For you this week:
- Reflection for Saturday: It’s no accident that God created you for this time
- Inside the Ministry: Why we chose the name “Good News Ministries”
- More Good News: E-books you can download for more faith growth
This week’s Trivia Challenge: What is the name of the mountain where the transfiguration of Jesus occurred? (Check your answer at the end of this newsletter.)
Saturday August 6, 2022
Feast of the Transfiguration of the Lord
Daniel 7:9-10, 13-14
Ps 97:1-2, 5-6, 9
2 Peter 1:16-19
Luke 9:28b-36
bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/080622.cfm
Podcast:
bible.usccb.org/podcasts/audio/2022-08-06-usccb-daily-mass-readings
Saints Calendar:
gnm.org/saints-find/saints-calendar
Jesus took Peter, John, and James and went up a mountain to pray. (From Saturday’s Gospel reading)
Reflection for Saturday:
It’s no accident that God created you for this time
Do you know that the Father gave you to Jesus as a gift to him? Because you’ve made Jesus your Lord and Savior, and if you desire to follow him and grow in holiness with the help of the Holy Spirit, then it’s true.
The Father has adopted you into his family and has given you to Jesus as a gift of love. How did Jesus respond? He prayed: “Father, I desire that they also, whom you have given me, may be with me where I am, to see my glory that you have given me because you loved me before the foundation of the world” (John 17:24 NIV).
Consider how the first apostles were a gift to Jesus: What giftedness did the Father design into them for the sake of blessing his Divine Son?
This question might not be readily answered because we tend to focus on how Jesus is a gift from the Father to us (to all humankind). And we tend to wrap giftedness up in terms of services that we render, the good deeds that we do, the talents that we utilize, and the love that we bring. However, sharing our giftedness is only half of the picture.
We are a gift.
The Father gave to Jesus the gift of close friends. Peter, James, and John were the only apostles whom Jesus took up Mount Tabor to witness his miraculous transfiguration and his divine meeting with Moses and Elijah. And they were the only ones he took with him into the Garden of Gethsemane for emotional support as he agonized over his impending crucifixion. Obviously, he treasured their friendship on a very personal level. And we know that Martha, Mary, and Lazarus were other close friends.
The Father also gave to Jesus the gift of your friendship. Stop and think about that for a while. How much you love Jesus, how much you follow him, how much you adore him in the Holy Eucharist—that’s how much you are a gift to Jesus. And the Father is very pleased! The giver of the gift wants to see his gift make a difference. See it enjoyed. See it be a blessing. You know how he feels. You feel the same way when you give a present to a loved one.
There are many ways that we are a gift to Jesus. Let’s take as an example the apostles again. The Father gifted the first apostles with lives that put them in the right place at the right time to assist with the arrival of the long-awaited Messiah and the continuation of his mission afterward. You, too, were created by the Father for this time and place. It’s no accident that God created you for this time! Regardless of the circumstances of your conception, the Father gifted you with a life that is meant to be a blessing to Jesus in the world today.
Excerpted from my book The Father’s Heart (tothefathersheart.com)
Inside the Ministry:
Why we chose the name “Good News Ministries”
Ever since the first moment Ralph and I said yes to the Lord for founding Good News Ministries (1995), our sole purpose has been to enliven the Word of God in the hearts of more people around the world. The word “gospel” means good news.
We have always been enthusiastically committed to increasing and spreading the Good News lifestyle. And isn’t this needed in our world now more than ever!? Truly, it’s no accident that God created you for this time.
Do you want to help people stand strong in the belief that the Bible is the Word of God? And that God cares? And that living a Bible-based life is wonderful? Whenever the scriptures are made relevant to what’s going on inside a person, they are life-changing. As you know, here at Good News Ministries, that is our special charism.
However, our small staff, our wonderful volunteers, and I need you. There are at least 3 things you can do to help:
(1) Please forward the daily Good News Reflections (gnm.org/good-news-reflections) to as many people as you can. Regularly. Frequently. Appropriately.
(2) Please take time to minister to your network of people by sharing our faith-building WordBytes articles (wordbytes.org), by posting links to them in social media and by downloading the PDFs of them for printing and distributing.
(3) Please scroll through our library of videos (gnm-media.org) and podcasts (footstepstoheaven.com) to select those that will touch the hearts of the people you care about.
(4) And be a champion of the Good News by supporting this mission financially (gnm.org/donate).
If you’ve already been doing these deeds of mercy, ask the Holy Spirit, “Show me how to do it more!” You know how urgently vital this is for today’s world.
Thank you for partnering with me and my team in this extremely important effort. Together we can conquer the devil and push back on what demons have accomplished over the past several decades. Together we can rescue people from the devil’s lies. Together we can awaken people’s hearts to the truths of Jesus Christ.
MORE GOOD NEWS
See the ebooks you can download for more faith growth. Visit Catholic Digital Resources @ gnm.org/catholic-digital-resources/ for the ones highlighted in bold. For everything else, go to gnm.org/books-by-terry-modica.
You might want:
- Healing in Christ’s Passionate Love
- Novena Consecration to Saint Joseph
- Lessons from the Blessed Mother
- My Soul Shall Be Healed
- The Father’s Heart
- Holy Living Bible Study
- Knowing God’s Will and Doing it Well
- How to Win Victories in Spiritual Warfare
- Daily Prayers with the Saints
- The Healing Wounds of Jesus
- and more!
Coming soon??? Terry’s Corner
This will become top priority after (1) we reach the $35,000 (USD) fundraising goal, and (2) we’ve hired a webmaster.
Answer to this week’s Trivia Challenge:
What is the name of the mountain where the transfiguration of Jesus occurred? We don’t know! It’s common belief that it was Mount Tabor, but “Tabor” is not mentioned anywhere in the New Testament. The Gospels say that Jesus went up a “high mountain.” It was Queen Helena, mother of Emperor Constantine the Great, who identified the location as Tabor, in 326 AD. Some scholars have concluded that Mount Hermon is the highest peak in the area and fits better with the events that occurred just before and after the transfiguration.
God bless you!
Every morning, I lift up in prayer everyone who helps Good News Ministries in any way (donors, volunteers, prayer supporters, etc.) and all the prayer requests posted on our site. What can I cover in prayer for you? Post your prayer request.
How else can the team and I serve you today? Visit our homepage.
Let’s connect in GNM’s own SmartCatholics community, called Good News Faith Builders. I’m available to interact with you there.
Thank you for reading this newsletter.
Your servant in Christ,
Terry Modica, Executive Director
Good News Ministries
gnm.org
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A free PDF document of this is available for your own personal use.
How to Win Victories in Spiritual Warfare
Knowing God’s Will and Doing it Well
Lessons from the Blessed Mother
Daily Prayers with the Saints