Day 18 (Mar 17)
– Thorns that Choke
Day 18 (Mar 17)
Thorns that Choke
What is choking God's presence in your life?
Audio (in Cantonese)
Audio (in Mandarin)
English
“Uproot from that garden the stinking weeds filled with impurity and avarice, and bloated with pride.”
In Jesus' parable of the sower, “some seed fell among thorns, and the thorns grew with it and choked it.” (Luke 8:7)
What does this scenario represent? Jesus explained these are people who have heard God's Word, “but as they go along, they are choked by the anxieties and riches and pleasures of life, and they fail to produce mature fruit.” (Luke 8:14)
Pope Francis interprets these thorns as “the vices which come to blows with God, which choke his presence: above all these are the idols of worldly wealth, living avidly, for oneself, for possessions and for power. If we cultivate these thorns, we choke God's growth within us. Each of us can recognize his or her big or small thorns, the vices that inhabit the heart, those more or less deeply rooted briars that God does not like and that prevent us from having a clean heart. It is necessary to tear them out, otherwise the Word cannot bear fruit, the seed will not grow.” (Pope Francis' Angelus Address)
Due to original sin, we are prone to vices and struggle with worldly anxieties and temptations. The good news is God is with us, and He wants to help us remediate our soil, so His Word can grow in us.
As we have clinged onto these tough weeds all our lives, are we ready to let go and let God uproot them?
“Lord, I am ready.”
REFLECTION:
Am I aware of the thorns that prevents God's Word to grow in my heart? What are those thorns?
荊棘使種子吸收不到陽光雨水而枯萎.
唯有披荊斬棘才能讓信仰的種子在天主是光, 聖言乃水的澆灌下茁壯成長！
親愛的天主，全知的祢知道我的問題是什麼，求祢時刻堅固我，我的問題全交給祢拔除，按祢的旨意安排，引導我走祢的路，讓祢的旨意生長在我的心田中，使我成長為祢願收割的植物。感謝主。
我意識到有雜草在我心內成長，它們就是自以為是，怕別人的批評，更不願聽到埋怨的說話。主！給我勇氣！我要學習耶穌的謙虛及接受別人的提醒，回報說聲感謝。然後在祈禱中反省，善如流的改進自己。
求主的聖言，灌入我心田！AMEN!
求主除去我心裏的荊棘
我意識到自己的雜草還未能拔除。它就是執著於对人和事的看法，未能寬恕得罪自己的人。求聖神賜予我勇氣和力量去改善惡習，在祈禱中尋求主的旨意。亞孟。
在紛擾雜亂的世道中，荊棘無數，有時真是無從下手拔除，只有天主的臨在和賦予勇氣，才有望把它們拔除！
仁慈的天父，願祢的名受讚頌直到無窮之世！亞孟
我的荆棘是逸樂、是物慾、是掛慮、是驕傲、是貪婪……令天主在我內的臨在受窒礙、令我心變冷漠、無視社會弱小的需要、聖言的教道和指引没法與日增長。感謝天主給我機會披荆斬棘，祈求我主助我堅强意志，持續改善我的心田，讓聖言在我內茁壯成長，亞門！
我知到我心裡的荊棘是骄傲，軟弱，自私自利，自已为事。
我好想去改，但只改了小小，现求主給我力量完全改过，連根拔起，不会被荊棘窒礙
不安、憂慮籠罩著我，求主賜我力量。
每天都在祈盼著喝那活的泉水，讚美天主。?
我對生活健康工作…的憂慮， 呢d 荊棘窒礙天主聖言臨在， 我將這些荊棘交給天主， 加強信德， 望德。 求主讓我依靠你～
主，請除去我心中的雜草，讓我常常意識祢聖言的教導，努力實踐！
多年前，我栽種了一棵咖哩葉，但由於疏忽照顧，雜草多到霸佔和搶奪了咖哩葉的空間和營養，加上澆灌和除蟲不足，咖哩葉终於枯了！
我將所有泥土翻起作重用，才發現原來雜草擁有又大又圓的根部，埋藏在花盆的中央及底部，若不把它們連根拔起，種什麽都不會有健康和茂盛的收成！
天主父，多謝祢藉著今天經文及教導提醒我。請寬恕我，並幫助我切底除去驕傲，發脾氣和貪戀服飾裝扮的惡根和荊棘。主聖神，助祐我常懷更新和悔改的心，重新成長起來。祈禱奉主耶穌基督聖名求。亞孟！
仁慈的天父，祈求除去我的雜草， 感謝天主
天主，儘管我有荊棘，我都會不被它們阻礙我親近祢，求祢幫助我成就這事。亞孟。
感謝天主仁慈的扶持，忍受我心田中許多?良狀況，卻慢慢地，一個一個的幫我除掉。還有多少，我實在沒有完全的自知之明。求主光照，繼續幫助我能做到＂除惡務盡＂。阿們！
主，請祢祝福我會有的懷疑與不夠信靠，也因此讓我更想了解祢接近祢。將我的一切和不足都奉獻給祢。
天主，求祢賜予我智慧、勇氣和堅毅，與祢一起將我心裡的荊棘連根拔除，亞孟??
求主賜我毅力去拔除荊蕀，易怒，心硬，怠惰，自以為是，都是窒礙天主的滋養和教導。
感謝主給我反醒的機會
今日就要除去心田的荊蕀，求主給我勇氣和力量!
Jesus, let me see the thorns that prevents You Word to grow in my heart. And help me to remove the thorns from it’s roots. Amen.