First Reading: Exodus 2: 1 - 15
1 Now a man from the house of Levi went and took to wife a daughter of Levi.
2 The woman conceived and bore a son; and when she saw that he was a goodly child, she hid him three months.
3 And when she could hide him no longer she took for him a basket made of bulrushes, and daubed it with bitumen and pitch; and she put the child in it and placed it among the reeds at the river's brink.
4 And his sister stood at a distance, to know what would be done to him.
5 Now the daughter of Pharaoh came down to bathe at the river, and her maidens walked beside the river; she saw the basket among the reeds and sent her maid to fetch it.
6 When she opened it she saw the child; and lo, the babe was crying. She took pity on him and said, "This is one of the Hebrews' children."
7 Then his sister said to Pharaoh's daughter, "Shall I go and call you a nurse from the Hebrew women to nurse the child for you?"
8 And Pharaoh's daughter said to her, "Go." So the girl went and called the child's mother.
9 And Pharaoh's daughter said to her, "Take this child away, and nurse him for me, and I will give you your wages." So the woman took the child and nursed him.
10 And the child grew, and she brought him to Pharaoh's daughter, and he became her son; and she named him Moses, for she said, "Because I drew him out of the water."
11 One day, when Moses had grown up, he went out to his people and looked on their burdens; and he saw an Egyptian beating a Hebrew, one of his people.
12 He looked this way and that, and seeing no one he killed the Egyptian and hid him in the sand.
13 When he went out the next day, behold, two Hebrews were struggling together; and he said to the man that did the wrong, "Why do you strike your fellow?"
14 He answered, "Who made you a prince and a judge over us? Do you mean to kill me as you killed the Egyptian?" Then Moses was afraid, and thought, "Surely the thing is known."
15 When Pharaoh heard of it, he sought to kill Moses. But Moses fled from Pharaoh, and stayed in the land of Mid'ian; and he sat down by a well.
Psalms 69: 3, 14, 30 - 31, 33 - 34
3 I am weary with my crying; my throat is parched. My eyes grow dim with waiting for my God.
14 rescue me from sinking in the mire; let me be delivered from my enemies and from the deep waters.
30 I will praise the name of God with a song; I will magnify him with thanksgiving.
31 This will please the LORD more than an ox or a bull with horns and hoofs.
33 For the LORD hears the needy, and does not despise his own that are in bonds.
34 Let heaven and earth praise him, the seas and everything that moves therein.
Gospel Reading: Matthew 11: 20 - 24
20 Then he began to upbraid the cities where most of his mighty works had been done, because they did not repent.
21 "Woe to you, Chora'zin! woe to you, Beth-sa'ida! for if the mighty works done in you had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes.
22 But I tell you, it shall be more tolerable on the day of judgment for Tyre and Sidon than for you.
23 And you, Caper'na-um, will you be exalted to heaven? You shall be brought down to Hades. For if the mighty works done in you had been done in Sodom, it would have remained until this day.
24 But I tell you that it shall be more tolerable on the day of judgment for the land of Sodom than for you."
Divine Retreat Center Monthly Message "THE GLORY OF THE LORD HAS RISEN UPON YOU" (iSAIAH 60:1)
"The significance of the miracle at Cana is rich as it speaks of the offering of the new wine… Here is the interpretation of the new wine symbolizing the Holy Spirit. As the Holy Spirit is poured into our hearts, there is fullness of love, and life becomes a celebration. This is exactly what happened at Cana. In a moment of need, Mother Mary intervened and Jesus did the miracle. What was the miracle? The Holy Spirit was given and the need was met. The answer to all the problems of human life is the Holy Spirit. That is why Jesus promised - “I will not leave you alone.” (John 14:18)"
"Our lives could have reached a juncture where we have felt empty and abandoned. The wine we had calculated and counted on to make life a celebration has run out. The clouds of doom seemed to hover above us… We ultimately realize how limited we ourselves are. And in this realization of our emptiness, we can slip into despair. But the glory of God is manifested here in that Christ comes to offer us the new wine of the Holy Spirit who will fill and lead us to life in the power and glory of God."
"This understanding is crucial in our day-to-day life… Mother Mary points us to Jesus who shall fill us with the new wine of the Holy Spirit."
St. Irenaeus has defined God's glory as man fully alive. Indeed Jesus said, "I have come that you may have life and life in all its fullness." (John 10:10)
"Jesus needs us to continue this mission of the manifestation of His Glory. As Blessed Pope John Paul II has insightfully declared, the world today is in the grip of the culture of death. There is a widespread compromise with sin. And with sin, all forms of miseries torment human life…There is an air of despair pervading every strata of society. The Pope called for a radical change of the human heart to an openness to God and to fellow-beings in love and surrender."
"Every situation of our life, however painful or sinful, offered to God will be turned by God into the venue of the manifestation of His Glory. This is the message going forth from Divine all these years. Thousands come in and often it is from very distressing situations. And here as they wait on God, they see the great Glory of God shining upon their very hopeless situations. Where the joy of life had drained out, God poured in the new wine of the Holy Spirit and they go back rejoicing and praising the Glory of God. Thus they carry the good news to the ends of the earth - “Arise, shine out; for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord has risen upon you.” (Isaiah 60:1)"
Let us choose to live with God’s Glory upon us!
