Presenting the Fortieth edition for 2018 of the WEEKLY DEVOTIONS:
Keep on praying, this world is in great need of it. "Always be joyful. Keep on praying. No matter what happens, always be thankful, for this is God's will for you who belong to Christ Jesus.”
This edition is dedicated to: What is blinding you and preventing you to go to Jesus Christ???
God always keeps His promises and in the first reading, Jeremiah reminds us of this that God promises to gather His people and bring them home even the blind and the lame!!! In the Gospel, Jesus does just that He cures Bartimaeus of his blindness and frees him to go his own way but he immediately follows Jesus instead.
Almighty and ever-living God, strengthen our faith, hope, and love. May we do with loving hearts what You ask of us and come to share the life You promise.
I Am a Father to Israel !!!
Thus says the LORD:
Shout with joy for Jacob,
exult at the head of the nations;
proclaim your praise and say:
The LORD has delivered his people,
the remnant of Israel.
Behold, I will bring them back
from the land of the north;
I will gather them from the ends of the world,
with the blind and the lame in their midst,
the mothers and those with child;
they shall return as an immense throng.
They departed in tears,
but I will console them and guide them;
I will lead them to brooks of water,
on a level road, so that none shall stumble.
For I am a father to Israel,
Ephraim is my first-born. Jeremiah 31:7-9
You are my Son: this day I have begotten you
Brothers and sisters:
Every high priest is taken from among men
and made their representative before God,
to offer gifts and sacrifices for sins.
He is able to deal patiently with the ignorant and erring,
for he himself is beset by weakness
and so, for this reason, must make sin offerings for himself
as well as for the people.
No one takes this honor upon himself
but only when called by God,
just as Aaron was.
In the same way,
it was not Christ who glorified himself in becoming high priest,
but rather the one who said to him:
You are my son:
this day I have begotten you;
just as he says in another place:
You are a priest forever
according to the order of Melchizedek. Hebrews 5:1-6
Acclamation :
Alleluia. Alleluia. Praise be to the Lord, the God of Israel, because he has come and has redeemed his people. To shine on those living in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the path of peace.
Alleluia. Luke 1:68, 79
"What do you want me to do for you?" "Master, I want to see."
As Jesus was leaving Jericho with his disciples and a sizable crowd,
Bartimaeus, a blind man, the son of Timaeus,
sat by the roadside begging.
On hearing that it was Jesus of Nazareth,
he began to cry out and say,
"Jesus, son of David, have pity on me."
And many rebuked him, telling him to be silent.
But he kept calling out all the more,
"Son of David, have pity on me."
Jesus stopped and said, "Call him."
So they called the blind man, saying to him,
"Take courage; get up, Jesus is calling you."
He threw aside his cloak, sprang up, and came to Jesus.
Jesus said to him in reply, "What do you want me to do for you?"
The blind man replied to him, "Master, I want to see."
Jesus told him, "Go your way; your faith has saved you."
Immediately he received his sight and followed him on the way.
Mark 10:46-52
Psalm 126:1-2ab, 2cd-3, 4-5, 6
The Lord has done great things for us; we are filled with joy.
When the LORD brought back the captives of Zion,
we were like men dreaming.
Then our mouth was filled with laughter,
and our tongue with rejoicing.
Then they said among the nations,
"The LORD has done great things for them."
The LORD has done great things for us;
we are glad indeed.
Restore our fortunes, O LORD,
like the torrents in the southern desert.
Those that sow in tears
shall reap rejoicing.
Although they go forth weeping,
carrying the seed to be sown,
They shall come back rejoicing,
carrying their sheaves.
Conclusion:
So Love and Serve God and Neighbor with all of your Heart.
Do not let wickedness blind you. Let us ask Jesus for forgiveness of our sins and ask Him to change our sinful ways and Jesus will lead us to Eternal Life.
If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead,
you will be saved!!!
The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart
—that is, the word of faith that we preach—,
for, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord
and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead,
you will be saved.
For one believes with the heart and so is justified,
and one confesses with the mouth and so is saved. Romans 10:8-10
Do not let wickedness blind you. Let us ask Jesus for forgiveness of our sins and ask Him to change our sinful ways and Jesus will lead us to Eternal Life.
"I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. John14:6
Then Jesus declared, "I am the bread of life. He who comes to me will never go hungry, and he who believes in me will never be thirsty. John 6:35
I am the living bread that came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever. This bread is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world.
Do not work for food that spoils, but for food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you. On him God the Father has placed his seal of approval.
You protect, Lord, those who trust in You; without You nothing is holy, nothing has value. Multiply your mercies on us. Guide us to everlasting life by helping us to use wisely the blessings you have given to the world.
After John was put in prison, Jesus went into Galilee, proclaiming the good news of God. "The time has come," he said. "The kingdom of God is near. Repent and believe the good news!" Mark 1:14-15
May God be gracious to us and bless us
and make his face shine upon us,
Selah that your ways may be known on earth,
your salvation among all nations. May the peoples praise you, O God;
may all the peoples praise you. Psalm 67:1-3
Jesus Prays for All Believers
"My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me.
John 17:20-21
Lord, may the Spirit you promised lead us into all truth and reveal to us the full meaning of this sacrifice.
I tell you the truth, he who believes has everlasting life!!!!!!!
Jesus Christ died for you and me and we are now free from sin and eternal death and can now enjoy and have an eternal relationship with the Father.
Salvation is for everyone and it is free for Jesus Christ paid the price!!!!!!!
We are all His witnesses and messengers let us continue proclaiming His message of the Good News to the entire world!!!!!!!
Rid yourselves of all the offenses you have committed, and get a new heart and a new spirit. Why will you die, O house of Israel? Ezekiel 18:31
You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit—fruit that will last. Then the Father will give you whatever you ask in my name.
John 15:16
Jesus said. "The kingdom of God is near. Repent and believe the good news!"
For He is our God and we are the people of his pasture, the flock under his care. Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts as you did at Meribah, as you did that day at Massah in the desert, where your fathers tested and tried me, though they had seen what I did.
Giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in the kingdom of light. For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.
Keep on praying, this world is in great need of it. "Always be joyful. Keep on praying. No matter what happens, always be thankful, for this is God's will for you who belong to Christ Jesus.”
Let us all proclaim the Gospel to all our Brothers and Sisters in the entire world and be witnesses, ready to testify of our Faith in Jesus Christ, Our Lord and Savior!!!!!!!
Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age."
Matthew 28:19-20
Jesus Christ is Our Lord and Savior. Trust and have Faith in Him, today Amen, Alleluia!!!
Go and proclaim to the whole world the awesomeness and greatness of God!!!
Glory and Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ.
