, 10-13; PS 23; EPH 5:8-14; JN 9:1-41]

Many are seeking the wrong things in life.  We seek fulfilment of our physical needs.  We seek pleasure, thinking it is happiness.  We mistake lust for love, physical relationships for true intimacy.  This is because many of us are blind.  Like Samuel in today’s first reading, we judge from appearances. But the Lord said to Samuel, “God does not see as man sees; man looks at appearances but the Lord looks at the heart.”

Why are we blind?  This was the question posed by the disciples to Jesus.  “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, for him to have been born blind?”  Implied in this question is that physical suffering is due to one’s sins or the sins of our parents.  This was the common view held by the Jews.  They regarded illness and misfortunes as punishment for personal sins or the sins of their ancestors. There are certainly some situations that are due to the principle of cause and effect.  However, this does not mean that every physical suffering or mishap is caused by sin, as if it is a punishment from God.

Hence, the response of Jesus was “‘neither he nor his parents sinned,’ Jesus answered, ‘he was born blind so that the works of God might be displayed in him.'”  Suffering, which is part and parcel of being human, is permitted by God in order to help us perfect ourselves in holiness. This is done through growing in virtue and uniting ourselves with the sufferings of Christ our Redeemer, who, although innocent, bore in Himself the punishment that our sins merited.   This also explains why our Lady, St. Joseph, and all the Saints experienced intense suffering, thereby sharing in the redemptive suffering of Christ.

Consequently, more than just physical blindness, what is at stake here is a warning to us about living in spiritual blindness.  The greatest tragedy is not being physically blind but living in darkness.  Today’s Gospel shows how the blind man came to confess Jesus as the Messenger, Prophet, and Son of God, whereas the Pharisees persisted in refusing to see or believe, despite the clear evidence before them. Although physically able to see, they were truly blind because they simply could not accept that Jesus could have healed the blind man.

Their spiritual blindness was due to their legalistic mindset.  As in previous occasions when Jesus healed the sick on the Sabbath, such as the paralysed man beside the pool, He was perceived to have broken the Law.  The conclusion was that because Jesus did not keep the Sabbath, He could not be a man of God, and His miracles were therefore not from God.  So although the miracle was obvious to everyone, the Pharisees were so stubborn that they refused to see the significance of the event, not even after questioning the man himself and his parents.  The sin of the Pharisees was not because they could not see God in Christ, but that they would not let Jesus, who is the Light, open their eyes.

Such deliberate blindness is even more tragic.  Today, we continue to have people who refuse to recognise goodness and truth even when they see them. There are many self-righteous people who are so comfortable in the status quo that they do not want to change and insist on living in darkness.  Worst of all, many are so proud that their pride makes them refuse to recognise the existence of God, much less acknowledge Christ as the Light.

Thus, it is necessary that we turn to Jesus as the Light of the World.  The work of Jesus is to reveal to us the truth about life and about His Father.  He is the Light of the world because His life among men has given us the ultimate meaning of the world and the purpose and goal of life.  He gave light to the eyes of the blind man by enlightening his soul, leading him to make an act of faith in His divinity.

Acceptance of Jesus as the Light is brought about through the Sacrament of Baptism.  Indeed, the miracle in today’s Gospel is seen by the Fathers of the Church as symbolising the Sacrament of Baptism, in which, through the medium of water, the soul is cleansed and receives the light of faith.  This is further reiterated by St. Paul, who depicted baptism as true enlightenment.  In baptism, a person who was dead – that is, separated from God by sin – moves out of darkness into the light.

Consequently, the liturgy invites all of us today – Elects, and those who are already baptised – to renew our act of faith in Christ. What does this entail? Firstly, faith calls for obedience.  The healing of the blind nan is reminiscent of the healing of Naaman. Unlike Naaman, who reluctantly obeyed, the blind man obeyed promptly without asking questions or raising any objections.  Although physically blind, the blind man acted upon the order of Christ.   Thus, faith requires us to take the words of Jesus seriously.  Without the obedience of faith, no change can take place.  Indeed, if many of us have yet to discover Christ as the Light of our lives, it is because we have not yet given ourselves fully to the Gospel.  We must believe in His words!

Hence, faith is to believe. For the Evangelist John, believing is seeing; only when we believe, can we truly see.  St Augustine defines theology as faith seeking further understanding.  Unless we believe, we cannot understand, since understanding the deeper truth requires that we first surrender.  This is especially true in the case of love and relationships. Simply studying and observing people in love cannot help us to understand love unless we begin to love ourselves.  Thus, the question of Jesus to the blind man, “Do you believe in the Son of Man?” is the climax and central meaning of today’s Gospel.  For St. John, sin is not so much doubting as it is the disbelief in Jesus as the one who has been sent to reveal God’s goodness.

When we believe, we begin to understand more.  This is the process of coming to maturity in faith. Conversion to Christ is a process and a journey. The blind man exemplifies this journey into faith.  It is significant to note that it was not the man who found Jesus, but Jesus who found him!  Conversion for the blind man began the moment he obeyed Jesus’ command.  Conversion begins when Jesus seeks us out and we make ourselves available to His touch. He then opens our eyes to the Truth, but we do not immediately understand.  As the Gospel shows, the faith of the man gradually deepened. He first thought of Jesus as just a man, and then concluded that Jesus must be a prophet, and finally acknowledged His divinity.

The corollary to accepting Jesus as the Son of God is living in the light.  There can be no dichotomy between faith and life, belief and morality.  Indeed, St. Paul exhorts us not to live in “darkness” as we did before our conversion. The proper course for a believer, someone enlightened by faith, is to live differently.  The Christian is in a different position from that of a pagan.  As believers, we know Jesus and are therefore enlightened in the truth. The Gospel must govern our behaviour and lifestyle.  Having been reborn in Christ, we are called to be the “light of the world” by living a life that is good, right, and true.

In doing so, we become witnesses to Christ, our Light.  By our new way of being, thinking, and acting, we become living examples of what it means to live an enlightened life.  For this is what baptism really is all about – being enlightened in Christ and living an enlightened life.  By our word and example, we can throw light on all human realities and thereby help the world distinguish between right from wrong.

Indeed, we must share the same urgency that Jesus felt in His ministry.  He said, “As long as the day lasts, I must carry out the work of the one who sent me; the night will soon be here when no one can work.” As long as it is day, we must do the work of Him who sent us.  Night is coming, when no one can work.  This is the other aspect of baptism.  Incidentally, there is a play on the word “Siloam” which means “to be sent”.  Having been washed by the waters of baptism and enlightened by Christ, we are then sent to share in the work of God, which is the work of liberation, healing, compassion, and forgiveness. It is the work of love-filled living and giving – the work of bringing salvation.

The reality is that we have plenty of work to do.  Today, people who live in worlds of blame and bitterness surround us. Everywhere there is so much that blinds people and prevents them from living in the freedom of love and truth that God intended for us. We must proclaim loudly through our lives and deeds that all this blindness, blame, bitterness, and bondage can be overcome by surrendering in faith to Christ. Instead of assigning blame to our parents or the environment, all we need to do is follow the Master’s instructions and allow the work of God to be made manifest in and through us.

Finally, although being a witness to Christ may entail rejection by the world, just as the blind man was thrown out of the synagogue, we can take consolation in knowing that Jesus will seek us out and minister to us, just as He did for the blind man. Through our sufferings in bearing witness, like the blind man, we will see Jesus even more clearly. For by being loved by Jesus, we will begin to know and see who Jesus really is.

Best Practices for Using the Daily Scripture Reflections

• Encounter God through the spirit of prayer and the scripture by reflecting and praying the Word of God daily. The purpose is to bring you to prayer and to a deeper union with the Lord on the level of the heart.
• Daily reflections when archived will lead many to accumulate all the reflections of the week and pray in one sitting. This will compromise your capacity to enter deeply into the Word of God, as the tendency is to read for knowledge rather than a prayerful reading of the Word for the purpose of developing a personal and affective relationship with the Lord.
• It is more important to pray deeply, not read widely. The current reflections of the day would be more than sufficient for anyone who wants to pray deeply and be led into an intimacy with the Lord.

Note: You may share this reflection with someone. However, please note that reflections are not archived online nor will they be available via email request.

Written by His Eminence, Cardinal William SC Goh, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Singapore © All Rights Reserved.