Saturday March 1, 2025
Good News Reflections:
Making scripture meaningful to your daily life
by Terry Modica
“He created for them counsel,
and a tongue and eyes and ears,
and an inventive heart,
and filled them with the discipline of understanding.”
(Sirach 17:6-7)
Good News Reflection for:
Saturday of the 7th Week in Ordinary Time
March 1, 2025
Today’s Readings:
Sirach 17:1-15
Psalm 103:13-18
Mark 10:13-16
bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/030125.cfm
USCCB Podcast of the Readings:
bible.usccb.org/podcasts/audio/daily-mass-reading-podcast-march-1-2025
God is empowering you to be your best self
Sirach is a fun book of the Old Testament to read. In this Saturday’s portion of it, we are reminded of what it means to be made in the image of God:
Despite the limitations of our perceptions, we have the gift of discernment.
Despite how easily we gossip or complain, we have a tongue for speaking God’s words and spreading the truth.
Despite how blind we are to the blessings that are hidden in our difficulties, we have eyes that can see what God is doing to help us and ears that can hear his loving guidance.
Despite the obstacles that get in the way of doing what the Lord calls us to do, we have an inventive heart so we can figure out a way around them.
Despite feeling confused and uncertain and worried, we have the desire Despite thinking God has abandoned us during our biggest trials, we have the knowledge of his Holy Spirit, who is always with us because he is in us.
We are all designed to be saints. In our baptisms, God transformed us from sinners into saints. True joy comes from being true to yourself. Be the saint God designed you to be! It’s not impossible. It’s one step at a time.
Recently, I was moved by the following excerpt from a pamphlet called Focused: A Story and a Song, written by Lilias Trotter (d. 1928).
It was just a dandelion, and half withered — but it was full face to the sun, and had caught into its heart all the glory it could hold, and was shining so radiantly that the dew that lay on it still made a perfect aureole round its head. And it seemed to talk, standing there — to talk about the possibility of making the very best of these lives of ours.
For if the Sun of Righteousness has risen upon our hearts, there is an ocean of grace and love and power lying all around us, an ocean to which all earthly light is but a drop, and it is ready to transfigure us, as the sunshine transfigured the dandelion, and on the same condition — that we stand full face to God.
You and I are the dandelion she described. So the question is: How do we turn our half-withered faces toward the radiance of God? How do we access his ocean of grace and love and power during our weak moments? Lilias Trotter said, “Turn full your soul’s vision to Jesus, and look and look at him, and a strange dimness will come over all that is apart from him.”
Or as I like to say: Keep your eyes on Jesus!
Singer and hymn writer Helen Lemmel (1863-1961) felt inspired by Trotter’s pamphlet and wrote the well known song, which I learned in my childhood church, Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus:
O soul are you weary and troubled?
No light in the darkness you see?
There’s light for a look at the Savior
And life more abundant and free
Turn you eyes upon Jesus
Look full in His wonderful face
And the things of earth will grow strangely dim
In the light of His glory and grace
Through death into life everlasting
He passed, and we follow Him there
Over us sin no more hath dominion
For more than conquerors we are
And turn your eyes upon Jesus
Look full in His wonderful face
And the things of earth will grow strangely dim
In the light of His glory and grace
His word shall not fail you, He promised
Believe Him and all will be well
Then go to a world that is dying
His perfect salvation to tell
And turn your eyes upon Jesus
Look full in His wonderful face
And the things of earth will grow strangely dim
In the light of His glory and grace
And the things of earth will grow strangely dim
In the light of His glory and grace
Amen!
© 2025 by Terry A. Modica
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